We all know from practice that translating requires close attention and concentration. The tools and technologies we use – essential for our job – however, are not always comfortable and can even cause frustration. Therefore, we have to exert energy and cognitive resources in an effort to compensate for all distraction caused by them and other physical, cognitive and organizational factors in order to produce quality work. This can all affect our creativity, performance, satisfaction and, eventually, our health. And we already know what happens when we have health problems, right? Not being able to work means no money. And even if we manage to work under poor health conditions, the quality of our translation will not be the same, and the consequences can be terrible to us as professionals.
This presentation is intended to show translators ergonomics goes beyond knowing which chair and table to buy, and what the best practices for a healthy home office are according to research on the area focused on translators. After all, our body is our working tool and our health should always be our top priority.
Caroline Alberoni is a Brazilian Portuguese translator from English and Italian with six years of experience. She has an MA in Translation Studies with Intercultural Communication by the University of Surrey (UK) and a BA in Languages Specialized in Translation (English and Italian) by Unesp (Brazil). Caroline is a social media lover (you can find her on Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn, Google+, Pinterest, Snapchat, Periscope and Instagram), blogger and podcaster.
