Some translators working from home will say that they work best in short bursts of time.

Options for the Work-at-Home Translator

Some translators working from home will say that they work best in short bursts of time, so they divide their day into chunks of time – between (say) two and four hours each, and this helps them stay focused. Others prefer to work in an almost continuous stretch of eight or nine hours per day – and again, some translators do this stretch during the day while others work into the night. Each translator has to work out the best working environment for them according to their own unique circumstances: their decisions may revolve around children and/or their spouse, their clients, and other commitments they may have. Some translation professionals love working from home because they have plenty of social stimulation close by; whereas others wouldn’t even consider working at home because they’re in the opposite situation whereby they live alone, they live in a suburb or rural area with little or no social interaction during the day, or they live with a spouse who works long hours during the day.

It’s Difficult to Walk Away from a Home Office

Perhaps the biggest downside of home-based work is that it’s very difficult to walk away from your job at the end of the day. Many home-based workers struggle with this same problem, because when the work is available, and particularly when it’s pouring in, it’s so easy to seize the moment and continue working. Most translators will admit that it’s actually quite exciting to be able to sneak into the office when no-one is looking and check to see what’s in your Inbox!

Be Committed, and Stick to the Rules!

And this is where commitment comes in, because you’ve committed to running your freelance translation business from home in order to create a happy medium between your work/home life. Part of this commitment is developing strategies to combat the tendency to continue thinking about work when, in fact, your work day is over. Some simple things you can do to assist with this problem is to turn off your work phone when you’re not working, turn your computer off at the end of your work day, set a definite and non-negotiable ‘finish work’ time, and plan to spend a certain period of time outside the home each and every day.

That being said, if you have an urgent deadline the next morning, then perhaps you’ll work extra hours today and fewer hours tomorrow. There may be other rules that you, as a freelance translator based in a home office, will set for yourself to ensure that this situation works well for you. It’s certainly worth putting all your thought and effort into this because, let’s face it, working from home can be a dream come true for many people. But, it does take commitment, and you must be prepared to follow your own rules.