I have a confession: I have a serious form of OCD –
Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder. Before I leave my house I check that the
iron is switched off three times, despite knowing fully well I haven’t used it
in a fortnight. I also feel the desperate need to triple-check that the water
heater is off. I have good reason to do so, considering it has exploded twice
in the past five years, flooding the entire corridor and damaging everything from
expensive shoes to valuable books.
Unfortunately my obsessive behaviour doesn’t end there. You
guessed it, my OCD shows its ugly head in my little office corner as well,
forcing me to strategically place my mug twenty centimetres from my Mac, on the
right side of my desk, never on the left. But there’s more… Translator’s OCD is
also:
1.
Checking a translation not twice, but three to
four times to make sure you haven’t forgotten any paragraphs. Or commas. Commas
are always a struggle.
2.
Opening your text just one more time after
you’ve attached it to your e-mail only to realise you didn’t like that word
in the title after all. Time to start all over again!
3.
Going back to the original e-mail from the
client five minutes before the deadline to make sure you’ve translated the text
into the right language. Usually a waste of time. Usually, not always.
4.
Fretting over capital letters in titles. I don’t
like them. But sometimes I do like them. No, no, I really dislike them. You get
the picture.
5.
Worrying about having typed gibberish. That Lady
Gaga song is so addictive. Help, did I accidentally include any of the lyrics
in my text?!
The list goes on and on. The OCD
messes with your head. You feel you need a break. So you decide to go for a
walk to clear your mind, only to find yourself hurrying upstairs after two
minutes to stare at your iron. It’s a vicious circle.
