Yes, yes, I still exist, though you wouldn’t know it by looking at my online activity. One month and one day after my last blog post of January 16, 2015, our little James entered the world. And it’s been a wonderful, challenging, life-changing, heart-bursting rollercoaster ever since.
I’m still working, though I’m down to part-time hours. James is in daycare three days a week, and although it’s hard to have to turn down interesting projects because of deadline constraints, the schedule works for our growing family for now.
I’ve learned a lot in the past 18 months.
- Proofreading while you’re still in the “not sleeping through the night” stage was, for me, impossible. I wasn’t sleeping enough to feel like I could maintain the level of quality my clients deserve. So I dropped proofreading but kept editing and translating.
- Canadian maternity/parental leave benefits for self-employed workers are fantastic. Sure, it’s not as much as in-house employees would get (at least not based on what I’ve heard from friends), but the fact that ANY self-employed benefits program exists is phenomenal. It’s been pointed out to me that I will probably end up paying more into the program over the course of my career than I end up claiming in benefits… but that’s how these things work, isn’t it? (See my last post for more on this program.)
- This isn’t translation-related but I feel I need to say it: Babies are WAY easier than toddlers. Don’t get me wrong, toddlers are hilarious and way more entertaining. But let’s just say there’s a reason sites like this abound: http://www.assholeparents.com/.
Doing freelance translation and editing, combined with having a partner who also works from home (for now), has allowed me so much freedom in terms of work-life balance. It’s true, I have had to pass up on opportunities. But I haven’t had to leave the field completely, and I still have time to enjoy these precious early years of James’ life. I feel so privileged, so lucky. I have big dreams for my career as a translator and editor, and big dreams for my family. We’re in a good place right now and I couldn’t be happier.
Thanks for reading after such a long break!
Sadie
It’s an older photo of James, but one of my favourites. Is this the cool face of a future language professional? Or a physicist like Daddy? Or something entirely different? So many wonderful opportunities await him!
