| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: What do you do when an assignment bores you? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| | Mr. Satan (X)
English to Indonesian
| My assignments never bore me | Nov 14, 2022 |
They never do. 
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I’m not easily bored (though some pages written in dense legalese might have that effect on me but I just shrug it off and keep on going) and of course some projects are more interesting than others, but by and large the good bits far outweigh the boring ones! I always have a good look at the text before accepting an assignment from a new client (I know what to expect from my long-standing customers) and I've reached a point in my career where I’m in the fortunate-enough position of being pi... See more I’m not easily bored (though some pages written in dense legalese might have that effect on me but I just shrug it off and keep on going) and of course some projects are more interesting than others, but by and large the good bits far outweigh the boring ones! I always have a good look at the text before accepting an assignment from a new client (I know what to expect from my long-standing customers) and I've reached a point in my career where I’m in the fortunate-enough position of being picky and not saying yes to every offer that hits my inbox. Anyway, work doesn't bore me, lack of work might… ▲ Collapse
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I am not sure I ever find an assignment boring. Honestly. They can be really hard, or they can be exciting, but in any case I just get on with it. It is my job.
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Michael Newton 
United States
Local time: 07:56
Japanese to English
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| boring assignment | Nov 14, 2022 |
Nothing bores when I think of the money I will be making
| | | | Alex Lichanow
Germany
Local time: 13:56
Member (2020)
English to German
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I work on it with less motivation and enthusiasm than one that would not bore me, browsing social media and sites like ProZ more frequently. Of course, I will still give it all the consideration I give any job and deliver my translation on time (I actually take pride in having exactly one late delivery caused by my own fault in the past 13 years).
And yes, of course an assignment can be boring. Personally, I can't help but roll my eyes and cringe whenever I see (IT) marketing copy full of ... See more I work on it with less motivation and enthusiasm than one that would not bore me, browsing social media and sites like ProZ more frequently. Of course, I will still give it all the consideration I give any job and deliver my translation on time (I actually take pride in having exactly one late delivery caused by my own fault in the past 13 years).
And yes, of course an assignment can be boring. Personally, I can't help but roll my eyes and cringe whenever I see (IT) marketing copy full of useless, nonsensical buzzwords, but it is still my job to translate this drivel as well as possible. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sanjin Grandić
Croatia
Local time: 13:56
Member (2020)
French to Croatian
+ ...
| Work is work | Nov 14, 2022 |
I am not here to judge what is boring and what is not boring.
Anyway, if it is boring it is easy, so, why complain? -:)
The most boring translation is better than one day in a cubicle with your boss giving you crap.
[Edited at 2022-11-14 12:17 GMT]
| | | | Alex Lichanow
Germany
Local time: 13:56
Member (2020)
English to German
+ ...
| boring != easy | Nov 14, 2022 |
Sanjin Grandić wrote:
I am not here to judge what is boring and what is not boring.
Anyway, if it is boring it is easy, so, why complain? -:)
The most boring translation is better than one day in a cubicle with your boss giving you crap.
[Edited at 2022-11-14 12:17 GMT]
Except boring does not always equal easy
Trust me, it can be extremely wearisome to glean any actual information from buzzword-riddled marketing drivel and then to translate that in a way that would not deter any non-marketing persons from reading what is being said. And still, I find such jobs extremely boring, since they do not motivate me to do my work. Only the deadline and payment does.
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Robert Forstag
United States
Local time: 07:56
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Once you accept a project... | Nov 14, 2022 |
...it is generally too late to back out.
So if I deem a project to not be worth my time, for whatever combination of reasons (and certainly factoring intrinsic interest of the content into my considerations), then I simply reject the project.
But this is a decision that needs to be made when you are offered the project - not after you have accepted it.
Furthermore, and as others have pointed out, neither "boredom" nor any other factor can be considered in ... See more ...it is generally too late to back out.
So if I deem a project to not be worth my time, for whatever combination of reasons (and certainly factoring intrinsic interest of the content into my considerations), then I simply reject the project.
But this is a decision that needs to be made when you are offered the project - not after you have accepted it.
Furthermore, and as others have pointed out, neither "boredom" nor any other factor can be considered in isolation, but must instead be viewed in the light of other relevant factors. For example, you might be offered a "boring" project from a client who has steadily fed you with interesting and well-paid work over the course of several years. Or you receive an offer of "boring" work at a very good rate that you can easily knock out - and it comes at a time when you really need the money. Would it make sense to refuse the "boring" work under either of these circumstances?
So again, generally speaking, one ought not and does not consider a single factor in isolation from all others.
[Edited at 2022-11-17 15:35 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:56
Member (2008)
Italian to English
question "What do you do when an assignment bores you?"
I get tired much more quickly.
| | | | | I finish it more quickly | Nov 14, 2022 |
Boring assignments are the best. They are easy. Hence, you can get done much more quickly. Data protection comes to my mind (in my case; law-related texts).
| | | | MollyRose
United States
Local time: 06:56
English to Spanish
+ ...
| I break it up | Nov 14, 2022 |
Documents aren't usually boring to me unless they are very long, so I rest my brain by interspersing them with other work. If they are boring birth certificates or transcripts that require a lot of formatting, I just focus and get it over with as quickly as possible. And, of course, I translate accurately and do the best job possible with the formatting.
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| I plow through, as always | Nov 15, 2022 |
If the pay is good, I accept it and get it over with. If the pay isn't good, I don't accept it.
| | | | Alex Lichanow
Germany
Local time: 13:56
Member (2020)
English to German
+ ...
Merab Dekano wrote:
Boring assignments are the best. They are easy. Hence, you can get done much more quickly. Data protection comes to my mind (in my case; law-related texts).
When the GDPR was introduced a few years back, I ended up translating pretty much the same text over and over for different clients. While this quickly became dull, I actually enjoyed the easy money this gave me for a change
| | | | Kay Denney
France
Local time: 13:56
French to English
I rarely take on boring stuff these days. I'm lucky to have enough interesting work, and I can turn down anything that won't thrill me to bits.
If I do find myself working on something boring because of having a very slow month or whatever, I'll suck it up and get on with it, but I'll be easily distracted, so despite wanting to get it over and done with I'll only hand it in at the last minute. The last-minute adrenaline rush will help me give it that final polish, but I'll make a note to ... See more I rarely take on boring stuff these days. I'm lucky to have enough interesting work, and I can turn down anything that won't thrill me to bits.
If I do find myself working on something boring because of having a very slow month or whatever, I'll suck it up and get on with it, but I'll be easily distracted, so despite wanting to get it over and done with I'll only hand it in at the last minute. The last-minute adrenaline rush will help me give it that final polish, but I'll make a note to be "very busy" next time I'm offered something like that.
[Edited at 2022-11-15 09:34 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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