| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] | Off topic: David Graeber Bulls**P Jobs - did you read it? Would you consider you have a bulls*** job? Thread poster: Anna Sarah Krämer
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| Our jobs -- Are they of real use to humankind? | Jul 24, 2022 |
Anna Sarah Fazendeiro wrote:
I cannot help but consider a majority of my work to be of no real use to humankind. We do not really need to have more piles of reports about improving shareholder value or the customer experience in 32 different languages while the planet is basically on fire. Most of the things I translate are ultimately geared towards making people and organizations buy things they don't need, and lead directly and indirectly to more wasted resources and more wasted energy.
Lately I have found it increasingly difficult to keep doing what I do. I would like to hear other perspectives.
Anna, you're not alone. You don't think John Q. Public or Jane Q. Taxpayer do jobs of real use to humankind, do you?
My end clients (when working through an agency) and direct clients include organizations that, hopefully, bring real use to humankind by focusing on such matters as ozone layer, child safeguarding, human rights, HIV/AIDS prevention and treatment, etc. By translating for such entities, I'm trying to contribute to a better future for us.
Also, when I translate for Intel, Dell, Microsoft, etc., their products are used in many applications that help lots of people on Planet Earth (e.g. medical applications). Yet, the same products can be used in military applications, therefore bringing humanity one step closer to annihilation.
[Edited at 2022-07-24 00:16 GMT]
| | | | Francisco Chagas 
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:30
Member (2019)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| Be the change you want to see. | Sep 19, 2022 |
While time may be limited within a budding family setting, you are not, at any time, bound to one single profession, field or project.
Personally, because I am sensitive to the idea that I might be wasting my time and energy in mostly innocuous projects, I consciously remind myself that my job as an LSP is, as of now, a means to an end (and a very dear, ever reliant, friend of mine). It is a way to both enable my current passions and hobbies and uncover new ones, most of whic... See more While time may be limited within a budding family setting, you are not, at any time, bound to one single profession, field or project.
Personally, because I am sensitive to the idea that I might be wasting my time and energy in mostly innocuous projects, I consciously remind myself that my job as an LSP is, as of now, a means to an end (and a very dear, ever reliant, friend of mine). It is a way to both enable my current passions and hobbies and uncover new ones, most of which pertain to the creation of a positive social impact. This does not detract, at all, from my engagement in this field. On the contrary, it allows for some much needed lightness. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 20:30
Serbian to English
+ ...
| yes, but ... "just because it's new..." | Sep 20, 2022 |
Tom in London wrote:
I'm for tearing down the whole rotten thing.
I can perfectly understand how tempting that could be. Only one small detail missing - to replace "the whole rotten thing" with what?
"Just because it works doesn't mean it's good" could be rephrased as "just because it's new doesn't mean it's better".
To go back to BS jobs - I've done few of them (not related to languages). Yes, they were a total waste of resources but compared to other wasteful nonsense these jobs were a mere drop in the ocean of global wastefulness. As these jobs happened to be not taxing at all, instead of worrying about the fate of the universe, I just enjoyed them as a kind of paid holidays.
It's easy to have that kind of approach with occasional easy BS jobs. I certainly wouldn't like at all to be continuously submerged in BS jobs.
| | | | Anna Sarah Krämer
Germany
Local time: 21:30
Member (2011)
English to German
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | 2 years later - beyond the BS | Apr 20 |
I'm sure you all will forgive dragging this thread out of its shallow grave, for some studies in anthropology maybe?
I've stopped translating marketing copy shortly after writing about it here. I had two very good years translating technical documentation. Now, same as for many colleagues, a lot of translation activity seems to have stopped and I'm without work since January. So I guess I can report back: no, there are probably not enough honest translation jobs out there. At least ... See more I'm sure you all will forgive dragging this thread out of its shallow grave, for some studies in anthropology maybe?
I've stopped translating marketing copy shortly after writing about it here. I had two very good years translating technical documentation. Now, same as for many colleagues, a lot of translation activity seems to have stopped and I'm without work since January. So I guess I can report back: no, there are probably not enough honest translation jobs out there. At least not for me, my specializations and language pairs in the moment.
So I have instead, as suggested by some, approached a more 'activism'-like life-style and seem to be as of recently involved in cooperativism and local economy. So far I'm enjoying my bs-free life immensely: working with my partner instead of turning my back to him and staring into a screen is a real improvement of life quality! I used to be terrified of having to deal with people in person, and now I'm enjoying it again, go out there, talk to everybody. I have found I can be fairly efficient in conjuring up stuff out of nowhere and try to use my writing skills for promoting my community-enhancing ideas. I still visit proz.com to check what kind of jobs appear, but I can't say I'm even tempted to apply anymore. Especially seeing all the BS 'rate AI output' and 'LLM assistant' jobs crop up.
And all of you out there? Has the BS increased? How do you feel about doing it? Do you still put up with it? ▲ Collapse
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Anna Sarah Krämer wrote:
I'm sure you all will forgive dragging this thread out of its shallow grave, for some studies in anthropology maybe?
I've stopped translating marketing copy shortly after writing about it here. I had two very good years translating technical documentation. Now, same as for many colleagues, a lot of translation activity seems to have stopped and I'm without work since January. So I guess I can report back: no, there are probably not enough honest translation jobs out there. At least not for me, my specializations and language pairs in the moment.
So I have instead, as suggested by some, approached a more 'activism'-like life-style and seem to be as of recently involved in cooperativism and local economy. So far I'm enjoying my bs-free life immensely: working with my partner instead of turning my back to him and staring into a screen is a real improvement of life quality! I used to be terrified of having to deal with people in person, and now I'm enjoying it again, go out there, talk to everybody. I have found I can be fairly efficient in conjuring up stuff out of nowhere and try to use my writing skills for promoting my community-enhancing ideas. I still visit proz.com to check what kind of jobs appear, but I can't say I'm even tempted to apply anymore. Especially seeing all the BS 'rate AI output' and 'LLM assistant' jobs crop up.
And all of you out there? Has the BS increased? How do you feel about doing it? Do you still put up with it?
I can’t see that the world has changed at all, and neither has my work 🤷♂️
Glad it’s been good for you!
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Don't most jobs have an element of bullshit to them? I spent a lot of my life trying to 'be the change' - working for campaign groups, in politics. It still didn't feel like I was making much of a difference. I know a lot of medical doctors, and even they feel like a decent chunk of their work is bullshit.
Of course it depends on the job, but my feeling is that translation work does contribute something positive in that it is a necessary part of facilitating a multicultural world. Y... See more Don't most jobs have an element of bullshit to them? I spent a lot of my life trying to 'be the change' - working for campaign groups, in politics. It still didn't feel like I was making much of a difference. I know a lot of medical doctors, and even they feel like a decent chunk of their work is bullshit.
Of course it depends on the job, but my feeling is that translation work does contribute something positive in that it is a necessary part of facilitating a multicultural world. Yes sometimes it can be tedious, but sometimes playing with language can feel like an art form and that has a certain satisfaction.
In the end I feel lucky that I have a job that does no harm, and that gives me the flexibility to do other things with my life (writing, volunteering) that do contribute something meaningful. ▲ Collapse
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