Poll: Do you find it frustrating when urgent projects pop up during holidays or summer?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Jul 31, 2025

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Do you find it frustrating when urgent projects pop up during holidays or summer?".

View the poll results »



 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 15:53
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
No, I appreciate the work. Jul 31, 2025

I live alone, I have no family obligations, I'm my own boss and I love keeping my clients happy…

expressisverbis
Dan Lucas
Vi Pukite
Sonoko Enami
Andrus Lauringson
 
Zea_Mays
Zea_Mays  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 16:53
English to German
+ ...
? "I try not to work during holidays/summer." ? Jul 31, 2025

Summer is an entire season of 3 months.

Lingua 5B
Josephine Cassar
 
Liena V.
Liena V.  Identity Verified
Latvia
Local time: 17:53
Member (2014)
French to Latvian
+ ...
Other Jul 31, 2025

I find urgent projects frustrating no matter when they pop up, but I appreciate the work as long as it pays well and I can manage to do it.

Claudio Machado Junior
Antonio Contreras
Maria Laura Curzi
Andrus Lauringson
 
Lieven Malaise
Lieven Malaise  Identity Verified
Belgium
Local time: 16:53
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Other Jul 31, 2025

Receiving translation requests is never frustrating. Either I'm available, or I'm not. The only thing that I imagine to be possibly frustrating is reveicing no requests during a week and then receiving 3 large translation requests of which you can only accept one. Fortunately that never happens.

Ines Radionovas-Lagoutte, PhD
Dan Lucas
Christine Andersen
Antonio Contreras
Bruno Veilleux
Spyros Salimpas
 
Lingua 5B
Lingua 5B  Identity Verified
Bosnia and Herzegovina
Local time: 16:53
English to French
+ ...
Depends on the project Jul 31, 2025

Last summer I received an offer on my phone while I was literally on a SUP board on the sea. I quickly told them I was interested, then provided a longer reply once I was back to the shore. If this required me to actually work while on vacation, I wouldn't have replied. But this was an interpreting project starting after my vacation. Actually it was easy for me to travel from the country where I vacationed to the country of the assignment on my way back. And the project was worthwhile and paid w... See more
Last summer I received an offer on my phone while I was literally on a SUP board on the sea. I quickly told them I was interested, then provided a longer reply once I was back to the shore. If this required me to actually work while on vacation, I wouldn't have replied. But this was an interpreting project starting after my vacation. Actually it was easy for me to travel from the country where I vacationed to the country of the assignment on my way back. And the project was worthwhile and paid well.

So, my answer is - it depends.
▲ Collapse


 
Rita Faleiro
Rita Faleiro
Portugal
Local time: 15:53
Member (2025)
Spanish to Portuguese
+ ...
I appreciate any work that appears Jul 31, 2025

We are two freelancers workers at home. With two kids to feed, if we don't work, we don't receive. So, summer or not, I appreciate all the work that appears.

Dan Lucas
Josephine Cassar
Antonio Contreras
Alexandra Speirs
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 16:53
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Poll asker is from the US Jul 31, 2025

The poll asker uses "holidays" for one-day national holidays and "summer" for multi-day holidays. So, poll asker is from the US. But we know what they mean. They mean "during a national/bank holiday or during vacations/holidays".

[Edited at 2025-07-31 11:00 GMT]


Marjolein Snippe
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Oscar Núñez Alfaro
 
Oscar Núñez Alfaro
Oscar Núñez Alfaro  Identity Verified
Costa Rica
Local time: 08:53
Member (Oct 2026)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Sometimes. Jul 31, 2025

I find it wonderful to receive projects when I actually need them. But, when I am busy with many projects, it is really hard to receive more projects even if I want to work with them.

 
Oscar Núñez Alfaro
Oscar Núñez Alfaro  Identity Verified
Costa Rica
Local time: 08:53
Member (Oct 2026)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Sometimes. Jul 31, 2025

I find it wonderful to receive projects when I actually need them. But, when I am busy with many projects, it is really hard to receive more projects even if I want to work with them.

 
IrinaN (X)
IrinaN (X)
United States
Local time: 09:53
English to Russian
+ ...
High-school kid's question? Aug 1, 2025

Adults do not have all-summer vacations....

It's getting curiouser and curiouser


Zea_Mays
 
CasaPhil
CasaPhil  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 16:53
Member
English to French
+ ...
Not really Aug 1, 2025

I have a holiday in order to forget about work. Nevermind if I miss a project.
Being frustrated for not being able to take on work, or for reluctantly taking on work, is like wanting to be in two spots at the same time or two individuals in one.
Decisions need to be made and accepted, because time is a one-way street where reversing is forbidden.

Philippe


Lingua 5B
Baran Keki
Maria Laura Curzi
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 16:53
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
No Aug 2, 2025

Sometimes life is urgent, and lots of peole are not on holiday at any given time.

What is frustrating is when I have told a client I am able to take on a job, but hear nothing for a week, and then suddenly they want it overnight or preferably yesterday ...
And meanwhile I have enought to do for other clients.

But that doesn´t happen much these days!


Maria Laura Curzi
 
WolfgangS
WolfgangS
France
Local time: 16:53
English to German
+ ...
No Aug 6, 2025

Provided it's a good customer and not some agency short of translators during that period.

 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Poll: Do you find it frustrating when urgent projects pop up during holidays or summer?






Wordfast Pro
Translation Memory Software for Any Platform

Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users! Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value

Buy now! »
Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »