This post has either nothing or everything to do with translation, depending on how you look at it! Here goes: I’ve been thinking a lot about Shosin, the Zen Buddhist concept most commonly translated as “Beginner’s Mind.” It’s most commonly described as an attitude of openness and lack of cynicism about experiences, or as the ability to see a familiar experience from the perspective of a beginner. At the same time, I had been looking for a goal to work toward for my upcoming 40th birthday. Long and expensive story short, I decided to combine my interest in teaching and my passion for telemark (free-heel) skiing and take a season-long ski instructor training course. The course is in progress right now, and I’ve definitely gleaned a few translation-related observations from it.
- All of us should be more patient with beginning translators who don’t know anything about translation or the industry but are eager to learn. Being an enthusiastic beginner is really, really hard. It’s much harder than being an apathetic beginner. An apathetic beginner doesn’t really care about excelling, while an enthusiastic beginner does. During the run-up to my ski course, I had a thousand and one dumb questions: do I bring my own lunch or are we buying? do I need a notebook that fits in my coat pocket? are we skiing right away or is the first day in the classroom? and on and on. Enthusiastic beginners ask lots of questions that seem, dare I say it, stupid to experienced professionals, but we need to be more willing to answer these questions without being condescending.
- I love translation overall, but there are also things about it that don’t thrill me all the time. My intent with this ski instructor idea has never been to quit translating. I love translating too much and I probably couldn’t afford to ski full time even if I wanted to! However, this process has shown me that in some ways, sitting at a computer for every moment of my work day is draining in a way that doing something active and social for 8 hours is not. This has made me think about incorporating more social stimulation and non-computer time into my translation work.
- Being forced into a challenging situation is an outstanding way to grow. After 8 years of translating in my current specializations, I feel pretty confident about my abilities nearly all the time; I can’t say (and this is largely my own fault) that I feel stretched, pushed or out of my comfort zone on a typical work day. But the first time my ski instructor took our group to a really steep tree-covered slope and said “see you at the bottom,” I was terrified and convinced that I would have to be helicoptered out, or that I would be woefully inadequate compared to the rest of the class. This was a great exercise in positive self-talk rather than the negative self-talk that we freelancers engage in so often. I had to consciously tell myself “You can do this. You have practiced these maneuvers lots of times. Just take it slowly and don’t forget to breathe!” And at the bottom (Yes! I didn’t have to be helicoptered out!), I was ecstatic. I was intimidated, but I did OK because I trusted that I had built up a foundation of skills to get down that slope in one piece. That made me realize that I need to deliberately take on some translation work that is more of a stretch and a challenge: not a “get me out of here on a helicopter” challenge, but a “you are ready for this” challenge.
- Even experts have a lot more to learn. This is true of skiing and it’s true of translation. My ski instructor is, to put it mildly, an amazing skier to watch. But when we looked at the video footage of ourselves skiing, he saw just as much room for improvement in his skiing as in the students’. This is part of the thrill of translation too; you can always become a better writer or learn more about your subject areas or read the translations of people who are more skilled than you are, and that’s a very inspirational thing.
This whole experience has let me look at our industry from (more of) a “Beginner’s Mind” perspective. Any other readers taking on some new and terrifying challenges??
Bravo for your first point. I attended exactly one ATA meeting, where I was told that I would never be a professional translator since I had not taken the ATA test and that Spanish translators were a dime a dozen.
Within a year I had a job that would lead to a full-time translating/editing position that I have held for nearly 10 years now. And I never took that ATA test.
Amy, did you hear that from several people or just one idiot? I think the ATA test is overrated and I’m doing just fine… Glad to hear you are doing well and working full-time as a translator. There aren’t many full-time positions out there, so that just goes to show you that what that person said was total b.s.
Jill, thanks for that reality check 🙂 Yes, although I think that ATA certification is a plus, I can’t imagine anyone making a case that it’s a must. Likewise, there aren’t many full-time positions out there, but there definitely are some and it’s worth looking for one if you don’t want to be a freelancer.
People who are pro-active and inquisitive are the ones who succeed in most walks of life, aren’t they? I was an enthusiastic translation beginner, and found people in the profession welcoming.
Now speaking as someone who took a few hours off to ski this week, and broke up another working day to exercise, I agree with the need to do something physical to keep the right work/life balance. Maybe you need to do more training and presentations to increase social AND professional interaction, Corinne? I’m more mentally drained after a day spent with people than a day alone in front of my computer, but that’s just my personality.
I do make sure I am frequently challenged professionally. In fact I’m more often at the other extreme, where I often hope for a “normal” week or a few days with no jobs on the table to keep my balance right. One of my mental challenges is my second source language. I have to work harder, research more, learn more, for each job with that source than I do with my first source. Another is taking training: I have homework requiring analytical thinking for six weeks from a web-based training course I’m doing at the moment.
I had to talk my daughter down a challenging ski slope earlier this winter. I used every encouraging technique I could come up with. We were both drained physically and mentally when we got to the bottom. It was certainly a growth experience. A few weeks later she went back to the same slope of her own accord, knowing she could do it. The tricky part is pitching the challenges at just the right level.
Thanks Karen! You always have tons of perceptive ideas…maybe it’s time for your own blog one of these days! And I’m glad you’re taking advantage of ski season too. Thanks for that tip about finding the right level of challenge and the right time for it as well. I think we’ve all been in situations where we felt overly challenged, like “what was I thinking when I said yes to this” type of thing. But as you described with your daughter, I think that the right level of challenge can lead to a new level of confidence.
I couldn’t agree more (with one small caveat).
I’ve been delving into Zen Buddhism over the last 18 months and find it so helpful. Beginner’s mind is really eye-opening, when I remember to use it!
As a beginning translator, I’m all for point 1! 🙂
I totally agree about getting some more activity and socializing into your workday. I haven’t figured that out yet.
And yes, everyone always has something new to learn.
The slight caveat was alluded to by Karen, and relates to whether a challenging situation is a good way to grow and improve.
It definitely can be, but as Karen pointed out, the level of the challenge is vital, e.g. I’ve presented at meetings that have pushed me beyond my comfort zone and enabled me to gain confidence in public speaking, but stepping in front of a huge crowd to make a presentation might be stressful enough to make me shun public speaking for years afterwards!
A challenge I’m dealing with right now is contacting potential clients and networking. I’m spending a lot of time trying to find the right level of challenge to enable me to grow and not shrink from the experience! Maybe looking at the task with beginner’s mind will help.
Thanks Katherine! Fantastic, a comment from someone who actually knows something about Zen Buddhism (I just read about it)! I agree, there’s a difference between moderate challenge and being in one’s danger/terror zone. Especially when it comes to networking and marketing; for example if you hate talking on the phone, you’ll be totally unsuccessful at cold-calling because it will seem fake, disingenuous, etc. Finding that balance between vegetating in the comfort zone and fibrillating in the danger zone is definitely crucial!
Jill, it was mostly a couple idiots who specifically told me to give up, but the attitude at the conference was pretty clear. I went hoping to get involved and was shot down at every opportunity. For example, I offered to review an amazing new dictionary I’d bought in Spain for the newsletter – right after they’d made a pitch for more reviews – and was told that they already had people to do Spanish dictionaries. It felt like an elite club rather than a group of people supporting the profession.
Amy, thanks for your comments and I’m so sorry about your awful experience at the ATA conference. I think it’s worth another try; in my experience, most translators are quite encouraging and supportive of newcomers but it’s true that many people have a rigid mindset about what it takes to succeed. When I get questions from beginners, I really try to phrase it as “the industry norm is…” (having a college degree, for example) “but if you’re really motivated and this is really what you want to do, give it a try and see what happens.” But I’m glad to hear that things worked out for you in any case!
Corinne,
Thanks for one more insightful post.
I commend you for your outlook on life and our profession. Seeing the landscape through beginner’s eyes not only helps us reframe and refresh, but it also unlocks new possibilities, both in translation as well as outside of it. This is a perfect example of how innovation comes from outside.
This openness, or eagerness, and lack of preconceptions is something that we truly need to learn how to cultivate – and then really cultivate. And yet, as Amy has experienced first-hand, this eagerness is so hard to find.
On my end, you’ll find me shaking at your closest Zumba class – and that’s a good thing :).
Best,
Cris
PS: Amy, I still hope to meet you at an ATA Conference. We’re not all mean, I promise!
Thanks Cris! I think that your Zumba certification is another awesome example of an outlet that lets you have fun, express yourself in a different way than you do as a translator and maybe make a little extra money. And yes, we do need to encourage Amy to try another ATA conference!
“Karen”.. I do not have much words to says as i am completely agree with Karen and his point mention above.
I myself involve into some other activities as well apart from translation. This helps a lot once you come back to your routine translation work.
Hello Corinne,
Chiming in a little late on this one, but I just wanted to say how much I appreciated this post – and your blog in general. I’m a faithful reader and enjoy the way you mix “getting down to brass tacks” info with more introspective posts like this one.
Your “Beginner’s Mind” concept reminded me of a tip in Chris Durban’s excellent book, which you reviewed recently – “You’re only as good as your last translation.” I find that a useful way to make sure I don’t rest on my laurels.
Re. wanting to take on new challenges. I got a bit out of my depth recently with the translation of an academic paper on a subject I’m not really that familiar with. Long story short, I stayed a lot closer to the French syntax than I usually would, and wasn’t happy with the result. I sent the paper to a colleague at the Society of Editors and Proofreaders in the U.K. who has a lot of experience editing academic papers. She did a fantastic job tweaking the text and raised some very valid points for the authors to think about. I paid her out of my stipend (which was fine because I’d factored in a revision cost). So anyway, just to say I think dipping a toe into challenging new waters you want to test is do-able if you’ve got solid back-up from someone who knows the subject matter inside out.
And congratulations on conquering your fear of that steep slope! I was recently several thousand feet up in an autogyro (more info here: http://www.autogyro.co.uk/Autogyros.htm), getting thrown about by a frisky wind with only a seat belt keeping me in and nothing to hold on to, but I really, really, didn’t want to call it quits and cravenly beg the pilot to land. So I chanted the Lotus Sutra out loud all the way. It worked, sort of 🙂 The old knees were jelly when we landed but hey, I did it! So I can totally understand your ecstatic reaction. Happy skiing – and translating!
Thank you Lakshmi! That’s a really interesting story about using a professional editor; creating a situation where you are challenged but someone has your back! And glad that you survived the autogyro experience!
Corinne- you never cease to inspire and encourage! As a brand new translator looking over the precipice of the industry, I can deeply empathize with the feeling of terror and overwhelming doubt. It can be frustrating at times (and what a terrible time to be starting a career) yet, it is true that failure only comes at the point of quitting. What a beautiful message for work and life in general. Anyone can take this advice, regardless of their field. Thank you so much for your continuous support to me and all of my fellow newbies, it is more priceless than you can imagine!