Poll: Do you sometimes find yourself swearing or cursing while working?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Oct 3, 2018

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you sometimes find yourself swearing or cursing while working?".

This poll was originally submitted by Henrik Pipoyan. View the poll results »



 
neilmac
neilmac
Spain
Local time: 10:57
Spanish to English
+ ...
Yes Oct 3, 2018

In several languages. At home, unless I have visitors, nobody can hear me and it lets off steam.





[Edited at 2018-10-03 11:14 GMT]


P.L.F. Persio
Debora d'Amato (X)
Mariana Borio
Ricki Farn
Melanie Meyer
Gibril Koroma
Julio Madrid
 
Angus Stewart
Angus Stewart  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:57
Member (2011)
French to English
+ ...
No Oct 3, 2018

No, I am not the sort of person who debases themself in that way. However, I am very vocal about what I don't like and if I am proofreading a translation which is of abysmal quality I channel my negative energy into writing a stroppy email to the agency responsible and would like to think that they will be so unhappy about with the feedback that they will pass on a few choice remarks to the translator in question to ensure there will be no repeat performance.

On one occasion, I enco
... See more
No, I am not the sort of person who debases themself in that way. However, I am very vocal about what I don't like and if I am proofreading a translation which is of abysmal quality I channel my negative energy into writing a stroppy email to the agency responsible and would like to think that they will be so unhappy about with the feedback that they will pass on a few choice remarks to the translator in question to ensure there will be no repeat performance.

On one occasion, I encountered the single worst proofreading experience of my entire life with every conceivable error under the sun to such an extent that I ended up all night to fix the various categories of error laid as "booby traps" for me by the translator whose work was so dire that they had the potential to cause a career ending event for everyone involved in the project, if I didn't manage to address matters successfully. As you can imagine I was rather crotchety by the time the sun came up and so I made sure when I contacted the agency to inform them of the quality issues that phrased a few choice remarks in such a way as to ensure I was never going to encounter this particular individual ever again.

Thankfully, instances like the one I just mentioned are rare and when I encounter a translator whose work is of exceptional quality, as happened recently, I also pass some positive feedback on to encourage things along and increase the chance that I will get to work with them again in future.
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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 09:57
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
No Oct 3, 2018

I don’t swear at all! My parents didn’t allow even a single curse word and I never got into the habit.

P.S. The very last time my father grounded me was for using the PT informal expression “Que chatice!” (“What a bore!”) and… I was 15 years old!

[Edited at 2018-10-03 09:53 GMT]


Muriel Vasconcellos
Angus Stewart
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Michael Harris
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 02:57
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
No Oct 3, 2018

I don't get angry when I translate. This is what I signed up for. I'm getting paid to deal with any frustrations that arise.

Furthermore, I don't swear when I'm angry. or in any other circumstances. I was taught to believe that swearing is the reflection of a limited vocabulary.

[Edited at 2018-10-03 09:40 GMT]


Angus Stewart
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Morano El-Kholy
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Michael Harris
 
Jennifer Forbes
Jennifer Forbes  Identity Verified
Local time: 09:57
French to English
+ ...
In memoriam
Technological glitches Oct 3, 2018

Those baffling technological glitches which sometimes suddenly occur have been known to make me utter expletives in various languages. "Proofreading" utterly abominable "translations" can also make me mutter grumpily.

Angus Stewart
Ester Vidal
Mariana Borio
Sylvie Pelissier
Melanie Meyer
Andy Watkinson
neilmac
 
Bora Taşdemir
Bora Taşdemir  Identity Verified
Local time: 12:57
Member (2012)
English to Turkish
+ ...
Swearing out loud helps! Oct 3, 2018

When I face technical issues, I swear out loud since I'm the only one in the room and it helps a lot to stress out

Mariana Borio
Axelle H.
Julio Madrid
Mario Freitas
neilmac
 
Jack Doughty
Jack Doughty  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 09:57
Russian to English
+ ...
In memoriam
Yes. but not in the presence of anyone else. Oct 3, 2018

At age 18, I was in the Royal Air Force, and everyone kept adding the word "f***ing" as an adjective to everything. I did the same, but eventually I unintentionally did so once at home, to my mother's indignation. I decided I would stop using the word altogether. I thought there might be some comment about this, but no-one even noticed, that's how meaningless it was!

 
Edith van der Have
Edith van der Have
Netherlands
Local time: 10:57
Member (2016)
English to Dutch
+ ...
Very occassionally, but yes ... Oct 3, 2018

It happens every now and then, usually when my CAT software does frustrating stuff ... and then I check thoroughly so I know for sure that Dragon (speach recognition software) hasn't put any of it in my translation

 
Debora d'Amato (X)
Debora d'Amato (X)  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 10:57
English to Italian
+ ...
Honestly, yes Oct 3, 2018

Whenever I can't translate a sentence, I watch it for a long trying to find a way to translate it and then, after several attempts, I start cursing or getting angry.
After about five minutes, when I calm down, I start again translating.


Julio Madrid
 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Hell yeah Oct 3, 2018

With more than three-quarters of us admitting to it, perhaps it is time to redefine what is "professional" and stop having to b**t around the b*sh writing sh*t like "f**k" on Pr*Z?

PS What's the difference between swearing and cursing?


Julio Madrid
Mario Freitas
Jan Truper
 
Mario Freitas
Mario Freitas  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 06:57
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Hell yeah II Oct 3, 2018

And I get complaints regularly from my wife and kids too. But the responsibility for this is mostly incompetent people writing, working for agencies or clients. Since I can't pick up the phone and curse them out loud, I'll just curse the walls. If you don't do that, instead of putting it out, you'll be fabricating stones in your kidney. It's healthy!

neilmac
 
Al Zaid
Al Zaid
United States
English to Spanish
+ ...
Sure... Oct 4, 2018

I do lots of cursing whenever I come across a text written by people who fancy themselves good writers and come up with these "elaborate" pieces of mumble-jumble. Spanish-speaking lawyers often fall under that category.
I find swearing highly therapeutical in those cases. My wife and daughter keep giving me a hard time about it, but what the hell... I feel better when I do it.


neilmac
 
Andy Watkinson
Andy Watkinson
Spain
Local time: 10:57
Member
Catalan to English
+ ...
Yes, but.... Oct 4, 2018

....only when I'm drunk.

 
Christopher Schröder
Christopher Schröder
United Kingdom
Member (2011)
Swedish to English
+ ...
Er... Oct 4, 2018

Andy Watkinson wrote:

....only when I'm drunk.


Why would anyone translate sober?


Michael Harris
 


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Poll: Do you sometimes find yourself swearing or cursing while working?






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