The Linguist

FEATURES @CIOL_Linguists AUTUMN 2023 The Linguist 15 immediately available. Building relationships that work for both parties is invaluable. Finding common ground When it comes to managing work and parenting, times have changed and hushing up our family commitments could actually be doing us more harm than good in some cases. What it means to be 'professional' and what it means to work from home have changed significantly in recent years. Perhaps we are also doing a service to the wider language services industry when we admit that being a working parent is a juggling act, and one that we can manage more or less successfully on different days. We speak to so many translators who struggle with this. Being more open about it might make us all feel less alone. As a parent to a young child, scheduling translation work and looking after clients has been busy and stressful for Olivia at times, but also rewarding. The flexibility of working from home is second to none. For many freelance translators, this is a huge factor in our choice to enter, or stay in, the profession, and that's nothing to be ashamed about. Rather than feeling frustrated by our busy schedules, why not take a different perspective? Many of our clients and colleagues also have children, so opening up about the challenges can be a great opportunity to add depth and connection to working relationships by finding common ground. Certainly Clare has a lot of positive feedback on her LinkedIn posts, where her honest and light-hearted discussions seem welcome. Knowing our value One reason for keeping quiet about the pressures we face is related to imposter syndrome and the fear that we are not, or will not be perceived as, 'proper translators'. This mindset can be difficult to overcome, particularly as we do not always give ourselves the grace and understanding that we might offer our colleagues. For Olivia, the key to feeling positive about her ability to manage project work for clients has been leaving plenty of buffer time for unexpected events or delays and negotiating acceptable deadlines. Securing rates that justify the cost of childcare, and continuously reviewing those rates, has also been important. Recognising the value of her own time, both personally and professionally, has been significant in managing client relationships and working patterns to optimise her earnings and improve her working life. Clare is supported by a small team of staff but works from home alone. With three children at three different schools, including one with special educational needs, unexpected issues can arise and cause disruption to her working schedule. This can be stressful and unsettling. Time management and availability are undoubtedly issues for parents who are growing and maintaining a translation business, especially for the 'default parent'. Being unable to fully control our time and how we spend it – the need to navigate fixed timings such as school and nursery pickups and appointments – can reduce our availability for work. At the same time, these non-negotiable start and finish times can present an opportunity to reconsider whether the hours we expect ourselves to work are achievable or desirable. A good question to ask yourself is whether you would expect an employee, friend or colleague to work as hard as you do. Many people question whether they are truly full-time translators because they are not at their desks from Monday to Friday, 9am-5pm. However, the concept of full-time work has changed, with four-day working weeks becoming increasingly popular. Clare's team at Atlas Translations works a four-day week, but Clare is the one person who doesn't take this opportunity as she benefits from very flexible working. Quality of work Being fully booked as a translator doesn't have to mean being overrun with work and feeling as if we must translate as much as possible, as quickly as possible. For Olivia, it's about being busy enough to fill the hours she wants to spend on billable translation work in any given week, with quality work for clients she likes working with. Managing our own expectations can be key here. However much work you do, there will always be a translator who is busier, has more capacity or works longer hours, so it's about finding the sweet spot that works for you and your finances. Knowing when and how to say no is key. The increased financial pressures associated with having a family, at the same time as having reduced capacity for paid work, can be a major issue. It is worth remembering that we cannot compete on price alone, as there will always be someone who is able or willing to complete a job for a lower fee – and that applies to both translators and agencies. Ensuring that we position ourselves as niche providers of specialist skills can enable us to adjust our fees to reach a specific income threshold. Charging higher rates for quality work, rather than putting in unsustainable hours, may be the path you need to take. Requests for freelance projects tend to be made hours, days or weeks in advance, which creates insecurities about our future workload. Parents need to commit to childcare months, or even years, in advance, so the lack of a MAKING CHANGES Reevaluating how you organise your time can help to ensure the right work-life balance for a successful work life and a happy home life © PEXELS © SHUTTERSTOCK

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