The Linguist

16 The Linguist Vol/62 No/3 thelinguist.uberflip.com FEATURES reliable and predictable income can be worrying. Some of the translators we speak to feel they must manage without childcare as they cannot guarantee they will have enough work to cover the costs. Responsibility for childcare often then falls on the freelance parent, which can lead to a vicious cycle for translators looking to develop their businesses as they have to turn down paid work in order to look after their children. Some find creative solutions in mutual support. Clare's son goes to a friend's house after school a couple of days a week, and she looks after his friend on other days, as there are no after-school clubs available to them. The mental load For the 'default parent' (usually the mother), the mental load is a hidden issue. These are the parents who make themselves available for appointments, parents' evenings, sick days, packed lunches and sports days – in many households covered mainly or exclusively by one of the parents. Handling all of these tasks while running a business leaves many translators feeling overwhelmed, and that they lack the emotional capacity and headspace to grow their business. In these conditions, the need to 'get more clients' or 'earn more money' can feel like another endless task on the end of a long to-do list, crammed with doctors' appointments, school shoe shopping and packed lunches. However, working on your business is not one large task but actually a collection of smaller tasks. Understanding what these tasks are, and breaking them down into manageable chunks, makes the end goal of having a full diary of translation work feel more achievable. These actionable tasks can be chipped away at every day. Carving out an uninterrupted time and space for work is crucial. If you can only work one hour at a time, make that hour count. Accept that this hour is your time to work and use it to make a small but positive dent in your business-related tasks. Understanding how you spend your time, and what time you can block out to work on your business, should ease the stress and pressures. If you need and want to do more work, be realistic about how you can achieve this and how you can give additional time to your work on a weekly basis. To figure out how to make that happen, you could keep a diary of how you spend your time. Manage your expectations of the hours you can and will work, and be kind to yourself. If you are the 'default parent', was this an agreed decision or did it just happen? Are there tasks that a partner/co-parent could take on instead? A split of parental labour that works for your household is best, though it can't always be achieved all of the time. This may mean continuing with a 'default parent' dynamic but it is worth reviewing this periodically to make sure it is working for you. If the parental load is really getting you down, it's best to be open about this as your partner may not realise. Aim to have any discussion in a relaxed environment rather than during an argument about who's putting the bins out! It helps to accept that juggling parenting and building a business may be a temporary period across the span of your long career as a translator. We would recommend taking small, deliberate, consistent and regular action. You might just achieve more than you expected. OPENING UP Being honest with clients about family commitments can help you to connect and find common ground © PEXELS © SHUTTERSTOCK

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