Poll: How do you handle urgent work when you’re feeling exhausted?
Лице кое објавува дискусија: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
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Oct 6, 2025

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How do you handle urgent work when you’re feeling exhausted?".

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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Португалија
Local time: 07:20
Член (2007)
англиски на португалски
+ ...
Other Oct 6, 2025

I’m not fond of rush jobs and my long-standing customers know that. Even so, I can’t say no to some of them. In that case, I’ll take a short break, drink an espresso and power through…

Oscar Núñez Alfaro
 
Stephanie Mitchel
Stephanie Mitchel  Identity Verified
Франција
француски на англиски
Depends entirely on the client. Oct 7, 2025

Barring emergencies, it's up to my client - if they're okay with an extension, then I'm relieved as it means less of an uphill battle. Brainpower is still what this profession is about (regardless of what we see in the press), so the opportunity to recharge can really pay off. Of course, if there's no flexibility, then I do the short-break-and-power-through option, but it's not ideal.

Liena V.
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Oscar Núñez Alfaro
 
Philip Lees
Philip Lees  Identity Verified
Грција
Local time: 09:20
грчки на англиски
Other Oct 7, 2025

I don't accept urgent jobs when I'm feeling exhausted.

In fact, I rarely accept "urgent" jobs at all - except from long-standing clients. The word "urgent" is a red flag for me: it suggests somebody who is badly organised and probably not reliable.

I'm sorry, but a lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency on my part.


Liena V.
Pavel Mondschein
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Lingua 5B
Kim Lam
Géraldine Fourrier
Anna Anisonyan
 
Mario Chávez
Mario Chávez
Соединети Американски Држави
Local time: 02:20
англиски на шпански
+ ...
Urgent jobs? What's that? Oct 7, 2025

The notable phrase A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency for me applies. And we have applied it successfully in my workplace, which is a children's hospital. Sure, things like discharges are kind of an urgent thing we translate, but not every day and not every hour. We dropped the “72 hours” and the “ASAP” time frames in our online translation request form, and our internal requesters got the point and adapted to the longer time frames we are now using.<... See more
The notable phrase A lack of planning on your part does not constitute an emergency for me applies. And we have applied it successfully in my workplace, which is a children's hospital. Sure, things like discharges are kind of an urgent thing we translate, but not every day and not every hour. We dropped the “72 hours” and the “ASAP” time frames in our online translation request form, and our internal requesters got the point and adapted to the longer time frames we are now using.

There was a time when young translators thought that translating urgent texts as fast as possible was the way to make money (or ends meet) as a translator. What braindead people taught them that?

So, no, I don't spend time in urgent jobs, except discharges, and I don't particularly rush them.
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Daryo
 
Daryo
Daryo
Local time: 07:20
српски на англиски
+ ...
Sounds to me like a variation on ... Oct 7, 2025

'What do you do when you have painted yourself into the corner?'

to which my boring unimaginative answer would be

'How about avoiding painting yourself into the corner in the first place?'

Longer version ways too long for here ...


Mario Chávez
 
Angie Garbarino
Angie Garbarino  Identity Verified
Local time: 08:20
Член (2003)
англиски на италијански
+ ...
Let me rephrase Oct 7, 2025

How DID you handle urgent work when you WERE feeling exhausted?

 
Oscar Núñez Alfaro
Oscar Núñez Alfaro  Identity Verified
Костарика
Local time: 00:20
шпански
+ ...
All the options are valid for me! Oct 7, 2025

Depending on my mood, I could decide any options mentioned before. But, taking breaks and drinking coffee is surely my alley

 
IrinaN (X)
IrinaN (X)
Соединети Американски Држави
Local time: 01:20
англиски на руски
+ ...
Looks like I've been living in a parallel world Oct 7, 2025

I wouldn't jump to any conclusions about necessarily disorganized, irresponsible, pushy clients. My world has always been very dynamic, quite often I worked as both a translator and an interpreter for the same projects where something was being constructed, flown, moved, fixed as the days went along; somebody from the client's side was always on the road, juggling daily routines and surprises. In other words, things were happening in real time more often than I could count.

So... I
... See more
I wouldn't jump to any conclusions about necessarily disorganized, irresponsible, pushy clients. My world has always been very dynamic, quite often I worked as both a translator and an interpreter for the same projects where something was being constructed, flown, moved, fixed as the days went along; somebody from the client's side was always on the road, juggling daily routines and surprises. In other words, things were happening in real time more often than I could count.

So... I just handled it
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Angie Garbarino
 


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Poll: How do you handle urgent work when you’re feeling exhausted?






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