It's widely believed that exhaustion comes from too much work, too many tasks, too many responsibilities, and too many demands pulling us in different directions. But more often than not, we exhaust ourselves long…
Our emotions are raw, biological reactions like those sudden spikes of heartbeat, the tightness in the chest, or those butterflies that rise without our permission. Feelings, however, are something entirely different…
Imposter syndrome is often assigned to self-doubt or fear of being exposed as a "fraud." But what if there's more to it than that? What if I tell you that imposter syndrome isn't about your abilities, competence, or…
"I'm just a perfectionist. I want things to be the best they can be." Doesn’t it sound noble? Responsible? Aristocratic, even? Like you care more than anyone else? Yes, you might be slower than a turtle in a speed race…
If I ask you to think about creativity, I bet the first thing that will come to mind will be inspiration. A sudden spark of some sort. A lightning…
Confidence is often misunderstood as a fixed trait—something you either have or you don't. But confidence is a living, evolving process closely tied to the relationship you nurture every day with the person you see in…
I've been writing for most of my life. And like any writer out there, I've experienced writer's block more times than I can count, especially in the early stages of my journey. Writer's block is a nasty thing, and no…
Individualism has become a kind of compass in my life. Because if I’m not myself, then who am I? A mask? A performance? A watered-down version of…
This feeling is known to many. It's the feeling of perpetual repetition, where the rich color palette of your life fades and you feel stuck in your everyday routine. Days seem to fuse into one and you get this feeling…
Life is all about perspective. It's our perspective that defines our view and understanding of the world around us. And so, by changing perspective we can, in a way, change the world. Not always in the literal sense, but by changing our perspective we can definitely change our…
Life is complex but so are we, human beings, in both our design and manifestation. We think. We feel. We react. Moreover, we're the carriers of the footprints of our experiences from the past, some of which can be…
We all feel—that’s what makes us humans. But in cases when feelings overdrive us, when they become the sole definition of our worth, of who we are, that’s also what makes us hurt. The first question that I, at some point, had to ask myself was this: “Is feeling too much better…
If you think that motivation or inspiration is the boost you need to start doing something—you’re wrong. Well, not entirely. Your brain does need a boost; you need energy to do things, but is it about motivation and…
It’s well-known that positive self-talk is a cognitive strategy that can help in maintaining focus, enhancing motivation, and coping with negative thoughts, emotions, and events. Talking to yourself has been linked to…
Often the word "fluency" is used as a benchmark of one’s knowledge in a foreign language. For some, "fluent" is synonymous to "native"; indeed, how many of us, language learners, would not want to attain a high “close…
When thinking about translation, our mind instinctually takes on a route that fixes our attention to the meaning standing behind the words; to what is said rather than to how it is said. Which makes sense, of course…
What is time if not the most valuable thing we can spend? Time is also the most valuable resource that we have. But so often, in the flurry of tasks, responsibilities, and obligations we end up to not have time for…
Editing in translation plays a critical role. It is the 'finishing touch' that defines the quality of the final translation and so, chiseling the editing skills in translation as important as chiseling the translation…
I would be a terrible liar if I told you that anyone can be a freelancer. Even though I do believe that everyone has the potential to become one. Confusing? That is right because opinions about freelancing are so different, and even the way we mentally and even physically react…
From very early age, we have been taught to be nice to people, to be agreeable, and not cause discomfort to those around us. Be a nice girl, be a nice boy, and behave properly. And undoubtedly, kindness is a great quality to have. World without kindness would be an ugly place…
I am a mentally strong person with a bunch of sensitive spots in my mind as well as in my heart. And quite often (almost every day), I get into a condition when my inner peace and balance are somewhat off. To help me to get my mind back in the right watercourse and put my heart…
Habit is what makes all people wear clothes. But what about the habit of daily reading? I used to be an avid reader. English literature and urban fiction writers made it easy for me to merge with the idea of daily…
When it comes to learning languages, motivation is not just a fancy word but a riverbed in which your language learning progress flows. It is one of the most important inner resources that helps us, language learners…
My entire life is a product of rejection. Hmm… Would it be too much to say that my spin of rejections began at early age and had been dragging my subconscious through all these years with a pompous disdain? Possibly…
If there was a conversation before the life on earth was created, I would imagine it be like that. Nothing is perfect. Fortunately! Beauty has become a target for wars of objective opinions. The lenses through which we…
It always starts as joke till someone’s feelings get hurt. I know, humor is much needed and highly appreciated thing in our society. But the problem with it is that so many people use it as a weapon of verbal attacks…
From time to time, my mind explodes with this thought. They do not understand me!—something in me shouts. And for next few days, I am upset, sad, and angry. All because I feel like they do not understand me. But what…
Science has always been my favorite kind of voice. I love the way it talks about the brain, its plasticity, its limitations and other aspects of its functioning. We all have it and we all use it, so we just have to…
We are not Hansel, nor are we Gretel but so often our lives remind the German folklore tale by the Brothers Grimm. Left with a fake promise, we wonder through the wild of the forest called life, searching for our way…
Mad world—what are you doing to the creative minds that are your only salvation? What, not dramatic enough? I think this conversation is not going to be easy for both of us but we have to talk about it anyway. No…
I’ll tell you a story: once, there was a girl that believed she could do anything. But things she did at the end of the day were not the right things and so, her greatness started slowly dissipating. Is not it what…
It is not a secret — life can be overwhelming, hard, and challenging. Each of us has their own share of bitter and sour, and ironically, this is probably one of the most normal things about life. We all have good days…
What happens in your mind is as real as what happens in your life, for the connection between what you think and what you see is stronger than you can imagine. As a passive aggressor, anxiety club member, and overly…
It took me a while to reflect on this idea – you can be anyone and do anything you want, but for some reasons you keep replacing doors with walls and then cry ‘how unfair life is.’ It may look like the whole world is…
Unimaginable amount of possibilities and opportunities that exist in the world can easily cloud our minds, weaken us, and strip off our inborn greatness. And clarity is the only way to avoid it. I know from personal experience how hard it can be to plan out even just a week…
It’s been almost five years since I first discovered freelance as a way of living for myself. For a long time, I kept definition of freelance and business separate in my mind. When I started out as a newbie in the…
Have you ever seen a leafless tree in the middle of Spring? What would you think if you saw one? Poor tree, it’s probably dying – this is what I would definitely find among a flush of different thoughts in my head at…
How do you learn the mastery of literary translation? By translating. The more you translate, the better you get. But there is a side effect, and I'm just going to call it what it is—overconfidence. In real life…
Have you ever met a small person? I’m not talking about size, even though for some size is what really matters. I’m talking about emotional aspect of human presence that makes some of us look like a tiny dot lost in…
For years, I was holding any thoughts of becoming a Literary Translator at bay, mainly, because as a writer, I did not want to do anything else but write. But life has its own ways with us and every time I was…
To make a written text shine you need to trust it to the hands of a knowing polisher —Editor. Exquisitely written books not just tell you a story, they speak it to you as if this very story is the echo of your own…
I remember good days like a vague outline of the bridge which I enter on the days, dark like night sky. It affects my writing. It affects me. It affects people, I care about. And even though there is no way to dispel…
We are living in times when everything has a price, but this price is not always reasonable. Who would not want to save some money if there is a chance to? Especially when we talk about book translation. Don’t get me…
Good translator is not a unicorn. Surely if you know where to look, you will find plenty. The most common way – Translation Agencies. But even though it is one of the easiest ways to find a translator for your book, it…
There is only one way to turn one book into many, and it is to translate. Yet, the amount of books that never get a chance to be translated is enormous. It is even more so in the world of Indie Authors and their baby…
Everyone has a view of what happiness is. Some manage to find happiness in mundane things, like taking a stroll outside in the morning; others search for happiness beyond things that can be touched, dedicating their…
I was born in Russia. How did it happen that almost half of my life I’ve consciously dedicated to learning English I find rather hard to narrate in few words… But today’s reality is that one of the main things I do for…
It’s always been the same, like a badly written story where one human being stands against another. Some use fists to defend their truths; others are sharp of tongue. Each is reluctant to give up. But does it really matter? It’s a fact that a huge part of people living on this…
If you were an apple, there would be a need for two halves to make you whole. Well, in the case of us humans, two halves would not be enough to form your naturally multifaceted personality and complete a healthy…
Self-acceptance is not a mythical creature everyone knows about but has never really seen. It’s real. And unlike a unicorn, whose absence is not that vital for our lives, self-acceptance decides whether you’re going to…
