English to French translation

My shared office in Leeds

July 29, 2008

My office space in Leeds is light, airy and very quiet. Very very quiet. I’m more often than not on my own and I’m struggling to feel comfortable here. After three years in a fantastic shared office in Brighton, where I was made to feel like I was part of a big lively family, it has been a bit of a shock to find myself in a place where I am, to put it bluntly, a low-value client in a big building full of people in black suits. I’m actively looking for a more suitable place and I have an appointment to see office space at the university of Leeds, which sounds like a much more relaxed environment. To be continued…

So my office in Leeds is a bit of a disappointment, but thankfully, I’m very happy with my new translation setup. When it transpired that we were moving to Leeds, I decided that it was high time I changed all my equipment. It took hours of research and comparisons to get the right products, but it was well worth it and I thought I’d share the results here.

1 USB modem. The deal I was offered for an Internet connection here was shockingly bad (£69.99 for a 512k connection shared by 40 users or £120 a month for a dedicated 1M connection) and I like the idea of carrying my Internet connection with me wherever I go, so I took a contract with Vodafone for £15 a month. I get 1M on average and I’m always connected, wherever I am, which is brilliant: I’ll never miss an important email again.

2 Logitech Marble Mouse*. I decided to go for a tracker ball because I read they are better for your wrists and I’m quite keen to keep RSI at bay. It’s excellent.

3 Elevator*. It stops the Macbook from getting too hot, which is said to prolong its life, and it allows me to have my screens on the same level.

4 USB hub*. I tried 3 other hubs before this one, and none worked properly. I haven't had any complaints about this one.

5 Macbook*. I love it. I’ll dedicate an entry to the PC to Mac switch.

6 Samsung laser printer*. I picked this laser printer after extensive research. I doubted that, at £50, it would be very good, but it is.

Ps: the best thing about my office is to take a break with a coffee at the windows. We get great clouds in the North.

*This link takes you to Amazon, of which I am an associate, but there are other sites out there that may offer better prices; I particularly like www.ebuyer.com and www.empiredirect.com.

Comments

Thanks Céline. I love your bilingual blog. I always read it in English first then French and wait for things to hit me about the differences. Today it is the fact that you only mention D-link in the French version...

Those beautiful clouds certainly remind me of home...

Well spotted Linda! I probably should have used "D-Link" in the English version as well to avoid the repetition of "this one".

Very interesting setup - I look forward to reading about your move to Mac. How do you use the dual monitors? Do you have the source on one and the translation on the other?

No, I have my translation on one screen and I use the other for reference documents, glossaries, Internet, etc. It's a fantastic time-saver.

Very impressive. But why do you have both your monitors set up in landscape? Surely one of them in portrait would be useful?
http://omf.blogspot.com/2004/07/design-fault.html

Interesting! However, my main screen is almost square and also, I often place two documents side by side on it, so landscape is more efficient in that way.

Great post! I'll be looking forward to hearing about your switch to Mac.

I also use a Macbook with an external monitor...and the *exact* same 3-tiered document tray!

Do you still have several pairs of stinking trainers under you desk as well?

Yes.

Hey there...well, it was never going to be as good as BDS but then that probably went downhill after I left. And there is nothing better than a mac as I've always said. (Except they are so desirable, people want to steal them sometimes...)

Have been thinking about you - partially because 4 weeks ago I moved to France. We shall see how that goes but while I'm brushing up my very rusty French, your blog looks like a good place to cruise for tips. Bit advanced for me but then hey, you have to start somewhere... So far I've mastered some nice new vocabulary around les fuites and les plombiers - un va arriver, j'espere, chez moi, dans une minute.

Anyhow - hope you and C are doing well up North and catch you perhaps on Skype?

x

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