| Stran v tématu: < [1 2 3 4 5] | Off topic: What was your 'dream profession' as a teenager? Autor vlákna: Marion Schimmelpfennig
|
|---|
Russell Jones 
Velká Británie
Local time: 00:55
italština -> angličtina
| Commerce, Architect, Translator | Oct 10, 2006 |
Lucky me; I've done them all.
Languages were my thing at school but, standing in the queue to see the careers master, all I could think of was "something in commerce". My friend in front of me said he wanted to be an architect and that immediately appealed. The careers master gave me the wrong advice but (despite five university applications for languages and one for architecture), an architect is what what I became (my friend didn't).
After a few years in private practice, I s... See more Lucky me; I've done them all.
Languages were my thing at school but, standing in the queue to see the careers master, all I could think of was "something in commerce". My friend in front of me said he wanted to be an architect and that immediately appealed. The careers master gave me the wrong advice but (despite five university applications for languages and one for architecture), an architect is what what I became (my friend didn't).
After a few years in private practice, I started working for a bank and, eventually, after enjoying indulging my creative instincts with a lot of their money, became head of branch property, involved in most strategic commercial decisions.
Early retirement gave me a wonderful opportunity to graduate in Italian and to take up this amazing career as translator.
Much as I enjoyed my first career, it has opened my eyes to a entirely new world I didn't know existed - and, thanks to ProZ.com, a lot of wonderful new friends. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Natalya A
Local time: 04:55
angličtina -> ruština
| ballet dancer/actress > teacher of art > interior designer > Translator | Oct 11, 2006 |
I dreamt to be:
ballet dancer/actress when i was 4-8
teacher of art - 8-11
interior designer - 12-14
Translator - 14-17
The latter one seemed like something unreal at that age. I remember well a TicTac commercial with a neetly dressed translator (with fresh breath of course ) and it looked so... astonishing, almost unreal - being a translator.
But at the age of 18 i did get a job as... See more
| | | | | Gift wrapper... lottery winner | Oct 11, 2006 |
As a child (I was around 5-6 years old), I was fascinated by the way gifts were so beautifully wrapped for Christmas, so I wanted to be like one of those shop employees (usually young women hired only for the holiday season) who could do marvels with gift wrappping paper.
I think I drove my mother nuts with this idea for a while, because most of my attempts at imitating the neat paper folds were not at all successful (especially when I tried to wrap one of our kitty cats). Incidenta... See more As a child (I was around 5-6 years old), I was fascinated by the way gifts were so beautifully wrapped for Christmas, so I wanted to be like one of those shop employees (usually young women hired only for the holiday season) who could do marvels with gift wrappping paper.
I think I drove my mother nuts with this idea for a while, because most of my attempts at imitating the neat paper folds were not at all successful (especially when I tried to wrap one of our kitty cats). Incidentally, later on, I learned that paper folding (though not necessarily related to gift wrapping) is actually an art, that the Japanese call "origami".
Then, at around the end of my teenage times, when I was about to graduate from high-school and had already gone through all kinds of dream profession projects (from architect to painting artist, tennis star, writer/poet, lawyer, sailor, carpenter, plumber, etc. ...), and having learned just a little bit about some of the facts of life, I dreamed of becoming a mega-rich lottery winner. Not really a profession, but I still dream of that....
Ivette
P.S.: but translation is great, really, because one thing that always fascinated me as well were languages/words (also as early as when I was 5-6 years old and a bit later, because we had some really nice foreign neighbors, who spoke a different language and whose children became my playing buddies)....
[Edited at 2006-10-11 12:02] ▲ Collapse
| | | | juvera
Local time: 00:55
angličtina -> maďarština
+ ...
| I have done most of it too... (What is it about architects?) | Oct 14, 2006 |
One thing I knew for certain, I didn't want to be a teacher. Grandpa, retired head of teacher-training college. Mum, head of a big primary school. Dad, teaching statistics and accountancy. Four aunts, two cousins, teaching. Enough for a lifetime.
When I was little, I wanted to be a textile designer. But I soon realised, it is crafts, virtually any craft what is really my main interest.
To take it to a really large scale, I became an architect.
Starting new proje... See more One thing I knew for certain, I didn't want to be a teacher. Grandpa, retired head of teacher-training college. Mum, head of a big primary school. Dad, teaching statistics and accountancy. Four aunts, two cousins, teaching. Enough for a lifetime.
When I was little, I wanted to be a textile designer. But I soon realised, it is crafts, virtually any craft what is really my main interest.
To take it to a really large scale, I became an architect.
Starting new projects were always exciting, for about six month. Once the design was accepted, the most important drawings done, well...
The site visits were all right; trampling in the mud, telling big, burly guys what to do, them accepting it without a word, climbing ladders, dumbfounding the construction manager by drawing freehand details on site to exact scale, seeing things you immagined to take shape. But after a couple of years of work on it in the office already, it takes two years to build 300 dwellings on site, and 80% of the work I would call administration.
With work taking place from 9-5, I had time to go for it. I studied as a jewellery craftsmen and I absolutely loved it. I was designing in my dreams. As a student, I was asked to participate in a book about crafts. When the Worshipful Company of Goldsmiths advertised for new craftsmens' work for a big exhibition, I went for it, and they accepted some of my work. The following year the follow-up exhibition brought me direct clients as well.
Then I fell ill, got pregnant, left my job as a senior architect, produced one - then less than two years later another son. In tears, I packed my workbench with the dangerous tools, gastorch, chemicals etc. up in the loft.
What could I do, something safe, homely, with two babies in tow? Well, what I wanted to do, when I was a child. Textile design, of course. It went reasonably well, but I was lonely, and I could bet on which design was going to be sold and loose every time. (Luckily, they bought the ones I wouldn't bet on.)
After a while doing that, being my own boss, and turning out different ideas daily, I didn't want to go back to architecture. What, another three or four years on each decent project? I have done some, been there. How many would I see through in a lifetime? Just a few more. No, thank you.
Then somebody asked me to translate some letters. Somebody else told me about a telephone interpreting service, that just started. Easy to combine with my other work. Through that, I got my first real client, who was sending me more and more work by fax. I used to watch the paper rolling out, and counted it not by words but by yards.
That's how it started. I went on some seminars to learn what I was supposed to do. Then I got more interpreting jobs. Subtitling. Court work.
Next thing I knew, I was taking exams to get proper credentials.
If only I took a typing course at the beginning....
When (if) I retire, I will do more woodwork and pottery, perhaps some stained glass, and a few more pieces of jewellery, particularly if my sons get married.
But I will always remain a translator. ▲ Collapse
| | |
|
|
|
Özden Arıkan
Německo
Local time: 01:55
Člen
angličtina -> turečtina
+ ...
| Vet, spy, actress, novelist, psychologist | Oct 17, 2006 |
And at last, while studying psychology, I decided to become a translator. Now I fancy being a plumber
Like most children I had many dreams, changing at every grade. But even before I started attending school yet, my mother said, one day, that I should be a dancer. The memory of what prompted her to think so faded away under the weight of what followed, though, but probably she said so after having watched me dancing. B... See more And at last, while studying psychology, I decided to become a translator. Now I fancy being a plumber
Like most children I had many dreams, changing at every grade. But even before I started attending school yet, my mother said, one day, that I should be a dancer. The memory of what prompted her to think so faded away under the weight of what followed, though, but probably she said so after having watched me dancing. But the problem was, she used a different -kind of ancient- word for a dancer, one I had never heard till then. (Hmm, perhaps she was just being ironic ) At around the same time, I must have heard the word for prostitute from somewhere. The two words are not very similar in fact ("rakkase" and "fahişe," respectively), but both have an old, Ottoman sound and are way beyond a 6-year old's vocabulary. So, I got them mixed up, or more probably thought they both meant dancer, and one day, when mom was serving tea to her work friends visiting on a Saturday afternoon, one of them asked me what I wanted to be when I grow up. And I answered, at my cutest: "I'm going to be a prostitute, ma'am!"
I think that was the day I discovered the power of words ▲ Collapse
| | | | krtko
Čína
Local time: 07:55
angličtina -> chorvatština
+ ...
I dreamt of smuggling cigars, liquor and so on from the Carribean to USA. Always pictured myself in a Cuban prison with handcuffs on, and a Cuban policeman asking me why am I so stupid to get into that kind of business.
Well, anyway, I bet teenage dreams cant get any more stupid than this one.
See you all
| | | | Anna Maria Augustine (X)
Francie
Local time: 01:55
angličtina -> francouzština
+ ...
| Wanted to be a nurse for sick babies and children... | Nov 23, 2006 |
However, the course was 3 years long, and since I had decided at age 10 that I would come to Europe, I had to save so that meant going to work, and putting together the money to travel. No time to take a 3 year course.
At age 18 with my back pack and ruck sack, I took off around the world, just a kid on my own without mummy and daddy as a back up.
It was a great experience and I usually worked as a nanny or au pair going from country to country.
When a nanny in Venice I thought... See more However, the course was 3 years long, and since I had decided at age 10 that I would come to Europe, I had to save so that meant going to work, and putting together the money to travel. No time to take a 3 year course.
At age 18 with my back pack and ruck sack, I took off around the world, just a kid on my own without mummy and daddy as a back up.
It was a great experience and I usually worked as a nanny or au pair going from country to country.
When a nanny in Venice I thought I'd like to be a photographer since the Biennale was great.
In France, I completed higher studies on the advice of the British Consul General as I worked at the Embassy for a long time.
Since I'm half Italian, half Australian but also have French nationality, I find it impossible to believe that kids of immigrants in France think the world owes them something. They live on social welfare and get into trouble rather than getting out and about in the world. For fun, they riot and burn cars.
Who pays the high social welfare contributions in France? Freelance translators !! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Stran v tématu: < [1 2 3 4 5] | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » What was your 'dream profession' as a teenager? | Trados Studio 2022 Freelance | The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.
Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop
and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.
More info » |
| | TM-Town | Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business
Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
) 
Login to reply/comment 
