In early October of 2018, days after attending an eye-opening conference organized by MATI – Midwest Association of Translators and Interpreters, I learned that I had been nominated for Best Overall Professional Translator’s Website at the 2018 ProZ Community Choice Awards. This event seeks to publicly recognize language professionals who are active, influential, or outstanding in various media throughout the translation and localization industry.
Although I didn’t win, being nominated already felt like a professional victory. That made me realize that the time and efforts that I had invested in my freelance career were worth it. Additionally, I received signs which were telling me not to continue transitioning to project management unless it was under my own terms.
Back in the spring, I was very excited about a company that I had been collaborating with as a translator and editor for over a year. I got to meet the staff at an event that the company organized. I liked them, and I started considering working in-house soon after. I thought project management was the next step for me. By July, I had accepted a dual role as a linguist and project manager.
At first, I was pleased with my new job. However, it wasn’t long before I understood that this path was not the right fit. I chose to keep learning and delivering my best. I was also lucky to have amazing coworkers, although some of them left during my first month. As weeks went by, I struggled to feel comfortable and started considering not keeping the job for more than one year.
Then, I realized that it would only make sense to keep my job for that long if I were to work at a different company in a similar role. But was that what I wanted? Although I had continued collaborating with several clients on my own, I found myself missing attractive opportunities due to my 9-to-5 commitment with my new employer. After careful consideration, I chose to quit. My body had also been telling me no for a while, and I couldn’t ignore it anymore.
While I certainly enjoyed working as a link between the company’s clients and vendors, I had seen for myself that I was living someone else’s dream. I have no regrets, only gratitude. I expanded my knowledge and worked with some wonderful people. But, from now on, I’ll be living my dream. I’m going to continue working for myself—as I have been doing for the past eight years—and rename my business as AM Language Services.
More information to follow soon!