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Poll: Have you ever struggled with impostor syndrome or perfectionism? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Have you ever struggled with impostor syndrome or perfectionism?".
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After over 30 years working full-time, plus a few more part-time, I have to be confident in myself and my ability; though from time to time when dealing with longish assignments I’m prone to bouts of self-doubt (Will I finish on time? Am I doing a good job?), but then I dust myself off, take a coffee, pick myself up, and get right back into it! On the other hand, every so often I end up spending more time than I’d like to admit until I’m happy with my work. Is this what you call being a pe... See more After over 30 years working full-time, plus a few more part-time, I have to be confident in myself and my ability; though from time to time when dealing with longish assignments I’m prone to bouts of self-doubt (Will I finish on time? Am I doing a good job?), but then I dust myself off, take a coffee, pick myself up, and get right back into it! On the other hand, every so often I end up spending more time than I’d like to admit until I’m happy with my work. Is this what you call being a perfectionist? ▲ Collapse
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All the time. I hate to say it but most translators kind of are imposters because we translate texts from fields that we know nothing about, using only our linguistic skills, dictionaries and Internet research to help us.
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Igor Indruch 
Czech Republic
Local time: 16:41
English to Czech
| I am a perfectionist and I know it :) | Mar 20, 2022 |
And I never struggled with it.
But gradualy I learned not to be a perfectionist in all occasions. If a client insist on something and I know I cannot go against it, I swallow my pride.
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Edward Potter
Spain
Local time: 16:41
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Huh?
Whutz dat?
Peace out.
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I sometimes lie in bed at night thinking to myself, "would it actually be better or more accurate to translate that phrase this way instead?" So I guess that would mean that I am at least very conscientious about doing the best work I can for a client. I don't really know if that's perfectionism. If you believe what the Italian 20th-century author, Alberto Moravia, attempted to prove through one of his short stories, "Don't Delve Too Deeply" (or you will be confronted by the fact that EVEN YOU a... See more I sometimes lie in bed at night thinking to myself, "would it actually be better or more accurate to translate that phrase this way instead?" So I guess that would mean that I am at least very conscientious about doing the best work I can for a client. I don't really know if that's perfectionism. If you believe what the Italian 20th-century author, Alberto Moravia, attempted to prove through one of his short stories, "Don't Delve Too Deeply" (or you will be confronted by the fact that EVEN YOU are not perfect), then the idea that any individual can be totally perfect when it comes to anything is a total myth, and even totally ridiculous.
[Edited at 2022-03-20 23:11 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-03-20 23:16 GMT]
[Edited at 2022-03-20 23:18 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Igor Indruch
Czech Republic
Local time: 16:41
English to Czech
Gerard Barry wrote:
All the time. I hate to say it but most translators kind of are imposters because we translate texts from fields that we know nothing about, using only our linguistic skills, dictionaries and Internet research to help us.
I always do enough research to become an expert
I started in IT, economics and marketing. That was what I studied.
But now I do mostly fashion.
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just be a diligent mailman
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Nikolay Novitskiy
Russian Federation
Local time: 19:41
Member (2018)
English to Russian
| Impostor syndrom is a problem | Mar 21, 2022 |
It's sometimes hard to brace oneself and continue your work when you are facing criticism. But the only way to struggle with impostor syndrom is to train your skills, polish each phrase you translate and work with the criticism your work deserves. The last thing is the hardest one.
As for me, perfectionism is a way to struggle with impostor syndrom
[Edited at 2022-03-21 05:48 GMT]
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Mr. Satan (X)
English to Indonesian
I have OCD + insecurity problems and I feel personally attacked by this poll.
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Sometimes I find myself watching historical documentaries for a basic definition in a text. Or even medical surgeries for some other.
So it's perfectionism.
But Always Beware the Friendly Proofreader.
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Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 16:41
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
ProZ.com Staff wrote:
"Have you ever struggled with impostor syndrome or perfectionism?"
Sure, but perfectionism is the opposite of impostor syndrome. How about splitting up the answer options so that we can see which of the folks voting "yes" voted yes for the one and not the other?
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:41
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Q. "Have you ever struggled with impostor syndrome or perfectionism?".
A . No, but I'm struggling to understand what they are.
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neilmac
Spain
Local time: 16:41
Spanish to English
+ ...
I googled imposter syndrome and found this:
"Imposter syndrome is loosely defined as doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. It disproportionately affects high-achieving people, who find it difficult to accept their accomplishments."
I think doubting one's abilities is a normal human thing. I wouldn't say I've "struggled" with it though. My colleague is a bit of a perfectionist, which makes her really good at what she does (translating/proofreading), which is usuall... See more I googled imposter syndrome and found this:
"Imposter syndrome is loosely defined as doubting your abilities and feeling like a fraud. It disproportionately affects high-achieving people, who find it difficult to accept their accomplishments."
I think doubting one's abilities is a normal human thing. I wouldn't say I've "struggled" with it though. My colleague is a bit of a perfectionist, which makes her really good at what she does (translating/proofreading), which is usually fine, unless you're in a hurry. ▲ Collapse
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I never felt like an imposter because I'm such a perfectionist that I don't stop until I convince myself that I have done a good job.
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