Don’t get snowed under with work

The emergence of new technologies has impacted how we work. We must organize ourselves to remain productive and competitive while maintaining a high quality of translation. Ergonomics can help you achieve these goals. But first things first: what is ergonomics all about?

Ergonomics (or human factors) “is the scientific discipline concerned with the understanding of interactions among humans and other elements of a system, and the profession that applies theory, principles, data, and methods to design in order to optimize human well-being and overall system performance.” There are three primary types of ergonomics: physical, cognitive and organisational. We will describe how ergonomics can improve your translations. I will give you a few strategies to improve workplace ergonomics.

Organisational ergonomics “zooms in on the optimization of socio-technical systems, including their organisational structures, policies and processes.” This is not necessarily the first aspect that comes to mind when we talk about ergonomics, but it is nonetheless important.

Organizing your workflow

When you work as a translator, especially as a freelancer, the flow of work changes constantly. Sometimes you will have low-activity periods and sometimes you’ll have to translate many documents at once and quickly, so it is necessary to be well organized in order not to be overwhelmed by such a huge workload.

To do so, you need to organise your workflow. A peaceful and quiet work environment is recommended. Working at home also enables you to avoid interruptions from your colleagues, to stay focused and to improve your concentration. However, teamwork is an important aspect of organisational ergonomics. It is also essential to discuss translation problems through forums like translator’s café, Proz.com, association’s meetings (e.g.: SFT French Association of translators, IAPTI International Association of Professional Translators and interpreters) or phone calls. Getting another point of view allows you to find a solution to the problem. Collaboration and communication can be beneficial to your work. So don’t hesitate to contact and communicate with other translators. Long-term social isolation can be burdensome and impact your mental health. The support of agencies or international organisations, if you work for them, plays a part in your well-being at your workstation. By providing you for example with software, guidelines, glossaries, terminological databases, agencies help you maximize your performance. Receiving feedback can also be quite helpful to improve the quality of your future translations. Besides, choosing a certain type of translation enables you to be more at ease and to gain confidence.

 Time Management is the key to success

You may be immersed in work but don’t forget to take breaks. You need them! Rest periods enable you to increase your performance at work by reducing the cognitive load. As you know, a lack of concentration

will impact your work. So, take a short break to regain focus! You need to plan your own work schedule, one that fits your needs. You know when you work best and how long you can stay focused on a translation. Are you a night owl or an early bird? This website helps you find out your peak hours of focus and productivity and to start off on the right foot. This information can help you plan your work schedule. But not all translators can take rests whenever they want. Freelance translators “have far more control over their workday than the other groups” according to a survey that you can find here.

Keep in mind that you need to find a work-life balance. But it can be difficult to set boundaries between your work and personal life if you work from. You need to dedicate a special spot from your home to working. For more information about how to find work life balance click here.

Working as a translator can be a stressful job due to time pressure caused by tight deadlines. But take care of your health, do some activities besides work.

The clarity of the deadlines is also a part of organisational ergonomics. This allows you to organize yourself well in advance according to your workload and to better organize your time and efforts. I think being happy makes you more productive.

Avoid repetitive tasks

Last but not least, working as a translator can sometimes lead to a certain routine. You do sometimes repetitive tasks, typing all day on your computer. So, try to work on different types of materials. I suggest you work with online resources, but also to check dictionaries to find some synonyms, for example. Useful paper dictionaries still exist! Alternate between working on screen and on paper. Writing on paper helps you rest your eyes after too much screen time and helps you see mistakes that you might not have noticed. And putting ideas on paper can help boost your creativity. To break your daily routine at work, try to explore different topics of translations and types of translation services like transcription and audiovisual translation.

To conclude, improving your organisational ergonomics should be one of your top priorities!

Adèle Jeanneau

M1 TSM

2021/22

Sources:

Bednárová-Gibová, K. “Exploring the literary translator’s work-related happiness” (2020), 

By the same author “And Organizational ergonomics of translation as a powerful predictor of translators’ happiness at work?”

Dow, Andrea Hunziker Heeb, Gary Massey, Ursula Meidert, Silke Neumann et Heidrun Becker “An international Survey of the Ergonomics of Professional Translation” ILCEA (2016)

Maureen Ehrensberger-Dow, “Ergonomics and the translation process” (2019)

Understanding the Different Types of Ergonomics https://www.khmedia.in/understanding-the-different-types-of-ergonomics.html