ProZ.com Translation Forums

Unbeatable Experience! | Agree with all...

Kevin Kelly — Thu, 07 Sep 2006 14:24:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: Kevin Kelly
Post title: Agree with all...

At 55, and after 33 years of translating and interpreting, I still actively maintain the attitude that I am a beginner with much to learn. I look forward to many more years of productive work and learning.

To Sofia: Congratulations on reaching 40! But that is not old; I have had pieces of broccoli stuck in my teeth longer than that :-)

Good luck to all!

Kevin

Unbeatable Experience! | Ditto, Ditto, Ditto, and a very respectful big hug!

JaneTranslates — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 17:36:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: JaneTranslates
Post title: Ditto, Ditto, Ditto, and a very respectful big hug!

[quote]María Eugenia Wachtendorff wrote:

[quote]Jack Becconsall wrote:

At 76 I'm enjoying my work just as much as ever, and doing a good job (I just know that). It isn't that I really need the money (at least until my company's pension scheme folds up), and anyway almost a quarter of what I earn goes to keep this country in business. Forgive me for having a smile at those who think their 60s, 50s, and even 40s !!, is over the hill.
Oops! A mistake, I'm only 75. Maybe something is failing after all.

[Edited at 2006-09-05 08:42] [/quote]

Thank you ever so much for writing!

Getting feedback from you and other colleagues your age and above would work wonders with all of us. You have invaluable experience to share.

Would you consider starting a "Seniors Forum" here at Proz? Please give it a thought! I am sure you have lots of anecdotes to tell.

A big hug,

María Eugenia [/quote]

I couldn't agree more. Thank you Jack, and thank you, mew, for your "summary" post which I have copied and printed. I have just added the quote from Jack and will print again.

[Edited at 2006-09-05 17:40]

Unbeatable Experience! | Dear Jack, you are my idol!!

María Eugenia Wachtendorff — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 17:20:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: María Eugenia Wachtendorff
Post title: Dear Jack, you are my idol!!

[quote]Jack Becconsall wrote:

At 76 I'm enjoying my work just as much as ever, and doing a good job (I just know that). It isn't that I really need the money (at least until my company's pension scheme folds up), and anyway almost a quarter of what I earn goes to keep this country in business. Forgive me for having a smile at those who think their 60s, 50s, and even 40s !!, is over the hill.
Oops! A mistake, I'm only 75. Maybe something is failing after all.

[Edited at 2006-09-05 08:42] [/quote]

Thank you ever so much for writing!

Getting feedback from you and other colleagues your age and above would work wonders with all of us. You have invaluable experience to share.

Would you consider starting a "Seniors Forum" here at Proz? Please give it a thought! I am sure you have lots of anecdotes to tell.

A big hug,

María Eugenia

Unbeatable Experience! | You all have far to go

Jack Becconsall — Tue, 05 Sep 2006 08:37:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: Jack Becconsall
Post title: You all have far to go

At 76 I'm enjoying my work just as much as ever, and doing a good job (I just know that). It isn't that I really need the money (at least until my company's pension scheme folds up), and anyway almost a quarter of what I earn goes to keep this country in business. Forgive me for having a smile at those who think their 60s, 50s, and even 40s !!, is over the hill.
Oops! A mistake, I'm only 75. Maybe something is failing after all.

[Edited at 2006-09-05 08:42]

Unbeatable Experience! | Thank you Maria Eugenia!!

Angie Garbarino — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 08:41:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: Angie Garbarino
Post title: Thank you Maria Eugenia!!

Thanks a lot for sharing your experience I am a middle aged translator too, almost 50.

bye bye all dear colleagues:)

Sofia are you 40? You are a young girl !!!!

[Edited at 2006-09-04 10:15]

Unbeatable Experience! | To young Maria

David Brown — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 08:20:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: David Brown
Post title: To young Maria

[quote]María Eugenia Wachtendorff wrote:

Hi, guys!

A few months ago, when I turned 53, my father (82 years old, healthy and handsome) asked me how I felt about growing older.

Hello Maria,
I started translating when I was 55 years old (old and depressed). I was fed up with working in a hospital all my life, and decided to go to Spain, learn Spanish and try something new. I also re-married a Spanish woman (also young and pretty). I am now over 62 (young and handsome) and never seem to stop working. I enjoy the challenge of new work and as I translate medical scientific projects, it also keeps me up to date in my field.
Being freelance gives me the freedom to enjoy life as I can, usually fit my work around my leisure activities
Good luck in your young age

Unbeatable Experience! | It feels soo goooood!!

María Eugenia Wachtendorff — Mon, 04 Sep 2006 00:45:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: María Eugenia Wachtendorff
Post title: It feels soo goooood!!

Jane Translates wrote:

…quoting a dear friend with rheumatoid arthritis: "As long as I have my memory, some eyesight, and the use of at least one finger, I can make a life." As a translator, I change that to: "I can make a career."

What a joy to learn, at 48, that I can start something new (translating) and be really good at it! The first 48 years were all preparation...

GoodWords quoted:

Tom Spears, Ottawa Citizen (Published: Thursday, August 10, 2006)
There's cash in the bank and the kids have left home. That's what made people aged 57 the happiest age group in a national British survey.

Femme wrote:

Anyway, nobody's gonna force this Baby Boom Generation translator into "mandatory retirement" to make way for "young blood" any time soon! This is one of the best aspects about being a freelance writer/translator. As far as careers go, not that much age discimination (no one has to know your age).

Miguel García Uriburu wrote:

And I feel every day more accomplished and fully prepared - after 30 years of a professional career in my native country, Argentina, as Banker and lawyer and "de facto" translator and interpreter- to pound upon life and make it mine...in Spanish, "quien me quita lo bailado".

Sofiablu wrote:

I come from a land of great wines - Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino - to name but a few. And great wines are old wines...

Marian Greenfield wrote:

Now me, I'm actually looking forward to celebrating the big 5-0.... which I, Madame President, turn on the first day of the ATA conference in New Orleans.
So don't you think it fitting that then entire Conference be considered my birthday party????

Atenea Acevedo wrote:

MEW, thanks so much for sharing Dorothy Sayers' thoughts. More than inspirational for a younger generation.

Argonauta wrote:

Woman, you may be middle-aged, but we younger ones need gals like you to find out where the road goes.

:-) :-) :-)

Thank you very much, my dear friends, for corroborating my strong belief that each stage in life has its unique charms and we, as independent translators, are among the few fortunate people who can show that -as Sofiablue says- “we are like wine," i.e., the older, the better!.

Our jobs are endless sources of learning, as we were born at the very outset of technological development, were raised and are still “growing up” in a rapidly changing world that would not be possible without us translators and interpreters!

Advanced Happy Birthday Hugs to Jane and Marian – and to all those who have yet to complete the hard yet fascinating task of living a whole year of your lives this year! :-)

María Eugenia

[Edited at 2006-09-04 00:50]

Unbeatable Experience! | Double "thank you" to GoodWords

JaneTranslates — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 22:16:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: JaneTranslates
Post title: Double "thank you" to GoodWords

[quote]GoodWords wrote:

To Jane, and to all of us who have this happy age ahead of us:

[url removed]

[quote]
by Tom Spears, [i]Ottawa Citizen[/i]
Published: Thursday, August 10, 2006

There's cash in the bank and the kids have left home. That's what made people aged 57 the happiest age group in a national British survey.
The poll of 1,000 Brits didn't separate men and women.It is good news for actress Meryl Streep, Prince Charles and Bruce Springsteen. They're all 57.
Brits were asked to rate how happy they were with their lives, including their feelings about friends, family and work.
Great! said the 57-year-olds. Though the sex-life part of the survey picked mere kids in their late twenties as happiest.
The poll was done by a chain of travel agents over there called. WA Shearings the company's accompanying announcement said: “It’s surprising because we usually regard the younger years as the best.”[...][/quote]

[Edited at 2006-09-03 18:27] [/quote]

Thank you for the good wishes (the big day is the 18th) and for the wonderful article! Just confirms what I've felt. Kids are gone from home but still very close to us (in heart and communication, though not geographically); my husband and I have just moved 'way out in the country and are enjoying each other more than ever; and I'm just starting my 10th year in a fabulous 2nd career. What a joy to learn, at 48, that I can start something new (translating) and be really good at it! The first 48 years were all preparation...

Cheers to all my fellow baby boomers and late bloomers, and to all the younger generation who have so much to look forward to!

[Edited at 2006-09-03 22:17]

Unbeatable Experience! | Happy 57

Margaret Schroeder — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 18:26:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: Margaret Schroeder
Post title: Happy 57

To Jane, and to all of us who have this happy age ahead of us:

[url removed]

[quote]
by Tom Spears, [i]Ottawa Citizen[/i]
Published: Thursday, August 10, 2006

There's cash in the bank and the kids have left home. That's what made people aged 57 the happiest age group in a national British survey.
The poll of 1,000 Brits didn't separate men and women.It is good news for actress Meryl Streep, Prince Charles and Bruce Springsteen. They're all 57.
Brits were asked to rate how happy they were with their lives, including their feelings about friends, family and work.
Great! said the 57-year-olds. Though the sex-life part of the survey picked mere kids in their late twenties as happiest.
The poll was done by a chain of travel agents over there called. WA Shearings the company's accompanying announcement said: “It’s surprising because we usually regard the younger years as the best.”[...][/quote]

[Edited at 2006-09-03 18:27]

Unbeatable Experience! | Beauty...

Paul Roige (X) — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 17:36:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: Paul Roige (X)
Post title: Beauty...

[quote]María Eugenia Wachtendorff wrote:

Cheers from an advanced middle-aged translator!

María Eugenia
[/quote]

... is in the brains of those who can handle it.
Woman, you may be middle-aged, but we younger ones need gals like you to find out where the road goes.

Cheers from an intermediate middle-aged translator!
Paul ;-)

[Edited at 2006-09-03 17:49]

Unbeatable Experience! | Thanks!

Atenea Acevedo (X) — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 17:27:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: Atenea Acevedo (X)
Post title: Thanks!

MEW, thanks so much for sharing Dorothy Sayers' thoughts. More than inspirational for a younger generation.

Un abrazo,
A.

Unbeatable Experience! | and me... getting ready for the big 50th b'day bash....

Marian Greenfield — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 17:17:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: Marian Greenfield
Post title: and me... getting ready for the big 50th b'day bash....

¡Hola mew!

Nice quote!!!]

Now me, I'm actually looking forward to celebrating the big 5-0.... which I, Madame President, turn on the first day of the ATA conference in New Orleans.

So don't you think it fitting that then entire Conference be considered my birthday party????

And what a great place NOLA is for a birthday bash!!!!!

Wish you would come....

Big hugs,
msg
[quote]María Eugenia Wachtendorff wrote:

Hi, guys!

A few months ago, when I turned 53, my father (82 years old, healthy and handsome) asked me how I felt about growing older.

It was a long conversation I will never forget, and I would like to share with you the part concerning "professional obsolescence."

My Dad knows how much I enjoy translating, and he was a bit worried that I might be losing ground among the ever-increasing competition and the "fresh knowledge" of newly graduated colleagues.

Today, as I read this article, I was nicely surprised at the strong similarity between its contents and my answer to Dad's question.

THE BEAUTY OF AGING
Adapted from The Woman’s Book of Spirit, by Susan Patton Thoele (Conari Press, 2006).

Those who choose to look at what they have gained from advancing years, rather than what they lose, generally have a lustrous heart and a gleam in their eye. Ideally, the experiences accrued throughout the years bring increased wisdom and instill an inner security that allows us to speak our truth fearlessly and act from an unshakeable sense of integrity. Here is great quote:

Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force.
--Dorothy Sayers

(If you wish to read on, here is the link: [url removed] )

Cheers from an advanced middle-aged translator!

María Eugenia
[/quote]

Unbeatable Experience! | Great wines

sofiablu (X) — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 12:53:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: sofiablu (X)
Post title: Great wines

Hello everybody!

I'm forty, my fifteen years old daughter refers to me as to an "old lady" (well, she's just a brat, even if she sees herself as a sophisticated young woman), but I must confess this is my best time ever.

As a child, I felt all the powerlessness of being a little girl; as a teenager, I felt "mercy of a rude stream". The twenties bursted with new, exciting things - university studies, first translation jobs, the baby. In my thirties, I had to rethink the priorities in my life and wished a completely new twist.

And now here I am, trying to settle down in a new country, learning a new language, ready for my next 40, or why not, 50, 60 years to come.
I feel energetic though, more often than not, I have my blue moments. Nevertheless, I've never felt so full of enthusiasm, never bursted with so many energies. My brain still works, my experience as a translator becomes wider and deeper every day. What's more important, I know I will be learning to be a better person till my very last moment.

I come from a land of great wines - Barolo, Barbaresco, Brunello di Montalcino - to name but a few. And great wines are old wines...

Unbeatable Experience! | The Chilean Oracle......

MikeGarcia — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 10:15:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: MikeGarcia
Post title: The Chilean Oracle......

My Dear "Madame Mew",

I, an only son, lost my Mom when I was 12, my Dad when I was 18, so I cannot share these heartrending experiences of listening to them......but I am 61, about to be a grand-dad of twins, married fro the 3rd time in my life, with two beauuuuutiful children of 31 and 12 years respectively, the offsprings of two different marriages, so I think I've left my imprints in life. And I feel every day more accomplished and fully prepared - after 30 years of a professional career in my native country, Argentina, as Banker and lawyer and "de facto" translator and interpreter- to pound upon life and make it mine...in Spanish, "quien me quita lo bailado".

So, MEW, thank you for the opportunity to share with you and other prozian friends at a distance these thoughts, feelings and heartfelt wishes for a long lasting series of successes and accomplishments, both professional as well as personal.

We, the baby boomer Lone Rangers. still ride and will continue to ride again every time we are asked to do so!!!!!

Cheers,

Miguel.-

Unbeatable Experience! | If You Use It You Won't Lose It/Other Suggestions

Barbara Cochran, MFA — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 05:32:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: Barbara Cochran, MFA
Post title: If You Use It You Won't Lose It/Other Suggestions

The general mental activity, intellectual exercise, and high degree of concentration that translation requires bodes well for a translator having and maintaining a good memory well into the later years. By continuing to draw on it in your work as a translator, you probably will not lose your hard-earned intellectual abilities born of much experience. If you use it you won't lose it!

I'm not a doctor, but 3600 mg of fish oil (fish is considered "brain food") everyday might help, too, not to mention its other benefits. You can take a multi-vitamin with lutein (good for the eyesight). And I wish I had time to get more physical exercise (important, too).

Anyway, nobody's gonna force this Baby Boom Generation translator into "mandatory retirement" to make way for "young blood" any time soon! This is one of the best aspects about being a freelance writer/translator. As far as careers go, not that much age discimination (no one has to know your age).

Unbeatable Experience! | Thank you, MEW!

JaneTranslates — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 04:31:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: JaneTranslates
Post title: Thank you, MEW!

This month, when I turn 57, I'll read this again. My 85-year-old father (healthy and handsome) has the same concerns, since he has 3 college degrees that are worthless in today's market. I tell him, quoting a dear friend with rheumatoid arthritis: "As long as I have my memory, some eyesight, and the use of at least one finger, I can make a life." As a translator, I change that to: "I can make a career."

Our most valuable asset by far is our memory. And you and I have so much more of that than our "newly graduated colleagues"! ;-)

Thanks for your thoughts and for the quote from Dorothy Sayers, one of my favorite authors.

Unbeatable Experience!

María Eugenia Wachtendorff — Sun, 03 Sep 2006 04:06:00 +0000

Forum: Off topic
Topic: Unbeatable Experience!
Poster: María Eugenia Wachtendorff

Hi, guys!

A few months ago, when I turned 53, my father (82 years old, healthy and handsome) asked me how I felt about growing older.

It was a long conversation I will never forget, and I would like to share with you the part concerning "professional obsolescence."

My Dad knows how much I enjoy translating, and he was a bit worried that I might be losing ground among the ever-increasing competition and the "fresh knowledge" of newly graduated colleagues.

Today, as I read this article, I was nicely surprised at the strong similarity between its contents and my answer to Dad's question.

THE BEAUTY OF AGING
Adapted from The Woman’s Book of Spirit, by Susan Patton Thoele (Conari Press, 2006).

Those who choose to look at what they have gained from advancing years, rather than what they lose, generally have a lustrous heart and a gleam in their eye. Ideally, the experiences accrued throughout the years bring increased wisdom and instill an inner security that allows us to speak our truth fearlessly and act from an unshakeable sense of integrity. Here is a great quote:

Time and trouble will tame an advanced young woman, but an advanced old woman is uncontrollable by any earthly force.
--Dorothy Sayers

(If you wish to read on, here is the link: [url removed] )

Cheers from an advanced middle-aged translator!

María Eugenia

[Edited at 2006-09-03 23:14]