Poll: Has working as a translator affected your interest in reading for pleasure? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Has working as a translator affected your interest in reading for pleasure?".
This poll was originally submitted by dasein_wm. View the poll results »
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 05:49
Spanish to English
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That's a toughie. Perhaps because translation involves rather a lot of reading, I probably read less than I would if I had a different job. One obstacle to reading as much as I would like is the cost of books in Spain, and the limited availability of books in English. A few years ago an expat couple open a second-hand bookshop in the city where you could take your old books and get a discount on new ones. However, the running costs eventually outweighed the benefits and they gave it up.
... See more That's a toughie. Perhaps because translation involves rather a lot of reading, I probably read less than I would if I had a different job. One obstacle to reading as much as I would like is the cost of books in Spain, and the limited availability of books in English. A few years ago an expat couple open a second-hand bookshop in the city where you could take your old books and get a discount on new ones. However, the running costs eventually outweighed the benefits and they gave it up.
It's not that I'm no longer interested in reading for pleasure, just that the set of circumstances means that most of the books I have have been left behind by visitors. The only unread book (in English) I have at the moment is Keith Richards' autobiography...
PS: I do occasionally manage to read the odd book in Spanish, but I find it more of a chore.
[Edited at 2015-04-25 08:30 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Erzsébet Czopyk 
Hungary
Local time: 05:49
Member (2006)
Russian to Hungarian
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SITE LOCALIZER | Definitely not | Apr 25, 2015 |
I think the interest to reading and the affection to a books (even to the smell if it!) was born in my childhood.
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Erzsébet Czopyk wrote:
I think the interest to reading and the affection to a books (even to the smell if it!) was born in my childhood.
+1
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Yes, it makes me want to read more for pleasure... working with words makes you an effective speed reader and when you want to keep your concentration and attentional levels up to scratch, reading for pleasure is a rest but still kinda keeps the brina ticking over.
I suspect the question meant "spoilt" for "affected" though. And the answer with me is a clear no, quite the opposite, which is why I answered yes.
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Sometimes I get enough reading from translating and just need to rest my eyes.
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I read a lot: books, magazines, newspapers… I don’t think translating has affected negatively my interest in reading, maybe quite the opposite, but I’m certainly more attentive to typos, errors, misspellings, bad choice of words, wrong translations: they seem to jump out at me!
| | | | 564354352 (X)
Denmark
Local time: 05:49
Danish to English
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Funny, I hadn't thought of this, but yes, I read a lot LESS for pleasure now than I used to. And I just realised how much I miss getting completely absorbed in a good book. You know, the sort that makes you forget about the world around you for hours. Can't remember when I last did that. Nowadays, I spend so much time looking at and working with lots of different texts during my working hours, that I rarely feel inclined to read even more in my spare time.
Sad, really...
... See more Funny, I hadn't thought of this, but yes, I read a lot LESS for pleasure now than I used to. And I just realised how much I miss getting completely absorbed in a good book. You know, the sort that makes you forget about the world around you for hours. Can't remember when I last did that. Nowadays, I spend so much time looking at and working with lots of different texts during my working hours, that I rarely feel inclined to read even more in my spare time.
Sad, really...
Having said that, I will make a cup of tea right now and pick up Maya Angelou's 'I Know Why The Caged Bird Sings', which I started on yesterday. I have the impression that this is exactly the kind of book I will find it hard to put down any time soon... ▲ Collapse
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| Yes, to the negative | Apr 25, 2015 |
When I spend every day reading and reading, then the last thing I want to do on my off time is read some more. Sometimes on sites for translators people give links to long-winded blogs, or worse, a "week-end reading list" and I'm thinking for heavens sake, get to the point, and have something to say. I read a lot for pleasure before becoming a translator. I still read a lot for information and in order to communicate with others.
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 23:49
English to Spanish
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| The verb 'affect' | Apr 25, 2015 |
To American ears, the verb affect is often synonymous with impact, with quite negative connotations.
A better question: How has your work as a translator affected your interest in leisure reading?
I started reading at a very young age, developing interest in really complex subjects, from electronics to medicine. Reading texts for translation over 25 years has had a very fruitful effect on me, my interest in reading a greater variety of subjects and ... See more To American ears, the verb affect is often synonymous with impact, with quite negative connotations.
A better question: How has your work as a translator affected your interest in leisure reading?
I started reading at a very young age, developing interest in really complex subjects, from electronics to medicine. Reading texts for translation over 25 years has had a very fruitful effect on me, my interest in reading a greater variety of subjects and on what I consider leisure reading, or reading for pleasure. ▲ Collapse
| | | | R. Alex Jenkins
Brazil
Local time: 00:49
Member (2006)
Portuguese to English
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| Yes, to an extent. | Apr 25, 2015 |
It's a good question and one that's been on my mind for a while because I thought it was something strange about me, not anyone else, since everyone else seems to enjoy reading books in abstract Tibetan or ancient Greek just for the technical pleasure out of it. Not me.
I simply do not enjoy reading literature for pleasure in foreign source languages. I spend more time looking things up and trying to work out what it really says/means than actually enjoying the material for pleasure... See more It's a good question and one that's been on my mind for a while because I thought it was something strange about me, not anyone else, since everyone else seems to enjoy reading books in abstract Tibetan or ancient Greek just for the technical pleasure out of it. Not me.
I simply do not enjoy reading literature for pleasure in foreign source languages. I spend more time looking things up and trying to work out what it really says/means than actually enjoying the material for pleasure. I find it impossible to be superficial and just let it flow.
For example; I gave up reading Game of Thrones in translated Portuguese and instead bought the imported English versions instead, for my reading PLEASURE. I have nothing against the translation - in fact, it's very good - but I don't enjoy skipping through literature this way.
Luckily for me, I'm still able to enjoy reading good books in English, but I just can't see the point in reading translated material when I have resource to the original English versions. It's the same with films. Why would anyone enjoy watching a dubbed film if they can understand the original, in any language?
I guess that's just my mindset these days. To me, Portuguese or Spanish text is work. This doesn't apply to the spoken language, however, which I probably enjoy speaking in Portuguese more than English, just for the pleasure of it. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Yes, definitely | Apr 25, 2015 |
It's hard to remember back to the time when I wasn't a translator, but I do recall that I used to average about a book a week even when I was studying full time. Now the only time I get to read a book is when I'm waiting for something, as in a doctor's office or getting my car fixed. I don't even have time to read my mail. I have an enormous pile that I haven't looked at.
Sometimes I do get hooked and "sneak" the time from my work.
I haven't gotten into reading books o... See more It's hard to remember back to the time when I wasn't a translator, but I do recall that I used to average about a book a week even when I was studying full time. Now the only time I get to read a book is when I'm waiting for something, as in a doctor's office or getting my car fixed. I don't even have time to read my mail. I have an enormous pile that I haven't looked at.
Sometimes I do get hooked and "sneak" the time from my work.
I haven't gotten into reading books or magazines online or on a hand-held device because if I read, I want a break from looking at a screen. ▲ Collapse
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