Ergonomics at home
- The Aromatic Translator
- Jun 3, 2021
- 2 min read
To earn some PD points, I recently completed a short online course on ergonomics for translators and interpreters. The course provided some helpful tips on how to improve posture for translators, who generally sit for long hours in front of a computer screen, totally engrossed in what they are working (or sometimes procrastinating) on that they often completely forget about their posture until later at night, when their neck and shoulders start to ache...
Humanscale® (1) defines ergonomics as “designing for people...to increase efficiency and productivity, and reduce discomfort.” So for translators or anyone who does desk work, I think this means creating a work environment that helps you work comfortably and productively, without causing neck, shoulder, back and wrist pain.
With many more people working from home these days, ergonomics at home is just as important as at the office. Fortunately, I have dedicated area in my apartment set up as a work station; however, lately I have been working more from my dining table for certain jobs that I need to use my laptop PC for (instead of my desktop MAC).
I know this is not an ideal set up in terms of angle of the PC monitor, desk height, back support and other factors that influence comfort and efficiency while working.
And I’ve certainly felt the physical effects of this too, as my regular massage place and physio can attest to! I’ve considered ways to improve my work environment, and even toyed with the idea of getting a height-adjustable desk to switch between standing and sitting.
At the moment though, I’m just setting my smartwatch alarm to ring at 20 minute intervals, and placing it somewhere I have to walk over to so I can switch off the alarm (otherwise it just keeps ringing...which is actually a great feature!)
This “forces” me to take regular screen breaks to rest my eyes and move my body by stretching for a couple of minutes. This is one small way I’m trying to improve my posture and incorporate ergonomics into my home office. How about you?
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