| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Poll: How many translation or freelancing platforms do you use? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
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This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "How many translation or freelancing platforms do you use?".
This poll was originally submitted by Lenah Susianty. View the poll results »
| | | | neilmac
Spain
Local time: 06:17
Spanish to English
+ ...
Since I'm not looking for work or new contacts, on Proz I mainly visit the kudoz section and use the term search option. I used to check out Translators' Cafe occasionally, but ...it's a bit meh.
| | | | | Not a specific freelancing platform, but ... | Jan 9, 2022 |
... I'd count LinkedIn as one, too. I've found several very good clients over there. So: two, including ProZ 
[Edited at 2022-01-09 09:44 GMT]
| | | | | Only Proz.com | Jan 9, 2022 |
I usually visit Proz, namely the Quick Poll early in the morning, but when things get very busy, days may go by without me visiting other features, unless I need to check Kudoz or to ask a question…
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Kevin Fulton 
United States
Local time: 00:17
German to English
| Proz ... for the entertainment | Jan 9, 2022 |
I used to be an active participant in the Compuserve (FLEFO) and Lantra-L fora. They were a source of jobs, information and advice, but both became moribund after the turn of the century.
Over the past 20 years I've posted terminology queries on Proz due to a failure of imagination or lack of adequate resources, but I've rarely seen any job offers that piqued my interest. I do, however, enjoy reading about the wide range of perspectives – and misadventures – offered by forum pos... See more I used to be an active participant in the Compuserve (FLEFO) and Lantra-L fora. They were a source of jobs, information and advice, but both became moribund after the turn of the century.
Over the past 20 years I've posted terminology queries on Proz due to a failure of imagination or lack of adequate resources, but I've rarely seen any job offers that piqued my interest. I do, however, enjoy reading about the wide range of perspectives – and misadventures – offered by forum posters.
[Edited at 2022-01-09 15:08 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | The Chartered Institute of Linguists' Find a Linguist list | Jan 9, 2022 |
I am also on the CIoL Find A Linguist list, but I do not count it as a platform in the same sense.
Some good clients have found me that way, but with a couple of exceptions they tend to be one-off clients, and do not have regular translation needs.
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 06:17
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| Depends on what you mean | Jan 10, 2022 |
It's a difficult question, because it depends on what you mean by "translation or freelancing platform". If you mean a non-association web site where one can have a profile and where clients can search for your profile, then my answer is ProZ.com only (although I encourage new translators to sign up for as many such platforms as they can, since you never know where a client might find you).
There used to be a forum rule that we're not allowed to mention Pro... See more It's a difficult question, because it depends on what you mean by "translation or freelancing platform". If you mean a non-association web site where one can have a profile and where clients can search for your profile, then my answer is ProZ.com only (although I encourage new translators to sign up for as many such platforms as they can, since you never know where a client might find you).
There used to be a forum rule that we're not allowed to mention ProZ.com's competitors, so any discussion about them would be difficult (although posts that mention them are sometimes allowed through).
When I do a search for my main language combination on ProZ.com's main competitor, the first set of results are four "master" members (i.e. paid members), none of whom legitimately offer my language combination. When I click through to all results, my profile is at the bottom of the first page, though I'm not sure how I would be able to get my profile to rise in the results. I believe I might have gotten two or three jobs via that platform in the 19 years that I have had a profile page there. They also have a forum that used to be quite active but no longer is, and they have a terminology question & answer section much like KudoZ that is reasonably active in certain language combinations. Plus they have a list of about 8000 agencies.
I also participate in the forums hosted by two translator associations that I belong to, and I have a profile page on four translator associations' web sites. And I also participate in certain translation related discussion groups that are not affiliated to any company or association.
[Edited at 2022-01-10 08:20 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Samuel Murray
Netherlands
Local time: 06:17
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
| Re: Lantra-L | Jan 10, 2022 |
Kevin Fulton wrote:
I used to be an active participant in the Compuserve (FLEFO) and Lantra-L fora. They were a source of jobs, information and advice, but both became moribund after the turn of the century.
Many years ago, a group of Lantrans broke away and formed Rosetta-L with a strict "no politics" policy, that is currently quite active (500 members, 400 messages in the past 100 days). Lantra-L had virtually no activity for many years but recently woke up again (88 members, 250 messages in the past 100 days), although half of the posts are still politics and mud-slinging, unfortunately these days without a POLIT header.
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Bangyou Xiang
China
Local time: 13:17
Member (2019)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| I also visit Upwork and Fiverr | Jan 10, 2022 |
Apart from ProZ.com, I also visit Upwork and Fiverr, two of the biggest freelanceing platforms.
I'm a top-rated freelancer on Upwork, and I earned over UDS 50k in the past three years.
https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01f61f695be764a044
I'm also a Fiverr Pro, and I earned over USD 6K last ye... See more Apart from ProZ.com, I also visit Upwork and Fiverr, two of the biggest freelanceing platforms.
I'm a top-rated freelancer on Upwork, and I earned over UDS 50k in the past three years.
https://www.upwork.com/freelancers/~01f61f695be764a044
I'm also a Fiverr Pro, and I earned over USD 6K last year.
https://www.fiverr.com/bangyou_xiang?up_rollout=true
Ironically, although Upwork and Fiverr are not platforms dedicated to translation, I got most of my jobs on them. I can hardly get any offers on Proz.com as a member, maybe because there are too few related jobs. ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Multiple, For Translators And Writers | Jan 10, 2022 |
I avoid Upwork like the plague, due to the poverty-level rates they offer, at least in my language pairs, and only occasionally use proz as a source for projects, but quite often for posting kudoz questions to ensure the accuracy of my work. In the past, before the pandemic, there were a lot of requests on traduguide for literary translations, and many of those projects were awarded to me; and I even ended up being invited by one of those clients to spend a week in Rome with her and her family (... See more I avoid Upwork like the plague, due to the poverty-level rates they offer, at least in my language pairs, and only occasionally use proz as a source for projects, but quite often for posting kudoz questions to ensure the accuracy of my work. In the past, before the pandemic, there were a lot of requests on traduguide for literary translations, and many of those projects were awarded to me; and I even ended up being invited by one of those clients to spend a week in Rome with her and her family (I accepted, of course, and from there, on to Paris, and then on to the UK!). I also met someone on that site who, along with her husband, hosted me for a week in the UK in 2017, and we have stayed in contact ever since, just about every single week. Very friendly, kind, courteous, and helpful people on that website, the best way to be, IMO, quite unlike some of the people you find, for instance, here, on the FR>EN kudoz pages. I also go to various freelance writing websites when not in the middle of a book translation; but I think that when people view my resume, they can see that I am primarily a translator. Even so, a book company out in Beverly Hills, California, has asked me a couple to times to come on board, after I forwarded them my info from a writers' website. Based on the remuneration info they shared with me, and the fact that it would complement what, besides translation theory, I studied to earn my MFA degree, I will probably go ahead and work for them, since requests from Europe for book translations have plummeted since the pandemic. But only if I'm not doing a book translation. I have also landed 3 book translation projects through my participation and profile on LinkedIn. You have to be very careful with Craigslist, but I also have won projects from there, the translation of an award-winning political intrigue/love story from Spanish, and a project that entailed the translation, from Italian, of various letters and documents associated with the plans that lead to the construction of the Watergate Hotel in Washington DC, for a client who held a high-ranking position in President Ronald Reagan's White House, who, when he contacted me was in the process of writing a book about the hotel. As you can imagine, I got paid a premium rate by this latter client.
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| | | | Edward Potter
Spain
Local time: 06:17
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
I used to be on Aquarius early in the game but they went south.
Translator's Cafe in theory is decent but compared to Proz they leave a lot to be desired.
Proz is the translator's platform par excellence.
Peace out.
| | | | jyuan_us
United States
Local time: 00:17
Member (2005)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| What does "use" mean? | Jan 10, 2022 |
I occasionally read posts on some other platforms. Is that counted as "use?"
[Edited at 2022-01-10 19:39 GMT]
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Becca Resnik
United States
Local time: 00:17
Member
German to English
+ ...
| Two other profiles, but little work outside ProZ | Jan 10, 2022 |
I have profiles on Upwork and Fiverr, but being several times more expensive than the competition means that I get very little work there. The handful of jobs I have gotten, though, have been with fantastic clients. What little effort I put into maintaining those profiles is worth the occasional client. And while I know it's not going to change the world, I hope that having significantly higher rates than average for those platforms will enable a translator or two to increase their own rates, pr... See more I have profiles on Upwork and Fiverr, but being several times more expensive than the competition means that I get very little work there. The handful of jobs I have gotten, though, have been with fantastic clients. What little effort I put into maintaining those profiles is worth the occasional client. And while I know it's not going to change the world, I hope that having significantly higher rates than average for those platforms will enable a translator or two to increase their own rates, providing some push against the race to the bottom (however slight). Otherwise, the majority of my work has come from ProZ, and I have been overall successful in earning business with multiple clients who pay a fair rate (in most cases even a good rate, in a few cases an outstanding rate). I am on LinkedIn but don't count that in my poll answer. I've been on it since long before I was a translator and have never gotten translation work from it directly. ▲ Collapse
| | | | William Yang
China
Local time: 13:17
Member (2021)
English to Chinese
+ ...
| Hello Bangyou | Jan 11, 2022 |
Bangyou Xiang wrote:
Apart from ProZ.com, I also visit Upwork and Fiverr, two of the biggest freelanceing platforms.
I saw your posts on LinkedIn about UpWork and Fiverr and registered, but I seldom visit the sites and have stopped recently. I guess they help one-time jobs. Or people know little about the translation business.
When I started freelancing there were a couple of platforms but they morphed or transformed or became moribund. Proz.com has always been my favorite, although nearly a decade lurking in my mental corner.
[Edited at 2022-01-11 05:25 GMT]
| | | | Jennifer White
United Kingdom
Local time: 05:17
French to English
+ ...
| A note of support for Kudos | Jan 11, 2022 |
"Very friendly, kind, courteous, and helpful people on that website, the best way to be, IMO, quite unlike some of the people you find, for instance, here, on the FR>EN kudoz pages."
I have to say that in all the years since I joined this site I have encountered nothing but friendly, usually efficient help whenever I have asked a question either In the Fra-Eng or Lat - Eng pages. I have always been grateful for this and have made a point of conveying my thanks to those who ... See more "Very friendly, kind, courteous, and helpful people on that website, the best way to be, IMO, quite unlike some of the people you find, for instance, here, on the FR>EN kudoz pages."
I have to say that in all the years since I joined this site I have encountered nothing but friendly, usually efficient help whenever I have asked a question either In the Fra-Eng or Lat - Eng pages. I have always been grateful for this and have made a point of conveying my thanks to those who have taken the time to contribute. ▲ Collapse
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