Need advice about the ProZ membership, is it worth It ?
Thread poster: Benjamin Chabbert
Benjamin Chabbert
Benjamin Chabbert  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 12:14
English to French
+ ...
Feb 18, 2020

Hello everyone,

I recently decided to quit my job as an Export Director and to create my own company specialized in Translation, Export and Graphic Design. I still have clients concerning the export, which is nice, but I can't manage to find work concerning the translation EN-FR.

I wanted to have your opinion on the ProZ membership, because with the free version It seems I can't attract any client, or obtain any project. Is the paying version that great ? Would people t
... See more
Hello everyone,

I recently decided to quit my job as an Export Director and to create my own company specialized in Translation, Export and Graphic Design. I still have clients concerning the export, which is nice, but I can't manage to find work concerning the translation EN-FR.

I wanted to have your opinion on the ProZ membership, because with the free version It seems I can't attract any client, or obtain any project. Is the paying version that great ? Would people trust me even if it would be my first project on this website ?

I really thank you for your time, and I wish you all a successful day,


Mr Chabbert
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Sheila Wilson
Sheila Wilson  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 11:14
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
You need a shop window - and ProZ.com is by far the biggest translation-specific portal Feb 18, 2020

Benjamin Chabbert wrote:
I wanted to have your opinion on the ProZ membership, because with the free version It seems I can't attract any client, or obtain any project. Is the paying version that great ?

It isn't impossible to land jobs here as a registered user. You can't quote for some at all, but others, the ones that ask for email replies, are often open to you after 12 hours. As a paying member, you'd be able to quote on anything immediately. However, it has to be said that the majority of the better jobs are communicated directly to those freelancers found in filtered searches of the directory. For those, everything depends on your directory position first and foremost, as most people will only look at the first 2-3 pages. After that, it depends on how encouraged the client is by your profile.

Would people trust me even if it would be my first project on this website ?

I would say that your current profile and CV are not going to do you justice, so you really need to think about improving them. I definitely advise you to register for the free "Meeting Clients" webinar that the site holds regularly, and check out the site's Wiki on CVs for freelancers (Disclosure: I wrote it ). Of course, an investment in membership will in itself be seen by clients as a sign of a "serious" professional. And if you do decide to buy membership, perhaps the Plus category would be the way to go. Your profile doesn't mention CAT tools so perhaps the basket of free goodies, including access to training videos, would be useful.


Paul Malone
Korana Lasić
Dan Lucas
Benjamin Chabbert
Philip Lees
P.L.F. Persio
Morano El-Kholy
 
DZiW (X)
DZiW (X)
Ukraine
English to Russian
+ ...
https://www.proz.com/professional-membership#pricing Feb 18, 2020

Welcome Benjamin.

If you search the forum, you will find many similar questions with answers to consider: obviously, for some it worked, for others--didn't. Mostly you will be at the end of paying members list and somewhere in the mid of Best and Worst case scenarios--unless you are a businessman.


However, if you can diversify the incomes
... See more
Welcome Benjamin.

If you search the forum, you will find many similar questions with answers to consider: obviously, for some it worked, for others--didn't. Mostly you will be at the end of paying members list and somewhere in the mid of Best and Worst case scenarios--unless you are a businessman.


However, if you can diversify the incomes, niches, and places [ProZ is just one of places] then what could a $120/$180 equivalent mean for very your personal branding / biz?

You decide
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Vadim Kadyrov
 
ATIL KAYHAN
ATIL KAYHAN  Identity Verified
Türkiye
Local time: 14:14
Member (2007)
Turkish to English
+ ...
Advantage Feb 18, 2020

As the folks above mentioned, if you are a paying member, you would be much higher in the list when clients make a search at ProZ. Also, a simple Google search would bring your name up as a translator whereas a nonpaying member would not be included in the Google results at all. These might give you an advantage over nonpaying members. Would it worth the high cost of membership, I do not know. In the past, ProZ had a ten-year membership plan at a much reduced rate but they gave it up for som... See more
As the folks above mentioned, if you are a paying member, you would be much higher in the list when clients make a search at ProZ. Also, a simple Google search would bring your name up as a translator whereas a nonpaying member would not be included in the Google results at all. These might give you an advantage over nonpaying members. Would it worth the high cost of membership, I do not know. In the past, ProZ had a ten-year membership plan at a much reduced rate but they gave it up for some reason. I was a ten-year member at that time. Now they only run yearly membership plans. Good luck.Collapse


 
Benjamin Chabbert
Benjamin Chabbert  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 12:14
English to French
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Many thanks Feb 18, 2020

First of all, I want to thank you all for the time you spent answering me with those real arguments and advices.

I shall start by working on a better CV and profile, and I think I will try to land a first project as a free member before moving onto a membership. Even if It is only 110$ per year.
I used SDL Trados and Smart CAT for about a year, and need to invest on buying it fir another year.

Have a nice day,

Mr Chabbert


 
Sanjin Grandić
Sanjin Grandić  Identity Verified
Croatia
Local time: 12:14
Member (2020)
French to Croatian
+ ...
Yes Apr 10, 2020

It is worth it if you ask me but you should get the "Plus" membership for more reason than one. I even paid less because there was a promotion. Definitely worth the money. What I am sure that is worth is that when you have the Plus membership you can join the Certified Pro (©) project which I am about to join for all my working language pairs. I am certain that I will get more clients and higher quality clients when I get certified because it is a serious project (you might want to read about i... See more
It is worth it if you ask me but you should get the "Plus" membership for more reason than one. I even paid less because there was a promotion. Definitely worth the money. What I am sure that is worth is that when you have the Plus membership you can join the Certified Pro (©) project which I am about to join for all my working language pairs. I am certain that I will get more clients and higher quality clients when I get certified because it is a serious project (you might want to read about it when considering your investment) You do not have to pay anything to get certified once you're a "Plus" member plus there are other features that I like and the price if you divide it by 12 months is not that high if you are already a paying member.

I was a nonpaying member from 2017 and I finally invested in the membership. The best investment I made in a long time. A toi de voir mon Vieux, mais ça vaut son Prix, to ne seras pas deçu si tu veux travailler avec des langues.

Bonne chance

Sanjin
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Laurent Mercky
Laurent Mercky
France
Local time: 12:14
Chinese to French
+ ...
absolument Apr 11, 2020

Benjamin Chabbert wrote:

Hello everyone,

I recently decided to quit my job as an Export Director and to create my own company specialized in Translation, Export and Graphic Design. I still have clients concerning the export, which is nice, but I can't manage to find work concerning the translation EN-FR.

I wanted to have your opinion on the ProZ membership, because with the free version It seems I can't attract any client, or obtain any project. Is the paying version that great ? Would people trust me even if it would be my first project on this website ?

I really thank you for your time, and I wish you all a successful day,


Mr Chabbert


Bonjour,
Oui je pense que l'abonnement sur ce site est très intéressant si vous souhaitez obtenir des informations plus avancées concernant les agences et clients, par exemple vous pouvez avoir accès plus facilement à leurs annonces, avant même les autres demandeurs.
C'est ainsi que j'en ai trouvé certaines, invisibles ailleurs.
Si vous avez un petit budget annuel, l'abonnement vaut l'investissement.


 
Patrycja Sorensen
Patrycja Sorensen
United States
Local time: 06:14
English to Polish
+ ...
Proz membership - worth it? Sep 26, 2021

Since I created my account, I am getting a huge number of scam attempts. Is there ANY kind of scam protection [other than advised on forums] that comes with the upgrade to paid membership? If so, please explain.

 


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Need advice about the ProZ membership, is it worth It ?







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