Thursday October 11, 12:23 a.m.
Yep, it was a QT Bad Day today. I use the famous director's name since like his movies, there was an ever-pervasive feeling of tension throughout the day with a brief flash of violence. Well, no violence but there was a ratcheting-up of tension via my translation boss in the morning.
The folks at Trados can learn a thing about trying to service people in the right way....like, say, provide a free instruction manual on how to use their translation software. I spent a lot of time and energy just to find a YouTube tutorial and download and print out a homemade 10-page manual that some fellow disgruntled purchaser had made. And yet, I was none the wiser due to my lower-than-average aptitude for computer software. I tried to make sense of the stuff on my new computer for a lot longer than I should have before sending out that SOS to my boss.
I think it was probably my first chewout by an employer in way over a decade, but then again my boss is so laid-back that his voice didn't even rise a few notes. However, it was plainly evident that he wasn't too happy with me over the phone as he walked me through the Trados minefield. For one thing, a major project was in the balance and needless to say, it most likely will be overdue although I did get three-quarters of it done by midnight. So, it was a race against the clock all day...that was the tension. Still, in my defense, I think the boss should've given me a lot more comprehensive training in the software than just a few verbal snippets here and there. According to some of the other complaints I've read, a manual is absolutely necessary. And I think it's a bit of a crime for them to charge us to attend video tutorials. I was thrown into the deep end...and I frankly don't swim.
Strangely enough, though, I did get the CD I had ordered through Amazon last week. That was the only bright scene in my day.
