Graveyard Shift has its Perks

Yesterday (Halloween) I worked until close to midnight. I made sure to leave before then (in order to make sure I had a metro back to my area), but there were so many reports to translate, they kept coming and I wanted to support one of my colleagues there who was scheduled to be there from 4pm to 12 midnight but who ended up being there until 2AM!

I ended up having three brief passages to translate from Japanese into English. Unfortunately, these texts are not simple letters, greetings, or similar material. On the contrary, they're quite dense and (though it may be hard to believe) wordy in Japanese. And considering that each Japanese character in term generates somewhere around 2.5 English words even a short passage will take some time to translate. But I still relish the chance to cut my teeth during these times, under time pressure and with fatigue weighing on me.

One bright spot, as I noted in a previous entry, is that the firm has seen fit to give us bentos or box dinners during the busy results period. Given that some analysts and their staff are in there way past midnight (yes!), this is a small, yet meaningful gesture to show that they are appreciated. I enjoy working the late shift because that means taking part in the daily feast ....

So far we've had Pizza hut pizza, burgers (twice; see photo), and also traditional bentos, some of which are actually quite delicious. Today's burger was an avocado-filled burger with a side salad, and used organic beef. A small luxury but I am extremely grateful, and am translating between bites ...