Crazy little thing, called ‘life’

‘Why don’t you try to make some money using your linguistic skills?’ my brother asked the other day.
‘My linguistic skills, what’s so special about them?’ I could not help to wonder.

However, following up on my brother’s advice I took a test at www.upwork.com, a California-based global freelancing platform. Turns out I scored 100% on the Upwork English to Dutch Translation Skills test as well as on the English to Portuguese Translation Skills test, ie 1st place, of all the specialists who had taken the test before me. And, I needed less than half of the time allowed.
What’s more, I scored among the best 20% on some Mastery of English tests, explicitly intended ‘for native speakers only‘.

Subsequently, I was awarded the Upwork Rising Talent badge…
Hahaha, at the beginning of my managerial career I was considered a Young Potential; now, some 35 years on, I am a Rising Talent at Upwork’s – a rising talent with the affect of an old fart.
Turns out, I was actually having a talent, without ever (fully) realising it. Crazy little thing, life! Innit?

Suddenly it is all beginning to make sense now…
Some years ago Arthur Godfrey, a teacher from Scarborough, voiced his awe by saying: ‘Your spoken and written command of English, Jaap, is better than that of most British teachers!’ His praise reminded me of the words of my English teacher Cnossen at graduation: ‘Your final exam results, Jaap… my goodness, they exceeded the average level of my colleague English teachers nationwide!’ My (very) British cousin tells me that I should be tutoring… in England.

Well, I’d better land some projects now. Or else, I may run the risk of becoming an Eternal Rising Talent and the risée of my family and friends.
(I wonder when the French will finally get their own word for risée.)