Socializing as a Freelance Translator
By Maeva Cifuentes
As a kid I homeschooled until the age of 14, when I wanted to try something different (not that I didn’t enjoy homeschooling!) and I asked my mom if I could try public school. Both my brother and sister decided to continue homeschooling. When I tell people this, what they all ask me is, did you ever get to meet people? Were you always just stuck with your family? First of all, I love my family and they happen to be my greatest friends. Second of all, we still were always surrounded by people. Thanks to my mother’s efforts, we joined homeschooling groups and went to “park days” every week, where children and parents would basically meet at a park for a whole day and we would spend time playing and getting to know each other. I made some very close friends at the time. Furthermore, my mother always involved us in some type of activity: art, dance, karate, acting – you name it! So we were never short of friends.
This experience is reflected in my current lifestyle: the freelance translator. Before I was a freelance translator (or, more correctly, my second job while I was building my translation career), I was a bartender – boy was that lifestyle different. I would meet new people all the time! Now, I always work on my own. The most work-related communication I get is through my e-mail (other than with my Cifuentes Translator partners, who happen to be my parents). So how do I prevent myself from losing my mind? My first step was getting a co-working office. My office, which is about a one minute walk away from my house, is shared with 20-25 other professionals. Some are translators, others are graphic designers, web developers, and the like. Seeing the same people every day is a good step in developing social relationships. It also allows me to have a schedule and feel more ordered in my work day. Not to mention I leave most of my dictionaries and glossaries there for reference, providing me with a very work-friendly environment.
Secondly, I am involved with my translator colleagues in Barcelona. Over the course of a few “PowWows” that I’ve organized (a social gathering organized on Proz.com), I’ve met many of the translators located in Barcelona, and I still keep in touch with a few of them. It allows for a type of solidarity, a togetherness in the community. We have a Facebook group, “Barcelona Translators” to keep in touch on. There are many activities a translator could participate in to not lose touch with the rest of the world. Conferences, forums, associations, education, you name it!
What groups are you joining? What are you as translators doing to stay sociable? Leave your comments below!