When Life Gives You Lemons: The Translator

Scottish-born Susie Keddie has lived in Barcelona since 2006. Now 45, she works online from the ground-floor flat she shares with her husband and two kids in Sant Just Desvern. 

What do you do? 

I’m a translator and proofreader and around half my clients are private (universities, publishers, etc.) while the rest are translation agencies. 

What lemons has COVID-19 given you? 

I usually work pretty much non-stop Monday to Friday in the time between school runs. Since the state of emergency was announced on March 14, I have received virtually no work at all. Regarding others in my field, I’ve heard of people with too much work and others, like me, with very little or none. I suppose it depends on the type of clients you work for. 

I suppose my clients have different priorities right now, but I worry that the inevitable financial crisis will affect my workload even after the pandemic has subsided. The world of translation is already changing due to the rise in machine translation, and I’m concerned that my career will be affected in the long term and I may have to think of alternative sources of income.

Are you making lemonade? 

I haven’t really had time to think about it, as I’ve been looking after our two children.

Any sugar out there to sweeten things?  

I’ve heard that freelancers are going to be offered a kind of unemployment benefit if their workload has dropped by at least 75%, which is definitely the case for me.

How are you coping otherwise? 

Better than I expected, but I’m an avid runner so the hardest thing for me is not being able to do that. I know that in other countries (e.g. France, Italy and Belgium), the government is allowing people to go outside for solo exercise. That would make a world of difference to me. Also, both my kids are very active, so it’s difficult for them to be at home all day. But they’re coping amazingly well.

Are there any silver linings?  

I’m actually enjoying having a breather and being able to spend time with my children, catch up on reading, play games, etc. I feel lucky that we have some outside space (a small garden) and that, unlike some people, we’re not going to suffer too much financially, since my husband’s job appears to be secure for the moment.

How can people connect with you?  

I’m online at www.susiekeddie.com or people can email translation@susiekeddie.com.

Kate Williams is a freelance writer, editor, translator and Director of The Writer Stuff. She left her native England for Barcelona in 2003 and never looked, or went, back. When she isn’t writing or discovering all the cool stuff going on in the city, she enjoys hiking in the Catalan countryside, kayaking on the Costa Brava, and volunteers at a local animal sanctuary. You can read more by Kate here.