Poll: How often do you sacrifice sleep to finish a translation project? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How often do you sacrifice sleep to finish a translation project?".
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Early on in my career, I often deprived myself of rest and sleep in order to meet a deadline, but I eventually realised that not only was this a mistake, but it was also putting my health at risk. I haven’t done it since; I stopped taking on more than I can chew, and I’m extremely organised when it comes to my work.
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I am a night owl anyway, and I used to sit up until 4 am rather than try to start early to meet a deadline at say 10 am. I gradually found that it was not worth it as a rule. I needed to sleep it off the next day, and if it triggered a migraine attack, then I lost an extra day's work as well.
But sacrificing TV or rearranging other activities is a different matter! I can work right until bedtime if necessary.
Now I am far less pressed with work than I used to be, and I ... See more I am a night owl anyway, and I used to sit up until 4 am rather than try to start early to meet a deadline at say 10 am. I gradually found that it was not worth it as a rule. I needed to sleep it off the next day, and if it triggered a migraine attack, then I lost an extra day's work as well.
But sacrificing TV or rearranging other activities is a different matter! I can work right until bedtime if necessary.
Now I am far less pressed with work than I used to be, and I try to organise myself out of working late, but it is a selling point that I can do a quick turnaround if that is what the client needs.
[Edited at 2026-06-30 09:11 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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Rarely, I just don't function past a certain hour.I'm definitely out by a certain hour whether I've been translating or not. I then make a lot of mistakes I would otherwise not have made and fail to understand the source text properly. It's best that I go to rest and then start working in the morning.
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Thayenga 
Germany
Local time: 08:32
Member (2009)
English to German
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Whenever the deadline requires it. However, I try to avoid it as often as possible.
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1) My mental and physical health is more important than deadlines.
2) I choose my jobs carefully so I don't get into any trouble meeting deadlines.
3) My mental and physical health is more important than deadlines.
4) I don't produce good translations when I'm tired and overworked.
5) Did I mention that my mental and physical health is more important than deadlines?
| | | | Ricardo Aries
Indonesia
Local time: 13:32
Member (2020)
English to Indonesian
+ ...
When I was a young, naive lad, I would work from morning until late at night and get only 3-4 hours of sleep each day. Decades later, this habit severely ruined my health. So, the experience was worth it, but at the expense of my own health.
| | | | WolfgangS
France
Local time: 08:32
English to German
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during my 40+y career.
And thinking of it, we often sacrifice our weekends, our holidays, but I will definitely not sacrifice my sleep.
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Michael Newton
United States
Local time: 02:32
Japanese to English
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My marathon translation project was some years ago. I was up for some 50 hours. I had to finish it by a certain time, then catch a plane to Paris and from Paris to Vienna. I was functioning on automatic pilot. It has not been unusual for me to work for 24 hours straight. Afterwards I reward myself with something Japanese or Indian, then fall asleep listening to Bach or Vivaldi.
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