| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: On average, how many books do you read? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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| And those will be the days | Aug 30, 2016 |
Andrea Diaz wrote:
... The Name of the Wind, and Wise Man's Fear. Three completely marvelous and long books. Those were the days.
Don't worry, by the time the 3rd book comes out, you'll probably be retired and again have a lot of time to read
| | | | | one every week | Aug 30, 2016 |
This is the average, then it might happen that a book is particularly long and it takes two weeks... but I read everyday, in the morning 30 minutes before I start working and every night. I do not watch TV so I can enjoy my book while my kids are in bed.
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I have no idea what is my average. I have a period when I read a lot, and then a period when I don't read much, followed by a period when again I swallow books whole. "A period" may last anywhere between a few months to a year.
| | | | Catherine De Crignis (X) 
France
Local time: 17:22
Member (2012)
English to French
+ ...
| No time to read books | Aug 30, 2016 |
I read loads of articles on all sorts of topics but books, very few these days - for lack of time. The memories of the fantastic books I've been fortunate enough to read and the hope of reading more some day, this is what keeps me going. Thank you Flaubert, Dostoyevsky, Coetzee, Primo Levi, Beckett, Robert Pinget, Teresa of Ávila! Still haven't finished Is that a fish in your ear ...
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| 1 book in two days! | Aug 30, 2016 |
Nonsense.
I mean...if you can't read a book in two days choose another way of life.
Technical Manuals or Romances may need more time.
I don't lie about the books I've read: I can show you my personal library.
Almost 6000 volumes.
But to read a regular book I only need 2 days.
A translator must be capable to do this.
[Editado em 2016-08-30 15:44 GMT]
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How big is a book?
On average ... who knows? Magazines, newspapers, articles... I read all sorts of things, but not many actual books. As with work, my concentration span is short!
Sometimes I only read a selection of chapters anyway - if it is a technical book for background, for instance. Novels are few and far between these days, but I am due for my holiday soon, and then I will probably get through a good handful.
| | | | Mario Freitas
Brazil
Local time: 14:22
Member (2014)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| 1 book a month? Maybe... | Aug 30, 2016 |
The problem is I also like crossword puzzles... a lot. So I split my reading time between the two. And my reading time is not very long: only when I go to sleep or to the bathroom.
| | | | | Something between one book a week and one book a month | Aug 30, 2016 |
Annamaria Amik wrote:
Andrea Diaz wrote:
... The Name of the Wind, and Wise Man's Fear. Three completely marvelous and long books. Those were the days.
Don't worry, by the time the 3rd book comes out, you'll probably be retired and again have a lot of time to read
Haha, this made me laugh! At least the 3rd book is something we can look forward to, for a really long time...
I would love to read more, but after work I usually want to give my eyes a break. So I mostly read on my days off.
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Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 11:22
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Reading as race | Aug 30, 2016 |
Paulo Caldeira wrote:
Nonsense.
I mean...if you can't read a book in two days choose another way of life.
Technical Manuals or Romances may need more time.
I don't lie about the books I've read: I can show you my personal library.
Almost 6000 volumes.
But to read a regular book I only need 2 days.
A translator must be capable to do this.
[Editado em 2016-08-30 15:44 GMT]
Maybe you enjoy reading at a breakneck pace, but I don't particularly care to read even the most entertaining book in two days.
By the way, what do you call a regular book? A 100-page pamphlet?
Reading is a reflective and even meditative activity for many of us. There's no reading speed standard.
| | | | Vanda Nissen
Australia
Local time: 02:22
English to Russian
+ ...
| Also surprised that not many translators enjoy reading | Aug 30, 2016 |
I would have thought it is a part of our profession. Less than one book a month is a bit sad result.
| | | | Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 17:22
Member (2006)
German to English
Chris S wrote:
What, 17% can't read?
Interesting (worrying?) how few books the majority of people here read.
I would have expected all translators to have an innate cultural and/or scientific curiosity that would drive them to read loads of fiction and/or non-fiction.
Or is it just a case of people reading stuff online instead?
But loads of online stuff - Yes, also about aliens etc.
After working for hours, how can you sit down and read a book? No time for that, I have children that want to challenge me and an iPad with Osmo does it all
| | | | Michael Harris
Germany
Local time: 17:22
Member (2006)
German to English
| Competition? | Aug 30, 2016 |
Paulo Caldeira wrote:
Nonsense.
I mean...if you can't read a book in two days choose another way of life.
Technical Manuals or Romances may need more time.
I don't lie about the books I've read: I can show you my personal library.
Almost 6000 volumes.
But to read a regular book I only need 2 days.
A translator must be capable to do this.
[Editado em 2016-08-30 15:44 GMT]
You seem to be pretty dominant!
If anyone is capable of doing something is their own problem and seriousl, I translate so much that I prefer to use my time otherwise, And apart from that, I probably spend a certain amount of time a day keeping up to date with common afairs which are a lot more important than reading a book - as mentioned, personal preference!!
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Helen Hagon
Local time: 16:22
Member (2011)
Russian to English
+ ...
| Not as many as I would like. | Aug 30, 2016 |
If I wasn't married, had no children, and work would fit neatly into a convenient time-frame, I would read much more than I do at the moment. As a student I remember reading Anna Karenina (in English) in a single day. It was a very long day, and I did nothing else, but that's a luxury I don't have in my current life circumstances. At the moment I work during the day, and then spend the evenings looking after children, doing housework etc. By the time I've done everything I need to I'm usually ba... See more If I wasn't married, had no children, and work would fit neatly into a convenient time-frame, I would read much more than I do at the moment. As a student I remember reading Anna Karenina (in English) in a single day. It was a very long day, and I did nothing else, but that's a luxury I don't have in my current life circumstances. At the moment I work during the day, and then spend the evenings looking after children, doing housework etc. By the time I've done everything I need to I'm usually barely conscious. I probably get through about a book a month, and more when work is going through a quiet patch. I'm ever hopeful that, as the children get older, and become more independent, I'll have more time for reading.
That said, I do read an awful lot whilst working. Every time I research a term I am reading something. My most recent project has had me delving into medieval Arthurian literature which has been pure joy. And the translation itself involves a very deep kind of reading... ▲ Collapse
| | | | Mario Chavez (X)
Local time: 11:22
English to Spanish
+ ...
| Blame it on the wording | Aug 30, 2016 |
Vanda Nissen wrote:
I would have thought it is a part of our profession. Less than one book a month is a bit sad result.
Vanda, I think the focus on quantity of books read over a period of time is to blame. Different people —translators included— read at different paces and for a wide variety of reasons. More books read in a month (or less) doesn't mean a thing.
| | | | Andrea Diaz
Mexico
Local time: 10:22
English to Spanish
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| Damn those authors. | Aug 30, 2016 |
Jeandra Raimond wrote:
Annamaria Amik wrote:
Andrea Diaz wrote:
... The Name of the Wind, and Wise Man's Fear. Three completely marvelous and long books. Those were the days.
Don't worry, by the time the 3rd book comes out, you'll probably be retired and again have a lot of time to read
Haha, this made me laugh! At least the 3rd book is something we can look forward to, for a really long time...
I would love to read more, but after work I usually want to give my eyes a break. So I mostly read on my days off.
This made me laugh as well, and then I cried a little. I've learn nothing: I'm currently reading the A Song of Fire and Ice series. I will read the next book in the Kingkiller Chronicle when I retire, and the 7th book of GRR Martin when I'm dead.
I wish Mexico was a country full of prolific readers, but the country average is 1.2 books per month.
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