How organized are you? A freelance translator’s daily workload Those of you who work from home know that establishing a good daily routine can be a challenge. There is no place for tiredness or boredom in a freelance translator’s day. You must manage your time wisely and can only count on yourself to complete the wide variety of tasks you have to juggle and to get the work done. A freelance translator spends hours in front of a computer working with texts or visuals, using various technical software programs and dictionaries. For example, multiple projects, lengthy documents in several languages, tight deadlines, meticulous attention to detail, all these are part of a typical day’s work. Unfortunately, if not carefully managed, these aspects can lead to a problematic sedentary lifestyle. Indeed, this in turn comes with its own health risks: reduced mobility, lethargy, weight gain, back pain, cardiovascular issues, headaches, eyesight problems, low mood. It’s easy to see the negative impact a sedentary lifestyle in front of a computer can have on your health. Therefore putting time aside for your own personal wellbeing is crucial. On top of all this, you may have to continue dealing with all the typical household duties – such as the school run, shopping, cooking, helping with the kids’ homework, taking them to their respective activities, doing the laundry, etc. – but combined with your own daily workload, it can very quickly get out of hand. It’s very common for a freelance translator to feel overwhelmed. We hope our top tips below will help you with your daily organization to achieve a better work-life balance!...
What is Public Speaking? Public Speaking in Vancouver or in any part of the world is the way by which we connect with a live audience. We are living in a world where we need to prove ourselves by our actions. Some people are really extroverted and some are introverted. Also, some people have good communication skills while others are nervous when speaking in public. Communication is the very first impression a person makes on another person. At the same time, public speaking plays an important role in the professional or business environment. All successful job interviews are based on the communication skills and confidence of the interviewee. Ways to Overcome a Fear of Public Speaking Know your topic and audience: Before going in for a presentation or speech, it is important for the individual to know well what they are speaking of and who they are speaking to. Knowing this will help the speaker to present with confidence. Good posture: To look confident, it is important to have good posture while speaking to a group of people. It shows that you have perfect knowledge of the topic and are comfortable with the audience. Relate with personal life: It is always beneficial when you relate the topic to your personal life. In that way, you can express your words or feelings in a convincing manner. Begin and end strong: Always make sure that your introduction and conclusion have a strong impact on the audience. As a result, the audience will understand the topic from the very beginning and leave with a good impression.Add visual aids: While doing public speaking, visual aids play...
Study in Vancouver: A Great City for Students Many people dream of studying and living in Canada and often Vancouver is the city which comes to mind. Vancouver is a coastal seaport city located in the Lower Mainland of British Columbia, also known as Beautiful British Columbia. What’s more, Vancouver offers a unique and extraordinary experience in terms of lifestyle and educational opportunities. Here are some reasons people want to live and study in Vancouver. Benefits of studying and living in Vancouver Universities and Colleges: In Vancouver, there are a few universities and colleges which are ranked high in quality of education. For example, the University of British Columbia is in the top three universities in Canada. Other institutions include Langara College, Columbia College, Kwantlen Polytechnical University, and Simon Fraser University. Moreover, there are many programs available for different types of students. Climate in Vancouver: Apart from rest of the Canada, the weather in Vancouver is pleasant and soothing. You can feel the drizzling of the rain on your face in the month of September. Here in Metro-Vancouver, there are plenty of places where you can enjoy the beauty of nature like Grouse Mountain, Stanley Park, and Capilano Suspension Bridge. Public Transportation and Lifestyle: Getting around in Vancouver is easy. All the credit goes to the government who manage a vast network of public transportation. Moreover, travelling by public transportation is cheap compared to having your own car. This means that you spend less on a monthly basis. Diversity: As people from different countries come here to study, it makes the city richer in diversity. People from Asia...
What is culture shock? As the phrase itself states, culture shock is the feeling you experience when facing a cultural situation that is new, different and unknown to you. Although the word “shock” seems rather unfriendly and negative, undergoing culture shock doesn’t necessarily have to be an unpleasant experience. Believe it or not, it can turn out to be a really enriching, positive and life learning one. But, how do you survive culture shock? Top 7 things that can cause it First of all, we need to understand that culture shock can be presented to us in both obvious and more subtle ways. We can experience culture shock when coming in contact with different: Languages – Especially when meeting somebody from a faraway country whose language is not only spoken differently but it is also written differently. For example, an English speaker being introduced to a Chinese speaker or a Korean speaker being introduced to a Portuguese speaker.Weather – This can be even harder for those used to extreme weather. For example, an Alaskan native used to very cold weather traveling to an island on the Caribbean.Landscapes – Imagine moving from a mountainous town full of lakes and forests like those in Switzerland to an arid landscape full of cacti like in Arizona, United States, or the other way around. Food – Here we’re talking not only about tastes, colours and smells, but also about quantities, meal schedules and customs. For example, in Latin American countries as well as in some European countries, people tend to have a snack between lunch and dinner called “merienda”. And don’t even get...
Travel to South America, the fourth largest of the world’s continents Ready to travel to South America? Here are some things you should know about it. Firstly, South America is located in the Western Hemisphere and constitutes the southern part of the Americas. Secondly, it consists of 12 independent countries— Argentina, Bolivia, Brazil, Chile, Colombia, Ecuador, Guyana, Paraguay, Peru, Suriname, Uruguay and Venezuela —, the overseas department of French Guiana and some outlying islands. Thirdly, South America is connected to the rest of America by the Isthmus of Panama and is surrounded by the Caribbean Sea to the north, the Pacific Ocean to the west and the Atlantic Ocean to the east. Lastly, South America is also home to a wide variety of climates, breathtaking landscapes and rich cultures with its north-south extent of about 4,700 miles and its east-west extent of about 3,300 miles. Feel like home South American people are known to be kind and warm hearted. When greeting, they tend to go for a kiss on the cheek, even when you haven’t been formally introduced to the other person. They are used to being open with foreign people and are always willing to show their culture to the rest of the world by sharing a mate with you, teaching you some capoeira moves or making you a delicious ceviche. Language variations When traveling to South America, you must remember that the main spoken language in most countries is Latin American Spanish, but it is not the only language used in this southern continent. Portuguese is the official language of Brazil, and other languages such as English,...
More than a drink Just as British people religiously enjoy their 5 o’clock tea, some countries in the southern hemisphere share a very popular drink: “el mate.” This tea-like infusion (also known as chimarrão in Brazil) is made with yerba mate and is enjoyed by children and adults at any time of day. What’s more, it has been an integral part of the culture in Argentina, Uruguay, Paraguay and southern Brazil for many years now. So, let’s learn a little more about this important drink. Origin of “el mate” and yerba mate Yerba mate was already being consumed long before the “new world” was discovered. Actually, it was the Guaraní people who inhabited parts of South America who introduced the plant to the European settlers. The settlers began to cultivate it and to make it well-known throughout the rest of the southern regions. Although the yerba mate cropping tradition almost disappeared when the Jesuits were expelled from the region, native people took over and transformed it into commercial harvesting. “El mate” is also related to the image of “el gaucho”, a popular cowboy-like figure from Argentina, Uruguay and the southern part of Brazil. El gaucho is commonly depicted as a horseman dressed in leather boots or espadrilles, a long-sleeved cotton shirt and baggy pants (bombacha), carrying a bola (best known as boleadora) or a long gaucho knife (facón). How to prepare “el mate” First of all, to start “el mate” we need the following things: Yerba mate –that is, the processed ground leaves of the yerba mate plant.A mate –that is, the receptacle where we’ll put the yerba mate....
