How do you imagine a translator at work? Most probably someone sitting in front of a computer, maybe some dictionaries on a shelf close by. Nowadays as a translator you only need a computer with a working internet connection to work, don’t you? That is basically true however for most translators there are a few other items that are important for a good work atmosphere and work efficiency. These depend on your personal preferences and needs so they are different for everyone.

In this new article series “Three Sacred Treasures of a transeuro translator”* we want to present 3 essential items of a few of our translators to give the readers of our blog an insight in the work of our translators. Maybe you can find something that would be useful for yourself as well.

Introduction of the translator

At first I would like to introduce myself briefly. I have been working as a translator for more than 10 years including maternity leave and childcare leave.

Right now I work from home while raising two boys, one 1-year-old and one 3-year-old. One the hand it is easy to find a good balance between work and child care, on the other hand concentrating on work can be difficult at times.

Currently, I am still going through a process of trial and error to find the best environment to work in.

Now let’s move on the main topic “Three Sacred Treasures of a Translator”. Dictionaries or self-made glossaries were the first things that came to mind. Notes in dictionaries and glossaries for different technical fields that you keep updating are necessary for every translator. But for me, dictionaries have already become like a part of my body so I decided to introduce 3 different items for this article.

・Treasure #1 Keyboard Topre REALFORCE Silent type – typing without a sound

When translating I type up the translation and thereby understand what the text is about. After that, I revise while getting a better understanding of the technical background.

For this translation style, typing speed is very important. That is because the faster I type the more time I can spend on revising and research.

Also as I work while my children are sleeping it is vital that the keyboard sound is quiet. With the keyboard, I am currently using my fingers don’t get tired even when typing for a long time. It also recognizes the input correctly when I press two keys at the same time when typing fast.  That is why I really appreciate it.

・Treasure #2 Back pain cushion – A nice space-saving alternative for ergonomic office chairs

As translators do most of their work sitting a lot of them are dealing with back pain. Recently you can get ergonomic high-class office chairs, but these are too big for my room. Therefore I use a cushion. When you use a cushion that forces you to keep a good posture while sitting you don’t get as tired and your work efficiency increases as well. The technologies in this market keep developing so I enjoy trying out new cushions once in a while.

・Treasure #3：「Shinjuku Takano Fruits chocolate 」- brain food for a translator

Translation is a job where you use your brain. So when I am working concentrated I crave sweets. I tried different snacks, but currently I always have this fruits chocolate at home. It contains 7 flavors: blueberry, strawberry, lemon, mango, melon, banana, and milk. It’s nice because you don’t get tired of the taste. Also, the coating of the chocolate does not melt easily so you can eat it without worrying about getting your hands or documents dirty. As they chocolates are wrapped separately you can portion them easily and I also like the colorful look.

Did you see any items you would be interested in? Back pain is indeed an issue a lot of translators have to deal with but not everyone can buy an ergonomic office chair, so using a cushion might be a nice alternative. Do you use any back pain goods and which flavor of the fruits chocolate would you like to taste?

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