The Deadline and the Birthday

Magda is a freelance translator, and she works at a small desk by the kitchen window. On Thursday morning, an email arrives from her biggest client. The subject line says "Urgent", and the job is forty pages long.

Magda adalah penerjemah lepas, dan ia bekerja di meja kecil di dekat jendela dapur. Pada Kamis pagi, sebuah email masuk dari klien terbesarnya. Subjeknya berbunyi "Mendesak", dan pekerjaannya setebal empat puluh halaman.

The deadline is six o'clock that evening. Magda reads the message twice. Her sister's birthday dinner starts at seven, and she promised weeks ago that she would be there.

Tenggat waktunya pukul enam sore itu juga. Magda membaca pesan itu dua kali. Makan malam ulang tahun kakaknya dimulai pukul tujuh, dan berminggu-minggu lalu ia sudah berjanji akan datang.

She does the math. Forty pages in one day is possible, but only if she skips lunch and never stops. If she says yes, she will probably be late for the dinner. She will be too tired to enjoy it. If she says no, the client might never call her again.

Ia menghitungnya. Empat puluh halaman dalam sehari memang mungkin, tetapi hanya kalau ia melewatkan makan siang dan tidak berhenti sama sekali. Kalau ia menerimanya, ia mungkin akan terlambat ke makan malam itu. Ia akan terlalu lelah untuk menikmatinya. Kalau ia menolak, klien itu mungkin tidak akan menghubunginya lagi.

Magda walks around the kitchen with a cup of tea going cold in her hand. This client pays more than her other three together. When you work alone, a good reputation matters a lot. But her sister has watched her cancel plans too many times this year.

Magda mondar-mandir di dapur dengan secangkir teh yang mulai dingin di tangannya. Klien ini membayar lebih banyak daripada ketiga klien lainnya digabung. Ketika bekerja sendirian, reputasi yang baik sangat penting. Tetapi kakaknya sudah terlalu sering melihatnya membatalkan janji tahun ini.

"You should ask, not guess," she says out loud. Then she sits down and writes a short, polite email.

"Seharusnya bertanya, bukan menebak," katanya keras-keras. Lalu ia duduk dan menulis email singkat yang sopan.

"Thank you for the project. I would be happy to do it, and I want the quality to be excellent. Could I send the translation by nine tomorrow morning instead? If that is not possible, I understand."

"Terima kasih atas proyeknya. Saya senang mengerjakannya, dan saya ingin hasilnya sangat baik. Bolehkah saya mengirim terjemahannya besok pagi pukul sembilan? Kalau tidak memungkinkan, saya mengerti."

She reads it once more and presses send before she can change her mind. Then she opens the file and starts working anyway, just in case the answer is no.

Ia membacanya sekali lagi dan menekan kirim sebelum sempat berubah pikiran. Lalu ia membuka berkasnya dan tetap mulai bekerja, untuk berjaga-jaga kalau jawabannya tidak.

At noon, the reply arrives. "Nine tomorrow is fine," the client writes. "Thanks for being honest about your time."

Tepat tengah hari, balasan tiba. "Besok pukul sembilan tidak masalah," tulis sang klien. "Terima kasih sudah jujur soal waktu Anda."

Magda laughs and leans back in her chair. She still has a lot of work to do, so she translates until five. Then she closes the laptop. At seven, she is at a table with her sister, her brother-in-law, and a huge chocolate cake.

Magda tertawa dan bersandar di kursinya. Pekerjaannya masih banyak, jadi ia menerjemahkan sampai pukul lima. Lalu ia menutup laptopnya. Pukul tujuh, ia sudah duduk di meja bersama kakaknya, iparnya, dan kue cokelat yang sangat besar.

"You came," her sister says, and hugs her. "I thought you would bring your computer."

"Kamu datang," kata kakaknya sambil memeluknya. "Kukira kamu akan membawa komputermu."

"It's at home," Magda says. "It can wait until the morning."

"Ada di rumah," kata Magda. "Bisa menunggu sampai pagi."

At six the next morning, she is back at the desk with a fresh cup of tea. By half past eight, she has finished the last page. She reads it one more time and sends it. Then she picks up her phone and writes to her sister: "Great cake. Same time next year?"

Pukul enam pagi berikutnya, ia sudah kembali di mejanya dengan secangkir teh baru. Pukul setengah sembilan, ia telah menyelesaikan halaman terakhir. Ia membacanya sekali lagi dan mengirimkannya. Lalu ia mengambil ponselnya dan menulis kepada kakaknya: "Kuenya enak sekali. Tahun depan jam yang sama?"