Goodbye, navy family!

After 18 years, I am bidding farewell to the family that has been with me for half my life.

Eight and a half years of shipboard postings.

Serving onboard five different ships, three different classes, six different tours.

Sailing to fourteen different countries.

Most memorable sailing: RIMPAC 2010

Longest sailing: Attachment to Japan Training Squadron for Japan Training Cruise, lasting six months.

Topping Naval Warfare Officer Course.

Sent twice for long overseas courses, both to Japan: first for the academy, then for command and staff course.

Pioneer crew on two frigates.

Fired missiles, hunted submarines, landed helicopters.

Loaded rations, cleaned toilets, served dinner, waxed floors.

Ran on the deck, swam in the sea, jumped off ships.

Drank champagne while underway. (Shh!!!)

Movies under the stars, barbeques on the deck, fireworks from the sea.

Celebrating birthdays, recognising success, remembering anniversaries.

Learning from mistakes, learning not to make the same mistakes.

Playing diplomat, honing warfighting skills, driving ships, leading people.

Sad to go, proud to have served.

Value is relative

In a world where everyone farms, being able to do something different that people needs is valuable. And the less people who can do this and the more needed the skill, the more valuable it is. Because value is relative.

So we all ended up pursuing the "higher value jobs", the "white collared jobs", because back then, not everyone had those skills. Relatively, they were able to command a premium over other jobs. And people in those jobs could live a life that is much better materially compared to the rest.

But with education, those skills are becoming more widespread. Their value drops. Trying to aim for that same level of material comfort means having to work harder.

And once those common skills of the past start being forgotten, those who still remember them will gain in value. Because those skills are needed too, and with less people able to perform them, their relative value increases.

So if you are aiming for material comfort, you need to always pursue those skills that few people have. If you prefer to stick with the masses, you either have to work harder, or lower your expectations.

Being a translator

Trying to be a translator is difficult... there are many ways to be a translator, but they usually boil down to two types:

In-house translators
Some companies do hire translators as either a full-time or part-time job. The work is usually in a very specific field, like localisation of games and other software, or those in the publishing business, or firms providing legal services (usually patent-related). Unless you work in a firm that specialises in a certain field of translation (like patent translations), prospects are usually not that great.

Freelance translators
These are freelancers that work on a project basis. Work is found either by looking at advertisements placed by companies requiring translation help, or by registering with a translation agency that assigns work.

Getting work
Translation agencies
These companies have a list of freelancers registered with them. So when companies need help with translation, instead of placing ads, companies can just approach a translation agency for help. The translation agency will then assign the work to one of the freelancers under it, using its own system to determine who gets the job. Some have an internal bidding process, some assign jobs based on the assessment of job-freelancer fit, etc. There is some assurance of quality as agencies usually conduct their own assessments for freelancers registering with them.

One-man translation company
Some translators are so good, they can start their own businesses and companies will approach them for help. Compared to engaging an agency, directly getting help from such one-man translation companies has the advantage that you know exactly who is going to be doing the job for you.

Online Translation Agencies
These are like conventional agencies, except that they use the web fully for their businesses. Clients are charged a rate but only a small portion of that actually goes to the freelance translator. Most of the time, work is assigned in a bidding manner, so you can never be sure who you are going to get, and quality may vary from project to project. However, the rates charged are usually lower (due to lower running costs) and response is usually fast, so for short and simple projects, it may be worth trying your luck with these.

Freelancing has flexibility, but income is not stable and also not stagnant... you earn as much as you are willing to do, as long as you can find work. Until I can find a good reason to join a company as full-time in-house translator, freelancing seems to be the way to go.

Wish me luck!