Week In Review - Ten Things Of Thankful (79)

(imagine TToT Logo here)

It's still TToT this weekend, as usual, just without a logo, or a link up. Poor Lizzi is living the cut-off life I did this June/July, and hope that her issues are going to be resolved quickly!

Because it's late, and I'm tired, and somewhat stressing out with a pre-holiday to-do list, here are my 10 thankfuls for this week:

1. The beautiful sunset Violet and I got to see on the way to her occupational therapy appointment on Monday. Imagine a group of trees, black and barren in the distance, with the sun in the brightest orange shining through in between the empty branches. It looked as if the trees were on fire and blazing. Absolutely beautiful!

2. Getting to attend Violet's holiday party at her kindergarten. The class presented a little play; Violet was a little snowflake - the most adorable little snowflake, if I may add  :-)  Of course, the batteries of my camera gave up just when I wanted to snap some pictures, but oh well. This way, I got to enjoy the play without having to look through a camera all the time!

3. To mimic Christine: I had an appointment with my dentist, and everything looks great. Little Calvin was even patient enough (with the help and doting from one of the assistants in the office) that I could get a good cleaning. Yay for clean and healthy teeth!

4. Having friends over for a playdate. The kids played and were hardly seen at all, and we adults enjoyed good, hot coffee. Not to forget: Mr. Calvin was properly adored, which he did not at all appreciate because he had a miffy day.

5. Lily and Violet being absolutely wonderful during a crazy evening. Richard was out on a rehearsal Wednesday night; the girls had just finished brushing their teeth and getting ready for their shower. Calvin was hanging out on the bath rug and started fuzzing; when I picked him up, I knew that something was wrong even before I saw he gold seeping through his onesie. Lily started her shower while I was changing Calvin's diaper, just to have him pee all around and on himself. Unplanned bathtime for the boy it was. I managed to bathe the little stinker, pre-wash his clothes and put a load of laundry in the washer while Miss Violet was taking a shower all by herself. Both girls were dressed and ready for their good-night story by the time the little brother emerged all cleaned up as well. I cannot say how thankful I am that the girls were being so independent that evening, finishing their routine without discussions or whining. There's definitely a surprise in their future!

6. Chance encounters. I found a CD-player for Lily at one of our local second-hand pages on FB. The guy who sold the CD-player turned out to be a fellow translator, whowas very excited to meet another translator to pass orders off to. And I'm always happy to accept smaller orders. Plus the guy had this awesome British accent I could listen to for hours. I don't care what you say, just keep talking  ;-)

7. Violet's speech therapist being very happy with her progress. She commented that Violet was able to concentrate a lot better on the games they were playing and also was developing a lot more self-confidence. I have noticed this change in her as well, mostly by her being a lot more confrontational at home, but she's also standing up more for herself in kindergarten. 

8. Meeting all my colleagues for a stroll across the Erlangen winter market on Friday. It was great to see everyone, to introduce some of my colleagues to Calvin, and just get updated on the lastest news. My boss said that my return to work is eagerly anticipated, which definitely feels good. About 70 more days until my first day back at work. I'm looking forward to it, but also dread it at the same time...

9. Another fun stroll over the winter market with a friend and a total of 5 kids. The girls rode on the merry-go-round, got a gingerbread heart, and explored the forest themed market. Besides my back hurting big time from carrying Calvin around in the wrap for a few hours, we all had the best time!

10. Handmade gifts: Lily brought home a tree ornament and a card for hubby and me, absolutely sweet!  And Violet got a loop bracelet from her kindergarten teachers. I know that they love Violet (and all the other kids as well), but spendign that much time to make bracelets for all the kids in their favorite colors goes beyond everything. I'm really thankful for Violet's kindergarten teachers! (<- 10-1="" p="" s="" that="">

What are you thankful for this week?

What are you thankful for this week?

Happy Translator's Day

Source

Back in 2006 I graduated from translator's school and passed the state certification exam just days before leaving to the U.S. with hubby. I expected to be working in my profession that is also my passion, but had to come to terms with reality soon enough. I don't know if it was the locations we lived, but I never got to work as a translator. I went on to earn a business degree and have worked in that area ever since.

Luckily, I got in touch with a former class mate of mine, who is now working as a free-lance translator and received my first project from her last November. I have been translating at nights ever since, and I am very happy to be able to finally earn some money with my passion.

Thus:  Happy Translator's Day everyone!!

Sunday Social - Jobs

Sunday - time to link up for Sunday Social with Ashley and Neely, talking about jobs today:

1. What is your dream job?
Working in the job I studied first, as a translator, preferrably translating books!

2. If you had just won the lottery and wouldn't have to work for money, what would you do?
I would probably still work in my job, because I like my routine, I like my coworkers, and my company. But I'd probably cut back the hours to about 20 and spend a lot more times with the family.

3. What piece of advice would you give to someone just starting out in your field?
Stay updated on the regulations, be exact and accurate, always double-check, ask others if you're not sure. If the result doesn't look right, it probably isn't.

4. What would be your ideal "just for fun" job?
Bartending. Loved it when I could sleep in as much as I wanted in the morning and loved to party all night. That's, however, not my life any more..

5. What was your first "real" job?
Working as a Admin Assistance for a mental health clinic.



Wishing everyone a good start into a new week tomorrow!

Words, Words, Words

I am a lover of words, and language. Even though I have ended up working in the financial sector (my high school math teacher will draw up a formula within minutes how long it will take me to calculate my company into the ground, if she knew...), I am a translator at heart. Right after high school, I went to college and studied to be a translator and interpreter. Unfortunately, I have never really worked in this field. One of my friends is my best client, even though I have never taken a single dime from her (I'd never accept money from one of my best friends, but babysitting is fair!).

"Sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurt me" - I wouldn't sign that. Everyone who has ever been a victim to mental abuse or bullying will tell you, that words can be a very vicious weapon. When it comes to being a translator or interpreter, you become a gateway, not only between two languages, but sometimes also between two cultures, however slight their differences may seem. In general, the realm of the translator is the written word, while the interpreter's world is the spoken word. Are there any other avid watchers of the "Game of Thrones" series? If so, you might be just watching season three, which has a wonderful example of an interpreter: the slave girl Missandei interprets for her master, the slaver Kraznys mo Nakloz, to sell Unsullied to the Targaryan princess Danaerys. The slaver doesn't even try to hide his disdain for Danaerys, while Missandei relays his message in a respectful manner, not knowing that Danaerys understands the slaver's every word. Professionally, her interpreting would have been quite a far stretch, even though both as a translator as well as an interpreter, I have tremendous power. Under each and every one of my translations, I certify that I have translated the original document true and to my best ability, and I have alwas done so. However, there is something beyond simple words, there is the tone, which we can steer sometimes from one end of a sprectrum to the other. Sometimes I wondered whether there have been wars started or prevented by interpreters, what their input was in the rise and fall of corporations, but since most of these negotiations happen behind closed doors, we might never know.

To end my little trip into the land of language, I'd like to share with you a little professional joke. This is said to have happened during a business conference in Japan, where a US business man appeared for a panel. As most Americans might do, he started the speech with a little joke. Since this would have been fairly inappropriate in Japanese business culture, the interpreter, instead of relaying the American's joke, he simply told the audience that he speaker is starting with a little joke, which is not funny at all, but the correct response would be to laugh at his sign. The audience cracked up when given the cue and the panel became quite a success.

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This was day 2 of the "Blog every day in May" challenge!