With advances in technology, more and more translators are taking the leap into freelancing, and while working at home offers both more professional and personal freedom, it can sometimes feel akin to working in a theme park filled with distractions just waiting to take you away. As translation is such an intellectually intensive field, concentration and focus are essential – even a tiny mistake could have potentially disastrous consequences for your clients. While a loss of focus may at times seem inevitable, these strategies will help you to stay alert and deliver the high-quality translations your clients deserve.
Free Yourself from Distractions
When you’re working on a project, close any possible distractions that may be open, only leaving essential translation websites open instead. If you don’t trust yourself, consider using a service like FocusMe, which takes away distractions for you. In the same way, if you find yourself getting distracted by your phone or tablet, leave it in another room and only check it during breaks. This brings us to our next point.
Allow Yourself to Take Breaks
It’s human nature to get distracted and to find your mind wandering, and while some lucky translators may be able to just power through this, others can’t and find themselves drawn into a spiral of procrastination. The important thing here is to understand that this is a natural human response and not something to feel guilty about – you’re not at school anymore. Instead, recognize it professionally and plan around it.
One great technique is regulating your working day by using breaks as a reward, with one famous example being the Pomodoro Technique. With this, work solidly on your project for 25 minutes and then take a 5-minute break to unwind. This not only helps to alleviate guilt but keeps your mind active too. Another good idea for a break is to tidy up your workspace: a cluttered environment is a cluttered mind after all.
Take a Nap
If you find yourself getting tired, consider taking a quick power nap for around 15 minutes. This should also help you feel more alert, but make sure to set plenty of alarms. Whether you’re having a nap, a coffee or a quick check of your favorite websites, make sure to take regular breaks to avoid being overly stressed out: otherwise, both you and the quality of your work will suffer.
Plan Ahead
Work-related stress and anxiety can affect your concentration and, therefore, the quality of your translations. Thankfully, it’s easy to remedy this through simple planning. Either the night before or every morning, create a list of tasks you can complete within a reasonable timeframe in the working day. This helps you not only to be less overwhelmed in busy periods but also makes sure you stick to deadlines and keep your translation clients happy.
Respect Your Body
This goes for anyone who works on a computer, whether freelance or not. Make sure you’re sat with good posture and that your screen isn’t too bright. This will help avoid back pain and headaches that could potentially affect your concentration. Consider investing in ergonomic mousepads and keyboards to prevent common injuries, and don’t forget to get up and stretch every now and then – people aren’t designed to sit in one position for hours a day.
Recognize the Importance of Your Work
The key is to understand how you work best. If you know you’re prone to procrastination, it’s your responsibility to adapt the way you work to make sure you keep your clients happy. It’s natural to get stuck in a rut sometimes but remember that you’re providing a very valuable service and what may seem like a dull project to you may mean the world to your clients.
Good article!