Translation is back-breaking work

Dear fellow translators and anyone else who makes their living on a computer: Here is something I recently learned, the painful way. In my years in front of the computer monitor (or two monitors, in my case), I’ve been doing a lot of things wrong and I am paying for it. It turns out the morning yoga, walks with the dogs and mild exercise are not enough to counter the hours spent in awe of the written word. I would have lower back pain after standing for some time or after a frantic weeding session in my flower beds on a Saturday. Never have given it a second thought, thinking, you know, I’m not 20 anymore.

Lately, though, these headaches got a hold of me and wouldn’t let go. For days on end. Call it tension, migraine, stress, pinched nerve, I’ve had them all. I tried just about everything possibleuntil someone recommended a chiropractor. I’ve never been to one before. Long story short, it is working, and I can be fixed! I’m sore, it’s been intense and the full treatment is a workout. Somewhere along the way, I’ve become a close friend of a product called “BioFreeze”. BUT, I have not had a headache since my first adjustment. Ladies and gentlemen, I am officially a fan. So, since I can imagine some of you suffer as I have, I thought I would share a graphic of what your workstation should like. I THOUGHT mine was fine. Until I reconsidered and rearranged. This is not the best quality picture so if you can’t see the measurements, here they are: viewing distance – 18-24″ (46 – 61 cm), seat back angle 90 degrees, knee angle 90 degrees, seat height 23-28″ (58-71 cm). I hope this helps someone!