The Hive in London, translator for the British Museum
Journal of a museum translator
– Week #2 –
#ArtlifeMondays: The Hive
Isn’t it a good idea to step into the week,
feeling inspired and curious?
As a museum translator, every Monday, I’ll post about something artsy I’ve visited or done recently.
Indeed, I thought it would be nice to distract our busy minds for a second, on the day when we all jump into a new week, with its expectations, goals, planning, and its million things to think about.
Escape the #MondayBlues, the pressure of New Years’ resolutions with me today and get on board the #ArtlifeMondays train!
Lots of room for everyone.
Above is a picture of the magnificent Hive in Kew Gardens, that I originally took with a good old disposable camera, back in September.
The Hive allowed you to step into the centre of a large buzzing structure, with harmonic hums surrounding you to mimic an actual beehive.
As all your senses are heightened, you can physically feel the entire artwork move, breathe, live. Yet, it was meditation-inducing and inspired you to find a space of peace and calmness, in the midst of everything in the world.
Has anything made you feel calm and powerful, lately?
What’s your ultimate stress-relieving activity?
Tell me in the comments!
/ 16th Jan / Awesome colleagues
Today, I popped out between two projects to have a delicious organic elderberry juice at @csendesbudapest with an old friend.
5 years since we finished our Master’s Degree in Conference Interpreting together at the London Metropolitan University.
2013 was by far the hardest year in my life.
I always had great grades, passed my BA in Translation with the Highest Honours.
I knew what my strengths and weaknesses were, and I was comfortable with my level.
And BAM!, comes the Master’s Degree to shake me up and teach me the value of effort and hard work.
To teach me that you don’t always get what you want right away.
That you won’t always find easy success in what you set out to achieve.
Conference interpreting proved extremely hard and there were many times when I felt that I wasn’t going to make it.
Yet, it was my dream, I had looked at professional interpreters in their booths and their gymnastics of the brain appealed to me like no other.
I had to be like them.
Did I think I wasn’t actually cut out for it?
Yes, and then I proved myself wrong.
For this reason only, I consider it my biggest achievement.
And the rest is history.
Five years in and still hustling!
What about your biggest achievement?
Was it a victory against yourself or something else?
My belated museum selfie for #museumselfieday2019
#Throwback to when I worked as a translator for the British Museum, in-house, as they were changing their audio guides.
My principal tasks were to:
• Translate new content
* Proofread newly-translated content
• Translate and cross-check the user interface
* Check the old French content and voice-over
• Assess whether it was still up to date / Amend it, if needed
* Test the finished product in the galleries and implement final changes
This experience was a game-changer for me.
It allowed me to be part of a localisation team, working and translating in the offices.
Moreover, it allowed me to see the needs and responsibilities of a project this size.
And to get the taste of what it’s like for project managers with a deadline that just cannot be pushed back.
Indeed, there is no room for error when your words are being read by so many people a year.
Did you also experience a turning point in your career?
/ 18th Jan /
For creatives, dreams are a fascinating source of inspiration.
They are like little windows into our minds and I often try to understand what they could mean.
But, at the moment, I’m a little confused.
I couldn’t have had a better start to 2019:
• My motivation levels are through the roof
* Productivity is very high
• I’m getting lots of positive feedback
* Super happy with my business as a museum translator and
• Overall feeling awesome, physically and mentally.
And yet, every night since the beginning of the week, my brain has decided to send me extremely vivid nightmares.
The very scary, horror movie type!
As a result, it has left me wondering what triggers them and whether they are related at all to our day-to-day life.
So, I want to ask you, do you remember your dreams?
I’ve been thinking about writing them down. Do you?