discriminatory practices Thread poster: Angel Llacuna
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Statement found on the jobs board :
The information in your profile matches the criteria set by the job poster,
but quoting on this job is restricted to paying members only.
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Are paying members better qualified translators than non-paying members ?
[Edited at 2025-03-06 07:19 GMT]
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 06:55
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Deleted because it seems I'm unable to read properly today.
[Bijgewerkt op 2025-03-06 07:58 GMT]
| | | | Samuel Murray 
Netherlands
Local time: 06:55
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Lieven Malaise wrote:
Proz is a company. Company offer products or services. Customers have to pay for those products or services. If they don't pay, they don't get any products or services.
That was my reaction as well, but then I realized: that's actually not the issue here.
The option of accepting quotations from paying or non-paying members isn't set by ProZ.com -- it is set by the job poster. Job posters can choose to restrict quoting to just paying ProZ.com members.
There can be many reasons why a job poster might prefer to receive quotes from paying members only. For one, he'll get fewer quotes, so he'll have to examine and evaluate fewer quotes, which saves time. Another belief that some clients have is that translators who have the money to pay for paid membership are more likely to be professional translators. (As you know, with just a bit of effort, anyone can pass themselves off as a professional translator.)
Sometimes the real question job posters might like to ask of translators is impossible to implement, so ProZ.com uses a substitute question that attempts to achieve the same goal. In this case, I imagine it would have been nice if the job poster could specify "include only translators whose income is more than the median income of their region" or "include only translators who spend at least 1200 hours per year doing translation-related work" etc. Or even: "include only translators who spend at least 2% of their income after taxes on translation-related resources and equipment". But none of these metrics are practical to implement.
[Edited at 2025-03-06 07:58 GMT]
| | | | Lieven Malaise
Belgium
Local time: 06:55
Member (2020)
French to Dutch
+ ...
Samuel Murray wrote:
The option of accepting quotations from paying or non-paying members isn't set by ProZ.com -- it is set by the job poster. Job posters can choose to restrict quoting to just paying ProZ.com members.
You are absolutely right. I deleted my post.
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Samuel Murray wrote:
The option of accepting quotations from paying or non-paying members isn't set by ProZ.com -- it is set by the job poster. Job posters can choose to restrict quoting to just paying ProZ.com members.
Yes, the option to restrict a job offer to paying members is set by the poster,
but only because, unfortunately, Proz provides the option.
Being a paying member is a poor criterium to filter job applications,
since it has nothing to do with the quality of the services provided by the translator.
[Edited at 2025-03-06 10:50 GMT]
| | | | IrinaN
United States
Local time: 23:55
English to Russian
+ ...
| Stereotype is a b... ig deal | Mar 6 |
The psychological effect of fancy acronyms, association memberships etc is so strong, it's almost overwhelming. Not just in the translation world. Moreover, we can't deny that often those things do indeed guarantee higher quality.
Although it's true that sometimes it proves quality but sometimes it does not, say, I'm guilty as charged - when seeking a new doctor, I'd definitely be checking out his alma mater, hospital affiliation(s), board memberships, and professional associations... See more The psychological effect of fancy acronyms, association memberships etc is so strong, it's almost overwhelming. Not just in the translation world. Moreover, we can't deny that often those things do indeed guarantee higher quality.
Although it's true that sometimes it proves quality but sometimes it does not, say, I'm guilty as charged - when seeking a new doctor, I'd definitely be checking out his alma mater, hospital affiliation(s), board memberships, and professional associations. Is there a chance I could bump into a douchebag who held a scalpel last time 25 years ago during residency? Yes, of course, but that's when we also seek support through recommendations and word-of-mouth from friends or doctors we already know and trust.
Naturally, many new clients, especially those taking first plunge into the translation world while being mere stereotype-dependent mortals, assume that Proz membership is a solid, well-backed foundation and better quality is implied by default, thus increasing the chances of getting their business. Smart move - by offering and actually selling paid membership with privileges, Proz is not only making extra money but bolstering its reputation of a big fish in the translation world. There is very little we can do about it, and there is nothing from business standpoint that could be called illegal or dishonest. It's only business, nothing personal. ▲ Collapse
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