Pages in topic:   [1 2 3] >
A suggestion for making Kudoz more effective
Thread poster: Tom in London
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:44
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Mar 23, 2015

It seems to me that too many questions are being asked by somewhat mysterious Prozians who give no information in their profile.

I suggest that only those with a complete profile should be allowed to ask questions.

Your thoughts?

[Edited at 2015-03-23 09:43 GMT]


 
Erik Freitag
Erik Freitag  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 09:44
Member (2006)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Good idea Mar 23, 2015

I think that this is an excellent idea. However, I think the chances that the powers that be change Kudoz in this direction are minute at best.

 
Tanja 1
Tanja 1
Germany
Local time: 09:44
German to English
+ ...
some thoughts - not sure about it Mar 23, 2015

I'm not sure about this - I'm still collecting experience in this field - and therefore I am not able to fill in all the details offered by the formular in proz.
And I use this forum to receive help - if this comes into terms - then those users of Proz who aren't working as freelancers (just an example) or who don't have gathered so much work experience won't be able to receive any help anymore... I would regret this...
I'm not working as a freelancer but neither I'm working for a tr
... See more
I'm not sure about this - I'm still collecting experience in this field - and therefore I am not able to fill in all the details offered by the formular in proz.
And I use this forum to receive help - if this comes into terms - then those users of Proz who aren't working as freelancers (just an example) or who don't have gathered so much work experience won't be able to receive any help anymore... I would regret this...
I'm not working as a freelancer but neither I'm working for a translation company...
So I chose to keep the status of a "student" in my profile - because I definitely don't have the experience like a colleague who has been working for several years in this field...
Just some thoughts on this topic.
Collapse


 
Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 08:44
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
Good idea Mar 23, 2015

And I'd extend it to the forums as well. I don't know how many people have asked if there's a chance for them to get work as a translator...when we don't even know if they speak more than one language!

But what information should be required? That's the tricky part.


 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:44
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Good idea Mar 23, 2015

Even if this "phenomenon", as far as I’m aware, hasn’t been observed in my language pairs…

 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:44
Member (2008)
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER
Innovation Mar 23, 2015

Despite what Erik says (above) I'm sure the operators of this website would always be interested in making innovations that enhance it.

[Edited at 2015-03-23 10:28 GMT]


 
Tanja 1
Tanja 1
Germany
Local time: 09:44
German to English
+ ...
really too less... Mar 23, 2015

Tom in London wrote:

I'm making the suggestion because whenever ridiculously easy and obvious terminology questions are asked in my language pair, out of curiosity I click on the asker and, every time, it's always a profile that contains nothing except the name. The absolute minimum required to be able to use Kudoz.


Well.... Just a name and language pair - that really isn't very much... I have at least indicated software I'm working with and language pairs - so that it couldn't be mixed up with a "spam account"....

Is it possible that the moderators contact them?


 
writeaway
writeaway  Identity Verified
French to English
+ ...
I don't see a difference Mar 23, 2015

between a blank profile (annoying I know) or a complete profile full of lies, from location to native language to education, experience, fields etc.
As long as there is no rule requiring honesty or integrity, one can only really judge people (if at all) by their performance, attitude and statements when posting or answering Kudoz.


 
Huw Watkins
Huw Watkins  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:44
Member (2005)
Italian to English
+ ...
I disagree and agree Mar 23, 2015

I remember when I was starting out with my online presence in the translation world around 10 years ago, kudoz was still somewhat young - at least it seems that way to me - certainly compared to today. (I would be interested to know when proz.com first came online...). Anyway, it really was a God-send as there were a lot fewer resources around then and to be able to consult my peers, especially the more experienced, was tremendously helpful to say the least. It played a big part in my deciding t... See more
I remember when I was starting out with my online presence in the translation world around 10 years ago, kudoz was still somewhat young - at least it seems that way to me - certainly compared to today. (I would be interested to know when proz.com first came online...). Anyway, it really was a God-send as there were a lot fewer resources around then and to be able to consult my peers, especially the more experienced, was tremendously helpful to say the least. It played a big part in my deciding to become a paid member. Also, there is a chance that some of the questions I asked (and answered for that matter) have helped other people over the years too. Now the database is absolutely huge and I suppose just having consultation access for non-paying members is somewhat viable. However there may still be questions that a non-paying member asks that could provide help to others for years to come - I don't think we have covered all nuances in all languages quite yet...

As for easy questions by anonymous users. I think that perhaps you are right on that. Perhaps implement a scenario where their profile has to be at least 30% or 40% complete before they can post questions?
Collapse


 
Matthias Brombach
Matthias Brombach  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 09:44
Member (2007)
Dutch to German
+ ...
Tom´s suggestion would perhaps help ... Mar 23, 2015

... not to support moonlighters, who are paying no taxes and offering their work for ridiculous prices and who therefore at the same time thwart the people who help them with their answers. Yes, I know, not all of those profile holders mentioned are moonlighters, but a lot of them.

 
Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule
Huw Watkins
Huw Watkins  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:44
Member (2005)
Italian to English
+ ...
Maybe I misunderstood Mar 23, 2015

Matthias Brombach wrote:

... not to support moonlighters, who are paying no taxes and offering their work for ridiculous prices and who therefore at the same time thwart the people who help them with their answers. Yes, I know, not all of those profile holders mentioned are moonlighters, but a lot of them.


I thought Tom was talking about the annoyance of people posting questions that are not worthy of the time of professional translators or the space they take up in kudoz as they could simply look up the answers in an online dictionary. Forcing them to create something of a profile is probably too much hassle for them for an easy question and they'll just go elsewhere. Perhaps I misunderstood?


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:44
Member (2008)
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER
Misunderstood Mar 23, 2015

Huw Watkins wrote:

I thought Tom was talking about the annoyance of people posting questions that are not worthy of the time of professional translators or the space they take up in kudoz as they could simply look up the answers in an online dictionary. Forcing them to create something of a profile is probably too much hassle for them for an easy question and they'll just go elsewhere. Perhaps I misunderstood?


That is indeed a nuisance but it isn't why I've made my suggestion.

[Edited at 2015-03-23 10:55 GMT]


 
Huw Watkins
Huw Watkins  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:44
Member (2005)
Italian to English
+ ...
Profile progress percentage Mar 23, 2015

Sheila Wilson wrote:

And I'd extend it to the forums as well. I don't know how many people have asked if there's a chance for them to get work as a translator...when we don't even know if they speak more than one language!

But what information should be required? That's the tricky part.


It's been a while since I updated my profile but proz used to tell me how complete my profile was in terms of percentage. A minimum percentage threshold could perhaps work in this case?


 
Huw Watkins
Huw Watkins  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:44
Member (2005)
Italian to English
+ ...
I see - how intriguing... :) Mar 23, 2015

Tom in London wrote:

That is indeed a nuisance but it isn't why I've made my suggestion.

[Edited at 2015-03-23 10:55 GMT]


 
Pages in topic:   [1 2 3] >


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:


You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

A suggestion for making Kudoz more effective






TM-Town
Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business

Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.

More info »
Trados Studio 2022 Freelance
The leading translation software used by over 270,000 translators.

Designed with your feedback in mind, Trados Studio 2022 delivers an unrivalled, powerful desktop and cloud solution, empowering you to work in the most efficient and cost-effective way.

More info »