Being an introverted freelancer

This post was inspired by a very special blog called "Dance with me", specifically by the latest post called "Being an introvert".

I know the author of this blog personally. Geri lived in Vladimir, Russia, for a year. Besides many other things she did here, she was also one of the volunteer teachers in the English language club we held for underprivileged kids. She is a brilliant person, a great teacher, a wonderful dancer, and a gifted choreographer.

I am not an extreme introvert. In fact, I'm somewhere in the middle between an extravert and an introvert. That's how my introverted side shows itself: I love having a handful of close friends, because for me friends are not people with whom we just speak about weather or latest fashion trends, or other superficial stuff. I love reflecting on deep subjects and then writing down my observations in my diary or sharing them with a close friend over a cup of tea. I love being quiet in a group of people because it's interesting to know what others think and feel. I love being alone in my house and working on a new project. I love spending my time in silence, reading a good book, thinking, journaling, praying.

Now, the question is the following: does a freelancer absolutely have to be an extravert in order to be successful? I asked this question on Twitter and Facebook a few days ago and got one answer that yes, a freelancer has to be an extravert, and two replies from introverted freelance translators who feel very comfortable with what they are doing now. I tend to agree with those two freelancers: introverts CAN be successful freelancers. They are different, yes, but they have many unique traits that can help them become a real success.

Now I have to admit that I don't even know how to end this post. I guess I wrote it to make sure I am okay with my introverted part. Yes, I am okay with it. I love being an introvert, too =)

10 interesting facts about the Russian language

In my previous post I promised to follow with the interesting info about some other languages. So here are 10 facts about the Russian language which might be of interest to those who are studying it. If you would like to have this list in Russian, please contact me and I will send it to you by email. So, what do I find interesting about my native language? 1. Russian has about 500,000 words, but only 2,000-2,500 of them are used frequently. 100 most frequently used words make 20% of all written and oral speech. A high school graduate's vocabulary usually has 1,500 to 4,000 words. Those who have graduated from a higher educational institution normally have a richer vocabulary consisting of approximately 8,000 words. 2. It's compulsory for all astronauts in the international space station to learn Russian, so we can call it an international language of space :)

15 interesting facts about the English language

I prepared this list for one of my English classes. And then it dawned on me that I can share it with you, too! So here are 15 facts about the English language that I find very interesting. Hope you do, too ;) Rudyard Kipling was fired as a reporter for the San Francisco Examiner. His dismissal letter said, "I'm sorry, Mr. Kipling, but you just don't know how to use the English language. This isn't a kindergarten for amateur writers." No language has more synonyms than English.

Translation Forum Russia 2017: my report

A few days ago I came back from Translation Forum Russia which took place in Ufa, Bashkortostan . My daughter Delia went with me because she never visited Ufa before (neither have I) and because of the trip to the Southern Ural mountains we planned to take after the conference with a small group of colleagues. Ufa is not considered one of the primary tourist attractions of Russia, though I am convinced now that it definitely should be. Some pictures of the city (not all of the pictures are mine, some were made by the official photographer of the conference Elena Ekaterininskaya, our company CEO Fedor Kondratovich and some other colleagues): The bee is a symbol of the region as Bashkortostan produces the best honey in Russia. We saw installations shown below in different parts of the city. There were still covered because of the cold weather, but they will be full of blooming flowers as soon as the warm weather comes. The bee as we saw it That's what it

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