| Страниц в теме: < [1 2 3 4 5] > | Poll: Which is the weirdest place where you've ever worked on a translation/interpretation job? Автор темы: ProZ.com Staff
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Eser Perkins 
Турция
Local time: 17:27
английский => турецкий
+ ...
ЛОКАЛИЗАТОР САЙТА
More than half of the options given were among my experiences (party, airport, moving car, train, hair dresser's, plane, boat, beach). I don't know how weird these may be but I often had to work while people were having loud conversations, in playgrounds where my kids were playing, in many public areas like buses, hospitals and even the schoolyard of my elder son while waiting for him, etc. Being a mother of two who takes care of all errands and the kids, I have very little time for meeting my t... See more More than half of the options given were among my experiences (party, airport, moving car, train, hair dresser's, plane, boat, beach). I don't know how weird these may be but I often had to work while people were having loud conversations, in playgrounds where my kids were playing, in many public areas like buses, hospitals and even the schoolyard of my elder son while waiting for him, etc. Being a mother of two who takes care of all errands and the kids, I have very little time for meeting my tight deadlines. So I end up translating in many awkward situations just to make the most of my rather hectic days. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Elena Novski
Канада
Local time: 10:27
русский => английский
+ ...
| Interpreting wherever I was asked to: | Aug 31, 2011 |
a petrochemical facility, a construction site, a metal works, a shipyard, an opera house, a resort for a travel agency, an animal farm, different social environments like a shelter, a police station, a hospital... not a jail yet... why do you call it weird, it is just the challenging nature of an interpreting job!
| | | | | in an abattoir | Aug 31, 2011 |
Some potential customers had arrived from Britain and first we did the usual discussions in the office.
Then came the visit to the abattoir, with the description of how the beasts were slaughtered, meanwhile said beasts were going through the process...
As well as my pay, I went home with a complete fillet of beef.
| | | | | At a night club at 9 in the morning | Aug 31, 2011 |
Interpreting at 9 a.m. at a night club for a visiting technician, while the staff cleaned up the mess from the night before.
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Yasutomo Kanazawa wrote: My room. 
Though my answer is the same as Yasutomo, are all translators supposed to work in a weird place at least once? There should have been an option for "None"- for the fortunate few.
| | | | Rebecca Garber
Local time: 10:27
Член ProZ.com c 2005
немецкий => английский
+ ...
| why were these locations defined as "weird"? | Aug 31, 2011 |
Translation:
Planes, trains, cars, waiting rooms: all strike me as completely normal.
Beach, pool-side, etc. make sense for a vacation.
Interpretation:
We had an exchange student, so I interpreted whenever and where ever she needed it. However, again this doesn't strike me as odd, since they were normal places.
In the ER: I had a broken arm and wrist. And, since it was only a minor injury, I had to wait hours, and I was bored.
I typed one-handed ... See more Translation:
Planes, trains, cars, waiting rooms: all strike me as completely normal.
Beach, pool-side, etc. make sense for a vacation.
Interpretation:
We had an exchange student, so I interpreted whenever and where ever she needed it. However, again this doesn't strike me as odd, since they were normal places.
In the ER: I had a broken arm and wrist. And, since it was only a minor injury, I had to wait hours, and I was bored.
I typed one-handed for 3 weeks.
At the dojo: I had work and the group was doing an activity in which I can't participate. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Iwona Szymaniak
Польша
Local time: 16:27
Член ProZ.com
английский => польский
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ЛОКАЛИЗАТОР САЙТА | Hospital & other | Aug 31, 2011 |
Hospital - Translation
I had to translate a contract for my late husband after an eye accident I suffered a few days earlier (at a workshop where I interpreted). I was receiving some atropine-like drops to paralyze the muscles and relieve the pain. Of course, my pupils were dilated and I could barely see. I did translate it, and he signed the contract as scheduled. I don't remember what zoom I had to use but the letters were pretty large with two or three words visible in one line.
<... See more Hospital - Translation
I had to translate a contract for my late husband after an eye accident I suffered a few days earlier (at a workshop where I interpreted). I was receiving some atropine-like drops to paralyze the muscles and relieve the pain. Of course, my pupils were dilated and I could barely see. I did translate it, and he signed the contract as scheduled. I don't remember what zoom I had to use but the letters were pretty large with two or three words visible in one line.
Other - Interpretation
On the top of a tower dryer in a milk plant. Thanks God it was at night, and quite dark, and I could not quite see where I was because I suffer from acrophobia. We had some sort of headlights on. I don't remember why we had to go there at night. I would probably never climb that high during the day.
I also think it is quite normal for interpreters to interpret in places that may seem weird to other people. Just part of normal interpreting routine: animal farm, coal mine, all types of food processors, hospital. police station, etc., etc. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Marga Demmers (X)
Нидерланды
Local time: 16:27
испанский => голландский
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| Soccer field | Aug 31, 2011 |
A Dutch television journalist and his camera team wanted to interview a football player from Uruguay, then one of the star players of the Ajax football team. He only spoke Spanish, so they hired me for the translation.
We had to stand in the freezing cold for nearly two hours watching the training session and waiting for it to end. In the meantime we heard that a plane had crashed on nearby Schiphol Airport. The journalist went mad, because he feared that his item would be spoiled because ... See more A Dutch television journalist and his camera team wanted to interview a football player from Uruguay, then one of the star players of the Ajax football team. He only spoke Spanish, so they hired me for the translation.
We had to stand in the freezing cold for nearly two hours watching the training session and waiting for it to end. In the meantime we heard that a plane had crashed on nearby Schiphol Airport. The journalist went mad, because he feared that his item would be spoiled because of the attention the crash would get. In the end he got 'his' (and 'our') item on the news, for one whole minute! ▲ Collapse
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Rocio Barrientos
Боливия
Local time: 10:27
Член ProZ.com
английский => испанский
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Cristina Heraud-van Tol wrote:
At a legal wedding. She, Peruvian, didn't speak a word of English; he, American, didn't speak a word of Spanish but yes, they loved each other! They met through one of those catalogues offered by wedding agencies, and I first translated all their love letters. A year later, he came to Peru to marry this woman and I had to be the interpreter at the wedding.
They are still married and live in the USA; she eventually learned English there. We became good friends and every now and then, we talk over the phone.
Dear Cristina,
At least it was only letters, I was present when he, American, came to meet his Bolivian sweetheart, and the situation was ackward to the extreme, as she had a newborn baby and I was in the middle of the explanations...
Translating/Interpreting is not boring at all
| | | | | Airport - pretty common, yet weird languages | Sep 1, 2011 |
I only translate between EN-PT, however I speak reasonably well IT-FR-ES. So airports gave me the chance to interpret these last three, always in unusual circumstances.
ITALIAN
My flight from JFK to Toronto had been cancelled, and all passengers were to get vouchers for cab fare, and take taxis to LaGuardia, where we'd board another plane. When I got to the cabs, an Italian family (Mom, Pop & 3 small kids) was there. Papà was making a big squeal, of course, in Italian, becaus... See more I only translate between EN-PT, however I speak reasonably well IT-FR-ES. So airports gave me the chance to interpret these last three, always in unusual circumstances.
ITALIAN
My flight from JFK to Toronto had been cancelled, and all passengers were to get vouchers for cab fare, and take taxis to LaGuardia, where we'd board another plane. When I got to the cabs, an Italian family (Mom, Pop & 3 small kids) was there. Papà was making a big squeal, of course, in Italian, because the drivers were attempting to put Mamma and the kids in one car, and have him board another one with strange people. I had to explain the situation for him to cool down. Worst of it, the driver who took us spoke little English, by his attire I presumed he was from somewhere in the Middle East, and almost got lost on the way, as he had trouble reading the signs in Latin characters.
FRENCH
This was in LAX. A Frenchman was desperately running and asking everyone he saw: Doo yoo no wherr ees bee-jay? Bee-jay? Aye moost meet maye wiffe at bee-jay! I was probably the first one who saw the light: The man was looking for Budget rent-a-car! The French pronounce it that way.
SPANISH
My flight from Dallas-Ft. Worth to Miami, where I'd take a connecting flight to Brazil was delayed for a few hours, so I missed the connection, together with half a dozen others. So we were stranded in Miami, late at night. One of the others was a Brazilian, an employee of some European airline in Rio. So we stayed together.
We were told to wait for the "midnight agent", who would solve all our problems. So we waited, wondering whether 'midnight agent' meant his time to clock in, or a racist joke referring to the man's skin color. As it turned out, both.
While we were dealing with the agent, two desperate-looking Hondureños approached, dragging some heavy luggage. The agent spoke no Spanish. They showed a ticket, and asked where they should check in, as they should be departing at 1:15. I explained their concern to the agent, he examined the tickets, and told me: Please tell them they are to board flight 115, day after tomorrow, at 6 PM! And so I did. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Underground machine hall with lights suddenly off | Sep 1, 2011 |
It was a huge machine hall under construction. In one of my first visits to that site, I translated a meeting between the engineers and the managers. The discussion was rather vibrant, and suddenly the lights went off in the whole huge "cave". But since the time for the meeting was limited and was fixed long before, it went on. For the first few minutes nobody switched on their torches, waiting that their companions would do the same. Those few minutes were really very strange: in the complete d... See more It was a huge machine hall under construction. In one of my first visits to that site, I translated a meeting between the engineers and the managers. The discussion was rather vibrant, and suddenly the lights went off in the whole huge "cave". But since the time for the meeting was limited and was fixed long before, it went on. For the first few minutes nobody switched on their torches, waiting that their companions would do the same. Those few minutes were really very strange: in the complete dark it was difficult to perceive my own position in the space, and in the meantime I had to keep the thread and understand who and to whom talked - and to translate. There were certainly other weird places, but that scene I'll remember for long. ▲ Collapse
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Won't go into detail. Pretty sad story and it's not over yet...
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Nigel Greenwood (X)
Испания
Local time: 16:27
испанский => английский
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| Written translation in my office, but as an Interpreter... | Sep 1, 2011 |
I have and still work practically any place where I am needed. One particular place comes to mind, I was an interpreter for a fruit and vegetable buyer for a large chain of supermarkets and he was buying melons, so we visited all the melon fields round this area, so he could assess the quality/value of the crops and establish a collection/delivery schedule
Another weird place was in the Indonesian forests, interpreting for a lumber buyer while he inspected still-standing trees for the one... See more I have and still work practically any place where I am needed. One particular place comes to mind, I was an interpreter for a fruit and vegetable buyer for a large chain of supermarkets and he was buying melons, so we visited all the melon fields round this area, so he could assess the quality/value of the crops and establish a collection/delivery schedule
Another weird place was in the Indonesian forests, interpreting for a lumber buyer while he inspected still-standing trees for the ones to be felled and prepared. And many, many others, just recently while interpreting helicopter handling courses, I have to join the crew and fly in the helicopter and proactively interpret on board.
Life is full of great experiences, indeed.
Have a great day out there,
Nigel. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Titus Haennni
Швейцария
Local time: 16:27
английский => французский
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| Crowded bumpy minibus ride | Sep 1, 2011 |
In Vietnam. Pothole Paradise, cramped in back, it was really quite a challenge. Also there was a female passenger who spent the whole trip (i'm talking hours) covered from head to toe with sunglasses, facemask, loong gloves and a motorcycle helmet - vietnamese norm, but all in all a strange work experience.
I've worked at the beach later (that was the destination of the bus ride actually), but it seemed rather perfectly natural than weird, to be honest.
Working outside ... See more In Vietnam. Pothole Paradise, cramped in back, it was really quite a challenge. Also there was a female passenger who spent the whole trip (i'm talking hours) covered from head to toe with sunglasses, facemask, loong gloves and a motorcycle helmet - vietnamese norm, but all in all a strange work experience.
I've worked at the beach later (that was the destination of the bus ride actually), but it seemed rather perfectly natural than weird, to be honest.
Working outside the office is one of the privileges of our profession in my eyes.
By the way: try working in a bar. You often overhear the strangest conversations (productivity may suffer somewhat). ▲ Collapse
| | | | Maria Drangel
Швеция
Local time: 16:27
английский => шведский
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| Southern New Zealand - with major internet problems! | Sep 1, 2011 |
I often work on airports, boats, trains and busses. I have worked from a lot of different countries including a rather small village in Laos. The most unusual way of delivering though was from Steward Island (south of the south island in New Zealand) several years ago when I could not find working wireless broadband anywhere. I ended up downloading the files from my computor to the memory card of my cell phone and then I could connect the cell phone to a very old desk top computor and was able t... See more I often work on airports, boats, trains and busses. I have worked from a lot of different countries including a rather small village in Laos. The most unusual way of delivering though was from Steward Island (south of the south island in New Zealand) several years ago when I could not find working wireless broadband anywhere. I ended up downloading the files from my computor to the memory card of my cell phone and then I could connect the cell phone to a very old desk top computor and was able to deliver it like that. I was walking around in the rain for a long time before finding any place at all where I could even get internet I and was rather nervous about the deadline at the end. It worked though! ▲ Collapse
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