Some questions re: bulk mailing/private tenders from client members (ProZ.com directory)

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Some questions re: bulk mailing/private tenders from client members
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Some questions re: bulk mailing/private tenders from client members

Thread poster: Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz

Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz

Poland
Local time: 01:39
English to Polish
+ ...

Apr 30, 2015

Questions:

1. I sometimes receive messages sent to "ProZ.com Member" , with the company's name as the sender and not marked as '[ProZ.com mail]'. Those are bulk mailings, right?

2. Sometimes they send a message to me via normal '[ProZ.com mail]', with my own e-mail address as the recipient, but it later turns out that other translators received the exact same message.

Problems:

#1 looks like normal mail from a company, and on a fast day it can be difficult to realize quickly enough that they may very well have sent their rush job inquiry to 100 people or be asking 100 people for CVs, documents etc. (just semi-disguised by the kind of wording that makes it look like a more personal message);

#2 can disguise a reverse auction where translators aren't told that multiple translators are being asked to provide a quotation

These are not major issues in any objective sense, but it can be a 'tangible' letdown psychologically when you discover that you've been duped.

Solutions:

For #1: First off, I think a ProZ.com tag is basically necessary. On the other hand, a label to show that the message was addressed to multiple undisclosed recipients would be helpful (especially where the wording may deceive the reader). Also disclosing the number of recipients could be helpful.

For example if it's 2-3, I probably wouldn't mind it as much, since it could just be about the ticking clock on a rush job or something else like that. But an RFQ about a specific job (as opposed to a general inquiry about qualifications and rates) with 100 recipients is something I normally wouldn't touch with a barge pole.

For #2: Perhaps detect/track the sending of identical messages to different recipients in a short time span and very quick succession? Or amend the rules to require senders to disclose that type of thing at least?

Or perhaps Staff could think of a better/smarter/more convenient way to detect and mark bulk mail and prevent disguised private tenders? ▲ Collapse

philgoddard
United States
German to English
+ ...

Surely it's easy to tell them apart.

Apr 30, 2015

Generally speaking, if they're bulk mailings, they begin "Dear translator" or whatever. If they're personal, they start with "Dear Łukasz".

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