The Translator's Serenity Prayer

God, give me grace to accept with serenity
        the fools who cannot be helped,
        Courage to charge the things
        which should be charged,
        and the Wisdom to distinguish
        clients from time wasters.

Living one page at a time,
        enjoying one sentence at a time,
        accepting Trados as a pathway to grief,
        taking, as Jerome would,
        this awful text as it is,
        not as I would have it,
        to shape as I would have it,
        trusting that I can make all things right,
        if I render not with MT,
        so the client may be happy with this translation,
        and I supremely happy with payment in net 30 days.