One thing I notice in the game translation field is the difference in how senior and junior translators react to adversity, whether that& #39;s in the form of poorly organized source files, urgent deadlines, or client mandates that nobody agrees with. So here& #39;s some basic pointers.

1) Unusable/disorganized source files: This happens. I& #39;ve gotten entire spreadsheets of dialogue with no listing of who& #39;s speaking. If you can& #39;t work on a file as-is, decline and send it back ASAP. Put the ball in the client& #39;s court to clean it up. It& #39;s not for you to solve.

2) Next-day deadlines: These are generally bad-faith in nature and not actually urgent. You can refuse them. Either the client will negotiate a more reasonable deadline, or they& #39;ll find someone else who meeds their exploitative needs better and you& #39;ll have dodged a bullet.

3) Client mandates: Sometimes you make a case for a certain choice and back it up with citations and evidence, and the client just responds, "Do it this other way instead." The resolution here is: You tried. Now it& #39;s out of your hands, so do it their way.

If you& #39;re a freelancer just starting out, learn to recite this three-word mantra that will soothe your soul and help you sleep better at night when you repeat it enough:

"Not my problem."

Save your mental energy for things that you actually have the power to solve.