Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | Poll: Do you think a professional-looking profile photo helps in attracting clients? Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
| No, definitely not! | Jan 6, 2015 |
Tim Drayton wrote: Why should it? I am not a photomodel. You can't tell anything about a person's translation skills from their physical appearance. That is why I do not display a photo. If, despite this, the answer to this question is indeed yes, it would only show what a crassly superficial era we live in. Why is this even relevant? My physical appearance has nothing to do with my translation skills. People say I’m attractive and I was once considered a beauty, but my business is not about being pretty or looking good is about translating as well as I can… | | | Sheila Wilson Spain Local time: 06:39 Member (2007) English + ... He is sweet :) | Jan 6, 2015 |
Mary Worby wrote: For old time's sake! Although he seems to have stopped dancing ... Thanks, Mary, for letting us have a look at him (is it really a "him"?). Christine seemed quite nostalgic about it. | | | Tim Drayton Cyprus Local time: 08:39 Turkish to English + ...
Max Deryagin wrote: As an outsourcer, I have never hired and will never hire a person whose profile picture is a cute cat, baby, airplane or anything of the sort. I need to know who I am working with. How strange. I once ran a small agency and worked with many translators whom I had never met, and never once wondered what they looked like. | | | Tim Drayton Cyprus Local time: 08:39 Turkish to English + ...
Chris S wrote: Let's see if I now get inundated with offers of work from serious, high-paying customers rather than the usual jokers that come through ProZ. I never had a single sensible offer of work on here without a photo, so maybe this could be my big break. You're hired. | |
|
|
Mary Worby United Kingdom Local time: 06:39 German to English + ...
Sheila Wilson wrote: Mary Worby wrote: For old time's sake! Although he seems to have stopped dancing ... Thanks, Mary, for letting us have a look at him (is it really a "him"?). Christine seemed quite nostalgic about it . Sorry, Sheila, it was Christine who mentioned him! (Definitely a him, I know not why!). He used to dance too, I guess he's getting old like the rest of us. For a limited period only, the professional me will be back shortly! | | | Would this be going too far? | Jan 6, 2015 |
Tim Drayton wrote: Chris S wrote: Let's see if I now get inundated with offers of work from serious, high-paying customers rather than the usual jokers that come through ProZ. I never had a single sensible offer of work on here without a photo, so maybe this could be my big break. You're hired. Now I'm wondering whether I should also change my tagline from "Experienced central bank translator" to "Hot central bank translator" | | | Tim Drayton Cyprus Local time: 08:39 Turkish to English + ...
Chris S wrote: Tim Drayton wrote: Chris S wrote: Let's see if I now get inundated with offers of work from serious, high-paying customers rather than the usual jokers that come through ProZ. I never had a single sensible offer of work on here without a photo, so maybe this could be my big break. You're hired. Now I'm wondering whether I should also change my tagline from "Experienced central bank translator" to "Hot central bank translator" Why not just "Hot translator?" Who cares about silly, non-visual things like in-depth specialist knowledge? | | | Julian Holmes Japan Local time: 15:39 Member (2011) Japanese to English I think I'll do the same | Jan 6, 2015 |
Chris S wrote: Tim Drayton wrote: Chris S wrote: Let's see if I now get inundated with offers of work from serious, high-paying customers rather than the usual jokers that come through ProZ. I never had a single sensible offer of work on here without a photo, so maybe this could be my big break. You're hired. Now I'm wondering whether I should also change my tagline from "Experienced central bank translator" to "Hot central bank translator" Maybe "Hot and experienced pro - as featured on pros.com" might attract lots of offers - not exactly sure which kind, though. | |
|
|
Thayenga Germany Local time: 07:39 Member (2009) English to German + ... To some - to a certain extent | Jan 6, 2015 |
Teresa Borges wrote: Tim Drayton wrote: Why should it? I am not a photomodel. You can't tell anything about a person's translation skills from their physical appearance. That is why I do not display a photo. If, despite this, the answer to this question is indeed yes, it would only show what a crassly superficial era we live in. Why is this even relevant? My physical appearance has nothing to do with my translation skills. People say I’m attractive and I was once considered a beauty, but my business is not about being pretty or looking good is about translating as well as I can… I always thought that when I was hired it was for what's behind my face (knowledge, creativity & my grays) and not for my looks. Did I miss something? Sure it's nice to see the one who's working for you, but is that any indication for skills? I don't think so. Also, how many of our clients "reveal" their faces? Very ferw, I'd say. P. S. Yes, that elephant is cute. I'd hire him on the spot.
[Edited at 2015-01-06 12:31 GMT] | | | Al Zaid United States English to Spanish + ...
Terry Richards wrote: My photo would be more suitable for repelling cockroaches than attracting clients That's a good one. | | | Paul Lambert Sweden Local time: 07:39 Member (2006) Swedish to English + ... No point getting a chip on our shoulders | Jan 6, 2015 |
It doesn't matter how superficial our times may be. It doesn't matter that it is impossible to tell how well someone can translate based on his picture. That may be, but that should be addressed in some kind of op-ed piece or some kind of societal commentary forum or within the field of psychology. The truth is that we are judged by how we look, and more importantly, what impression we give as to how we approach our work. Now, when I say "judged by how we look", I am no... See more It doesn't matter how superficial our times may be. It doesn't matter that it is impossible to tell how well someone can translate based on his picture. That may be, but that should be addressed in some kind of op-ed piece or some kind of societal commentary forum or within the field of psychology. The truth is that we are judged by how we look, and more importantly, what impression we give as to how we approach our work. Now, when I say "judged by how we look", I am not talking about physical attractiveness either. If a picture shows someone who apparently has an alert look in his eyes and friendly face, as well as half decent clothing, I will respond positively to that. As a translator, I appreciate that at times we work in our pyjamas, have rings under our eyes as we pull an all-nighter and are not always in the mood to be strictly business-like in our demeanour, but if I see that a translator has tried to put his best face forward (literally), I will be impressed generally. After all, attention to detail is a very important part of this job. If we are not going to care about such details as our profiles, what does that say about our attention to detail in our writing? Of course, those who say a photo says nothing about skill in writing are absolutely right, but why kill your chances to have an opportunity to prove yourself by scaring people away thanks to a non-serious photograph? Selling oneself is a complex package. Stores and restaurants need to be inviting to the eye to succeed no matter how good their products or their food are. Notice how no restaurants ever succeed on the moon? The food is great, but there is no atmosphere.
[Edited at 2015-01-06 12:55 GMT] ▲ Collapse | | | Thanks for the smile! | Jan 6, 2015 |
Mary Worby wrote: ... For a limited period only, the professional me will be back shortly! I used to be quite fascinated when he turned up ... | |
|
|
Chris S wrote: Now I'm wondering whether I should also change my tagline from "Experienced central bank translator" to "Hot central bank translator" I always thought you were a man... | | |
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote: Chris S wrote: Now I'm wondering whether I should also change my tagline from "Experienced central bank translator" to "Hot central bank translator" I always thought you were a man... Me too, I believe he's just proving a point... | | | Yes, to some extent | Jan 6, 2015 |
But I would add "mostly with direct, uneducated clients", as it seems to me hard to deny that a decent photo, as described by Paul, is not a good way to instill confidence, to send a message "I'm not hiding, I'm a real person and I'm responsible". Of course, uneducated doesn't mean "so ignorant as to judge a book only by its cover", but when you know little on a subject, the cover may well be a difference-maker... (positive... or negative if you're a Quasimodo!) With agencies, and m... See more But I would add "mostly with direct, uneducated clients", as it seems to me hard to deny that a decent photo, as described by Paul, is not a good way to instill confidence, to send a message "I'm not hiding, I'm a real person and I'm responsible". Of course, uneducated doesn't mean "so ignorant as to judge a book only by its cover", but when you know little on a subject, the cover may well be a difference-maker... (positive... or negative if you're a Quasimodo!) With agencies, and more generally with informed clients, I think (and I hope) that the impact is minimal. There will be superficial people like Max (above) but hopefully those are few... @Chris S: You could add, "sexy rates", too! ▲ Collapse | | | 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 » Poll: Do you think a professional-looking profile photo helps in attracting clients? Anycount & Translation Office 3000 | Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.
More info » |
| Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |