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The World Needs More Proofreaders
Ad Fail! I work as a freelance translator, copyeditor and proofreader. People are usually familiar with the concept of translating and editing. A translator, well, translate text from a source-language...
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Inside an Inbound Call Centre: “Welcome to GM ‘Hot Button’!” (Part I)
Phone Booth on Rideau Street In fall 2004, I applied for a Working Holiday Visa for Canada and I came back to Ottawa with the precious paper stapled in my passport. I obtain a social insurance number,...
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Inside an Inbound Call Centre: “Welcome to Petro-Points, How Can I Help You?”...
The Phone Booth on Rideau Street (Read part I here: Inside an Inbound Call Centre: “Welcome to GM ‘Hot Button’!”) Much to my surprise, my former supervisor, Debra, actually called me a week later. The...
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Maple World Translation
Nerdy Graffiti, Toronto, September 2013 Two years ago, I barged into a local accountant’s office, slightly panicked. “I need to incorporate”, I said. “Whatever that means”, I added sheepishly. I had...
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Being a Mom and a Freelancer: The 5 Commandments
Self Portrait, November 2013 “You are so lucky to work from home! You can take care of your little one at the same time!” “Oh, how convenient! As a freelancer you don’t need to put Mark in daycare!”...
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10 Numbers to Know When Working in Canada
Canadian Souvenirs, Ottawa, November 2013 You’ve just received your work permit or you are about to land in Canada with the permanent residence status? Congratulations! After settling down and going...
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Missing: Money
“Don’t Ever Work”, France, 2013 It finally happened. I’ve been stiffed by a client. I grew up in a household where we checked the mailbox every day because we were always expecting the cheque that was...
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Five Myths about Freelancing (Busted!)
No, I can’t Work with Him Around Every single time I drop the word “freelancer” in a conversation, I see people’s eyes lighting up. In a city like Ottawa where the main employer is the federal...
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5 (Real) Perks of Freelancing
Working, Ottawa, April 2015 People often think that being self-employed, working from home or freelancing—the terms are often interchangeable in conversations—is awesome. Unfortunately, like I...
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References, Favours and Judgment: A Cautionary Tale
Self Portrait, Ottawa, May 2015 There are two basic facts to know about the Canadian job market. First, the “invisible market”, i.e. job offers and positions that are never formally advertised, is...
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Why I No Longer Advise Newcomers to Use Staffing Agencies
Work is the refuge of people who have nothing better to do” Oscar Wilde(Placard in a French protest, 2010) Even though common sense states that you should skip the middleman, I used to like staffing...
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10 Tips to Hack Your Canadian Resume
Caution: Work Over the past eight years, I must have seen dozens of resumes. Even though I’m not working in HR, sometimes unwillingly and somewhat by happenstance, I was one of the players in various...
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6 Critical Lessons I Learned After 6 Years of Freelancing
My new company logo, from my dad This summer, I’m celebrating the six-year anniversary of my company, Maple World Translation. I’m still a full-time freelancer and despite the ups and downs, I love my...
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Doing Blogging Wrong or Going for a Dream and Failing
Graffiti, Nantes, 2015 $279 for three months. This is my last hosting bill. It takes me until January 31, 2017. That night, a few weeks ago, when I finally decided to click on the “renew” button, I...
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5 Surprising Characteristics of the Canadian Workplace
Graffiti in Montevideo, Uruguay, January 2017 Everything I needed to know about Canada, I learned it at work. Over the years, the different jobs I had taught me practical skills but also provided...
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The Freelancer’s Lament – Call Me Maybe
Invoice, Maple World Translation Maybe I need to refresh Gmail. Maybe the Internet is broken, like that day at the office when we all thought we had a quiet Wednesday just to learn in the evening all...
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The Fine Art of Getting Paid (and Spotting Red Flags)
Ottawa, Wellington Street, November 2018 “What are you doing?” “I’m working.” “Yeah, but why?” “Huh… well, I’m good at what I’m doing and I get paid for it. Look. This document is in French and I’m...
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200,000 Translated Words Later (+ a Small Announcement)
“Mommy working”, Mark, December 2018 Last September’s tornado acted as a premonitory allegory of fall. As soon as the power was back on, there was no such thing as down time, there were not enough...
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