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Thread poster: S_G_C
Katalin Horváth McClure
Katalin Horváth McClure  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 13:02
Member (2002)
English to Hungarian
+ ...
Hit the nail in the head Jul 21, 2018

José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:

They are merely using whatever they can grab to avoid fly-by-niters.

I believe this is the main reason. Anybody can create a profile page and claim whatever skills and experience, but once you pay for membership, that means you have a credit card (at least some bank conducted some background check on you); there is some sort of identity info about you somewhere in the ProZ system; you are invested into this profession at least somewhat, so they think you care about your reputation so it is less likely that you would disappear before delivering the job. I get many requests for "urgent help" from agencies when translators disappear without a trace - I just shake my head sometimes. So, requiring paid membership is all about trust and lowering their business risk.

José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
Bottom-feeders love fly-by-niters, because these will take any gig at any rate, payable any time in the distant future. However if they refrained from the usual demand of blue-ribbon Proz members and/or some pricey CAT tool, it would expose them as bottom-feeders, which not even fly-by-niters are pleased to serve when they have anything more rewarding to do.

This is an interesting take on the issue. I never have thought of it this way, but this may just explain some of my experiences with members-only job posts still wanting to pay peanuts.

[Edited at 2018-07-21 20:50 GMT]


 
S_G_C
S_G_C
Romania
Local time: 19:02
English to Romanian
TOPIC STARTER
Resources Jul 23, 2018

Germaine wrote:

“Community rates” in the EN>RO pair go from €0.06/wd to €0.09/wd.

Conclusion? Don't trust the "tight/special/high volume/entry/one-time/competitive/low business budget" sales pitch, don't take anything for granted; check and compare. Explore both your market and the marketing tools available to you. Explore the forums. Join a translators group in your city. There's valuable info all around to help you make sound decisions about the development of your customer base.


I just wanted to say that community rates mean nothing to those translation agencies which have actually sent me work over the years - and this has been discussed before, people are free to choose to keep clinging to them, I choose not to - and that there are no translator groups in my city, as there aren't any in many towns and cities in my country. Internet rules.


 
S_G_C
S_G_C
Romania
Local time: 19:02
English to Romanian
TOPIC STARTER
Makes sense Jul 23, 2018

Katalin Horváth McClure wrote:

José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:

They are merely using whatever they can grab to avoid fly-by-niters.

I believe this is the main reason. Anybody can create a profile page and claim whatever skills and experience, but once you pay for membership, that means you have a credit card (at least some bank conducted some background check on you); there is some sort of identity info about you somewhere in the ProZ system; you are invested into this profession at least somewhat, so they think you care about your reputation so it is less likely that you would disappear before delivering the job. I get many requests for "urgent help" from agencies when translators disappear without a trace - I just shake my head sometimes. So, requiring paid membership is all about trust and lowering their business risk.



This seems logical. Which does not exclude one being duped by the respective agency.


 
Daryo
Daryo
United Kingdom
Local time: 17:02
Serbian to English
+ ...
Can't see the connection Jul 29, 2018

between having a method of online payment and being a more reliable translator


Katalin Horváth McClure wrote:

José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:

They are merely using whatever they can grab to avoid fly-by-niters.

I believe this is the main reason. Anybody can create a profile page and claim whatever skills and experience, but once you pay for membership, that means you have a credit card (at least some bank conducted some background check on you); there is some sort of identity info about you somewhere in the ProZ system; you are invested into this profession at least somewhat, so they think you care about your reputation so it is less likely that you would disappear before delivering the job. I get many requests for "urgent help" from agencies when translators disappear without a trace - I just shake my head sometimes. So, requiring paid membership is all about trust and lowering their business risk.

José Henrique Lamensdorf wrote:
Bottom-feeders love fly-by-niters, because these will take any gig at any rate, payable any time in the distant future. However if they refrained from the usual demand of blue-ribbon Proz members and/or some pricey CAT tool, it would expose them as bottom-feeders, which not even fly-by-niters are pleased to serve when they have anything more rewarding to do.

This is an interesting take on the issue. I never have thought of it this way, but this may just explain some of my experiences with members-only job posts still wanting to pay peanuts.

[Edited at 2018-07-21 20:50 GMT]




*** but once you pay for membership, that means you have a credit card (at least some bank conducted some background check on you) ***

no it means more accurately a proof that you have a method for online payment - of any description - including prepaid cards that anyone can buy for cash in any shop no questions asked - really a "strong proof of commitment" to being a pro translator! (Even a proper bank account is not a very convincing "proof" of having a professional attitude ...)

ALL paid membership "proves" is that someone estimates / hopes that paying for membership will be worth it - NOTHING MORE.

It doesn't suddenly "improve" the abilities of the said translator in any way. All it shows is an increased desire for visibility. Anyone with a modicum of real life experience looking for a translator will know it.


As for the phenomenon of translators taking work and then vanishing - I would more see the root of that problem is the obsessive pushing of prices down. With that kind of "operating procedures" you are bound to often select people who will take far more that they can chew. And when they become aware of what they have been pushed into agreeing to, will simply vanish.

I have seen few years ago that kind of "logic" at work in another field - some property managers dragged on their feet several weeks choosing a contractor for some relatively urgent repairs - when they finally found a contractor whose prices they liked, instead of showing up for doing the repairs, they informed them they are going bankrupt. You can pontificate to no end about "liberty of contracting" between unequal parties - until you hit the limits of what's feasible at all.


Mirko Mainardi
Germaine
 
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