| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: Which of the following stresses you the most? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
|
|---|
This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Which of the following stresses you the most?".
View the poll results »
| | | | Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:13
German to English
+ ...
| A combination of the above ... | Jul 8, 2011 |
Normally, the computer starts playing up or you get interrupted when you already have a tight deadline. It is in conjunction that they are most stressful.
| | | | Susanna Martoni
Italy
Local time: 22:13
Member (2009)
Spanish to Italian
+ ...
| Computer malfunction | Jul 8, 2011 |
A real hassle.
So many hours spent by trying to solve... what?.
| | | | wonita (X)
China
Local time: 16:13
| The amout of trouble is always the same | Jul 8, 2011 |
It is always the problem, which I am experiencing now, troubles me the most.
| | |
|
|
|
Dr Jérémy Anquetin (X)
France
Local time: 22:13
English to French
| Computer malfunction... | Jul 8, 2011 |
More than half voters stressed by a computer malfunction! Obviously we are in a world dominated by PCs...
People should consider using a Mac. It is a little more expensive at first, but completely pain-free and reliable, and it definitely last longer.
| | | | | Computer malfunction + | Jul 8, 2011 |
email problem + Internet break down + tight deadline = absolute chaos!
| | | | John Cutler
Spain
Local time: 22:13
Spanish to English
+ ...
Definitely a computer malfunction
The others I can more or less solve by myself by writing an email or making a phone call to the tardy payer, or politely telling the interrupter that I'm busy and will attend to them as soon as possible, but a computer problem is generally out of my hands. That feeling of complete lack of control is what causes the stress.
| | | | | Lack of control | Jul 8, 2011 |
John Cutler wrote:
Definitely a computer malfunction
The others I can more or less solve by myself by writing an email or making a phone call to the tardy payer, or politely telling the interrupter that I'm busy and will attend to them as soon as possible, but a computer problem is generally out of my hands. That feeling of complete lack of control is what causes the stress.
That's it exactly, the complete lack of control. Same with internet/email problems.
| | |
|
|
|
| I am in the middle of trying to get my printer to work | Jul 8, 2011 |
And my stress levels are high and still climbing.
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 22:13
Spanish to English
+ ...
| All of the above | Jul 8, 2011 |
Late payment only annoys me if it is unexpected or mendacious. If I know that a private sector client takes 90 days or 120 days to pay and I agree to their terms, I wait until the time is up then become irate. Official administrations may take much longer to pay, but I can charge them more than "normal" clients to make up for the wait so... swings and roundabouts.
In Spain some clients then try to pay with a "pagaré" or post dated cheque, meaning you have to wait even longer to cash in, w... See more Late payment only annoys me if it is unexpected or mendacious. If I know that a private sector client takes 90 days or 120 days to pay and I agree to their terms, I wait until the time is up then become irate. Official administrations may take much longer to pay, but I can charge them more than "normal" clients to make up for the wait so... swings and roundabouts.
In Spain some clients then try to pay with a "pagaré" or post dated cheque, meaning you have to wait even longer to cash in, which I always find somehow insulting, a final slap in the face to an evidently unappreciated service provider (me).
Computer faults are a real pain too, as my tech support lives almost an hour away so callouts are expensive. My internet service is rural wifi and there are often service interruptions due to weather conditions, network issues, wear and tear, power grid issues, and the worst thing in these cases is not knowing how long the outage will last; sometimes I have to up sticks and debunk to somewhere else with a working connection, like a cyber cafe or a colleague's place. However, when it is is "beyond our control", you just need to be philosophical and try to be patient. I bought a dongle (Vodafone) for emergencies but it is a very expensive and half-hearted solution and the money-grabbing ethos behind mobile devices in Europe in general makes me see red.
Too-tight deadlines are almost always infuriating. I am especially irked when the unseemly haste is from companies who otherwise aspire to being "professional" yet somehow never seem to make their planning thorough enough to include reasonable translation times (or even to consider translation issues at all until it is too late). In addition, they rarely seem to realise that they are just one of many clients, all with needs and deadlines to keep, and how hard it can be to juggle them all...
I don't remember what the other options were... oh yes, interruptions. Like taking time out to respond to this poll, for which I only have myself to blame. So, as the Devil in the old joke says, "Ok, coffee break over, everybody back on their heads now"... ▲ Collapse
| | | | Angus Stewart
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:13
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
| A tight deadline | Jul 8, 2011 |
I notice that computer malfunction is considered to be the biggest problem by the majority of those who have voted so far. However, whilst I would find this annoying, I have a contingency plan in place in the form of a second computer, which I can fall back on if I my technological skills are not up to resolving the issue in a reasonable time.
In my case, a tight deadline makes me feel pressurized to start with, since it leaves little room for manoeuvre. However, when this is aggra... See more I notice that computer malfunction is considered to be the biggest problem by the majority of those who have voted so far. However, whilst I would find this annoying, I have a contingency plan in place in the form of a second computer, which I can fall back on if I my technological skills are not up to resolving the issue in a reasonable time.
In my case, a tight deadline makes me feel pressurized to start with, since it leaves little room for manoeuvre. However, when this is aggravated by the occurrence of another problem it has the potential to create a really stressful situation. ▲ Collapse
| | | |
Computer malfunctions and tight deadlines I can deal with. I have two computers and do not stress over time, but late payers I have to chase and that is a waste of time!
| | |
|
|
|
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 22:13
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Get a new one | Jul 8, 2011 |
aceavila - Noni wrote: And my stress levels are high and still climbing.
Seriously, I have friends who get a new printer when they run out of ink, they are cheap as chips nowadays, as long as you can find one that doesn't also feature scanner, photopier, teasmade and Tardis...
Best of luck and have a cool weekend (it's scorchio down here!!)
| | | | Thayenga
Germany
Local time: 22:13
Member (2009)
English to German
+ ...
| A combination | Jul 8, 2011 |
Computer/hardware malfunction is definitely stressing. So are late payers because the time it takes to send reminders - as in one case four of them thus far! - can be used in a more productive way.
| | | | Fiona Kirton
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:13
Spanish to English
+ ...
| Anything that has the potential to reflect badly on me | Jul 8, 2011 |
The biggest stress for me is the thought that a client might be unhappy with my service. If I consider a deadline to be unrealistic, I won't accept the job, but if I've agreed to a delivery date/time, I'm duty bound to stick to that. Consequently I feel I would only have myself to blame if I wasn't able to meet a deadline, and my assumption is that the client would feel the same. There's also the additional worry that the quality of my work might suffer if the deadline is too tight.
... See more The biggest stress for me is the thought that a client might be unhappy with my service. If I consider a deadline to be unrealistic, I won't accept the job, but if I've agreed to a delivery date/time, I'm duty bound to stick to that. Consequently I feel I would only have myself to blame if I wasn't able to meet a deadline, and my assumption is that the client would feel the same. There's also the additional worry that the quality of my work might suffer if the deadline is too tight.
As for computer malfunctions, so far I've not had any that I haven't been able to fix myself in a relatively short space of time. Once or twice I've had a complete internet outage, but as has already been said, it's best to try and be philosophical about such things. I try to adopt the philosophy that anything not within my sphere of control is not worth stressing about. Frustrating, yes; stressful, no. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Pages in topic: [1 2] > | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Poll: Which of the following stresses you the most? | Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
| | Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
