| Pages in topic: < [1 2] | Is ProZ.com membership worth it? Thread poster: parolagiusta
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tastycomm 
Belgium
Local time: 23:39
Member (2013)
French to Italian
+ ...
| IS it worth to take a 'pause'? | May 2, 2016 |
I've been paying the Proz.com membership since 3 years already and it helped me a lot finding new clients, etc. Now... I'm overwhelmed with jobs and I often can't cope with the amounts of requests I receive. I'm supposed to renew my membership in a month, knowing that I'll be on holiday for like one month and half, too (I definitely need it!). So, do you think that taking a 'pause' from renewing the membership and wait for my working load to lower a bit is a good thing or instead things will tu... See more I've been paying the Proz.com membership since 3 years already and it helped me a lot finding new clients, etc. Now... I'm overwhelmed with jobs and I often can't cope with the amounts of requests I receive. I'm supposed to renew my membership in a month, knowing that I'll be on holiday for like one month and half, too (I definitely need it!). So, do you think that taking a 'pause' from renewing the membership and wait for my working load to lower a bit is a good thing or instead things will turn badly pretty soon? ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Change your settings | May 2, 2016 |
@ nevediluna - congratulations!
Having too many offers rather than too few is a problem some people would envy, but you can take advantage of it by sorting the offers.
I have tightened up my settings rather than taking time out from membership.
Start by setting a filter in your profile to keep off the low-rate offers. Unfortunately it does not work if the outsourcer does not mention a rate of only asks for your best rate, but it is a start.
State your own ra... See more @ nevediluna - congratulations!
Having too many offers rather than too few is a problem some people would envy, but you can take advantage of it by sorting the offers.
I have tightened up my settings rather than taking time out from membership.
Start by setting a filter in your profile to keep off the low-rate offers. Unfortunately it does not work if the outsourcer does not mention a rate of only asks for your best rate, but it is a start.
State your own rates - and perhaps raise the minimum you will accept. This should filter you out from some of the ridiculous offers. You can conceal your rates if you prefer - they will still work for filtering purposes.
I have standard answers that take a few minutes to type, turning offers down.
'Thank you for your enquiry, but unfortunately I am fully booked just now.' (or for the rest of the week/month.)
'I am not familiar enough with US law. Although I have never made any claims, my professional indemnity insurance does not cover work for clients in the USA.'
Prepare your own, and don't spend time checking out and considering jobs you are not going to take on anyway.
There are still days when I get more offers than I can cope with - I recommend a colleague if appropriate, or just turn the job down politely anyway, sigh, and get back to work!
Enjoy your break. Remember to set your KudoZ dashboard to no mails, and your 'out of office' to explain you are not taking on work just now, but for safety's sake don't reveal too clearly when you are not at home!
Holidays and being with your family are also legitimate ways of being busy.  ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Pause ... and think | May 2, 2016 |
nevediluna wrote:
I've been paying the Proz.com membership since 3 years already and it helped me a lot finding new clients, etc. Now... I'm overwhelmed with jobs and I often can't cope with the amounts of requests I receive. I'm supposed to renew my membership in a month, knowing that I'll be on holiday for like one month and half, too (I definitely need it!). So, do you think that taking a 'pause' from renewing the membership and wait for my working load to lower a bit is a good thing or instead things will turn badly pretty soon?
I don't mean to quarrel but your statement should "give anybody pause." The only way you can be so busy is because of your rates. Heck, you could work for one Cent per word 24 hours a day. It's sad that we paying members also continue to support ... well you all figure it out yourselves.
[Edited at 2016-05-02 15:25 GMT]
| | | | | Set up an agency, a big one... | May 2, 2016 |
nevediluna wrote:
I've been paying the Proz.com membership since 3 years already and it helped me a lot finding new clients, etc. Now... I'm overwhelmed with jobs and I often can't cope with the amounts of requests I receive. I'm supposed to renew my membership in a month, knowing that I'll be on holiday for like one month and half, too (I definitely need it!). So, do you think that taking a 'pause' from renewing the membership and wait for my working load to lower a bit is a good thing or instead things will turn badly pretty soon?
That said, and work volume aside, I would not be able to "go off" one month and a half without losing most of my clients.
And yes, paid ProZ membership is worth it, but you do not find a lot of work there, unless you work almost for free. Some (i.e. not a lot) of customers may actually find you there all by themselves, and those are usually the best customers.
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DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
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Colleagues are right that everything comes to play--countries, language pairs, specializations, clients, terms, rates and payment methods--you name it.
I know a few people who (say they) are doing pretty fine using ProZ as their primary source, yet I would rather diversify anyway, so it's one of many different sources--even better if one can do something else, not only translation.
As for me, I didn't consider ProZ membership for I found direct clients and later ... See more Colleagues are right that everything comes to play--countries, language pairs, specializations, clients, terms, rates and payment methods--you name it.
I know a few people who (say they) are doing pretty fine using ProZ as their primary source, yet I would rather diversify anyway, so it's one of many different sources--even better if one can do something else, not only translation.
As for me, I didn't consider ProZ membership for I found direct clients and later went into interpreting. ▲ Collapse
| | | | Michele Fauble
United States
Local time: 14:39
Member (2006)
Norwegian to English
+ ...
| Turn down low rate job offers | May 2, 2016 |
If you raise your rates above the 0.04 EUR0 per word you currently charge, you will be able to earn as much, if not more, with fewer clients. You could also reduce the number of pairs you work in, specifically the non-native source > non-native target pairs.
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