Work Work Work

It is now Year of the Dog, and I find myself working during my vacation. What am I working at? Well…

– This past weekend it was getting the site online at the new server. That’s now mostly done.
– Now it’s a big freelance translation job. Ahhh, translation… the work I love to hate. It certainly pays well over Chinese New Year, though. (Supply and demand, you have been kind to me this once…)
– Map editing. I took a freelance map editing job. Weird. I don’t mind it, but the worst part is I’m having trouble finding good maps in Shanghai! Even worse is that most Chinese maps don’t even list the scale to which the map was drawn. Cartographer fools!
– Class work. In the Chinese system, your final paper is due after the winter break. After you turn it in you get your grade. What kind of stupid procrastination-encouraging, vacation-ruining system is this?!

So that’s why posting has been light. There is proof out there that my vacation has been at least partially fun, though.

And, finally, I leave you with an example of horrible, horrible Chinese Flashmanship. I mean, really… what is the point of this crap??

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John Pasden

John is a Shanghai-based linguist and entrepreneur, founder of AllSet Learning.

Comments

  1. Why is your final paper due after the winter break? Do you mean you have to work on your paper during spring festival and then get your grade in the beginning of next semester?

    I don’t see that kind of system in any Chinese college. That’s weird.

  2. Ming,

    Yes, that’s right. And it’s definitely a Chinese university.

  3. Glad you got to enjoy some of the New Year anyway. Sounds like the party was a lot of fun. Did the aunt come back to enjoy more?

    Maybe that company builds aircraft carriers??

  4. Just cuorious as to what you will do with your degree. Will you be a translator or will you go on to study another easy language like arabic.

  5. Tim P,

    I don’t care what they build. Crappy Flash is crappy Flash.

  6. Shawn,

    I will take my degree in applied linguistics, and then I will apply linguistics to Shanghai. In excellent ways. But not in translation.

  7. One has to question who approved of the flash intro of the aircraft carrier, the lullaby ocean waves that accompany such a ginormous vessel, and the overall presentation. Also, what’s up with the blue generic logo that is pretty much every finance/bank logo in Asia.

  8. Greg pasden Says: February 1, 2006 at 4:59 am

    Hey John! It sounds like you’e had a stessful week. maybe you need to go out. Next time im in town and we go out we’ll take a camera and SS. It might be humorous looking at the pics the day after. No pics of people dancing on the bar though.
    See ya Cuz!

  9. Congrats…

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