| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Speciality, working and interest fields Thread poster: XXXphxxx (X)
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XXXphxxx (X) 
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:17
Portuguese to English
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I've only just noticed that there are 3 different categories in the 'Expertise' section of my profile. Unclear on the difference between them, I went to the FAQs but am none the wiser. Can anyone please explain the difference between the three? Do they determine Kudoz questions you can answer/jobs you are notified of/directory listings etc?
| | | | | Yeah, you get fewer points for answering Kudoz questions outside your fields | Jun 27, 2013 |
It can also affect search results.
Otherwise, it's like three names stacked on a decremental order of variables. Going from top down and the number of fields you can select in each group is a good indicator of what they're suppose to do; the actual names of the groups are probably less important. This said, I have some working fields I'm not interested in, and I have specialisations in which I hardly work. So, there is some nuance. ... See more It can also affect search results.
Otherwise, it's like three names stacked on a decremental order of variables. Going from top down and the number of fields you can select in each group is a good indicator of what they're suppose to do; the actual names of the groups are probably less important. This said, I have some working fields I'm not interested in, and I have specialisations in which I hardly work. So, there is some nuance.
[Edited at 2013-06-27 08:07 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 19:17
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| They're used a lot for filtering | Jun 27, 2013 |
I don't believe you get fewer KudoZ points for answers in your interest/working fields than answers in your specialisation fields. In fact, you can get points in any field, in any language pair, if the asker will give them to you. That's why we sometimes get some very odd answers from points' chasers, answering questions they don't understand with answers they don't understand (and nor does anyone else). But they are quite a fundamental part of ProZ.com, Lisa.
You can choose to be ... See more I don't believe you get fewer KudoZ points for answers in your interest/working fields than answers in your specialisation fields. In fact, you can get points in any field, in any language pair, if the asker will give them to you. That's why we sometimes get some very odd answers from points' chasers, answering questions they don't understand with answers they don't understand (and nor does anyone else). But they are quite a fundamental part of ProZ.com, Lisa.
You can choose to be notified of any job within any of those three categories, within your working language pairs. You can check your settings in the Jobs Dashboard, which you get to from the Settings tab on your profile. However, jobs are filtered before that stage. If the job poster selected a requirement for speciality proficiency, and that field is only in your working or interest category, you won't get notified, whatever your setting; and if you see the job on the site and click on it, you won't be allowed to quote on it.
The same thing happens in the directory: if an outsourcer filters by field, your profile will only be displayed if you get through that filter. The translators whose names are displayed are sorted firstly by number of PRO Kudoz points in that field, secondly by overall KudoZ points total. KudoZ notifications work in the same way as job notifications.
In short, if you want to be sure of being notified of, and being able to quote for, jobs in a particular field that you specialise in, then you should have that field as one of your specialisations. And if you want to appear on page 1 of the directory searches for that field (within your pair, of course), then you should particularly aim to earn KudoZ points in that field.
Shuffling fields around in your profile is a bit laborious. Click on the Edit button to the left of the Expertise section and you'll see the three categories. You can change the order of fields within a category by simply dragging and dropping. But to move a field between categories, you first have to delete it from its category; then find it in the list on the left and select it; then add it to the new category; then move it within the category if you don't want it at the N°1 spot; then, most importantly, save the changes! I believe the ordering within category is only used to show a certain coherence in your profile, I don't think it's used in filtering.
I hope that all makes sense. In fact, I hope it's correct. I'm sure a staff member will correct me if I'm wrong. ▲ Collapse
| | | | XXXphxxx (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:17
Portuguese to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Thanks Sheila | Jun 27, 2013 |
I THINK I follow you. I suppose it never occurred to me before because I've never seen this kind of differentiation anywhere else. I'm still not clear why the three different categories are necessary and why would you have a working field that is not also your speciality field? Surely there's a lot of doubling up there? Interest fields also strike me as slightly redundant, a bit like that last line some people have on their c.v.: reading, travelling, tennis...
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Mina Ahmadi
United States
Local time: 14:17
English to Persian (Farsi)
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| Specialized field | Jun 27, 2013 |
I don't think so, I've answered many questions out of my profile fields, and I've recieved the maximum point(4). Then "Edit your Profile" gives me the opportunity to add them to my specialized, or working fields. after that they will appear in my profile highlighted with green color. About specialized field, I think it is someone's full-experienced area. At this point, you can translate without any difficulty, you know specialized terms and It takes you alittle time to finish, but working field ... See more I don't think so, I've answered many questions out of my profile fields, and I've recieved the maximum point(4). Then "Edit your Profile" gives me the opportunity to add them to my specialized, or working fields. after that they will appear in my profile highlighted with green color. About specialized field, I think it is someone's full-experienced area. At this point, you can translate without any difficulty, you know specialized terms and It takes you alittle time to finish, but working field is the area you are acquiring experience step by step; There are many specialized terms you should learn, It takes time for you to complete the project, because all the time you should check the words in dictionary, and finally the interset field is an area you don't have any experience, if you have, it is very limited! ▲ Collapse
| | | | | This is how fields are classified at ProZ.com | Jun 27, 2013 |
Hello all,
If you visit the "Fields of expertise" section in your Profile updater, http://www.proz.com/settings/freelancer/services#fields , you will see that there are two main structures: the ProZ.com general categories, that do not show in profiles, but work for filters (Tech/Engineering, Art/Literary, Law/Patents, etc.), and the ProZ.com detailed categories (that ... See more Hello all,
If you visit the "Fields of expertise" section in your Profile updater, http://www.proz.com/settings/freelancer/services#fields , you will see that there are two main structures: the ProZ.com general categories, that do not show in profiles, but work for filters (Tech/Engineering, Art/Literary, Law/Patents, etc.), and the ProZ.com detailed categories (that show in profiles and work in filters). These structures have been created for the purpose of classifying job postings, term questions, personal areas of expertise, glossaries, and more.
Detailed categories are in turn divided into 3 sub-structures: 1) Specialty fields, 2) Working fields and 3) Interest fields. Interest fields are those fields that interest you, but in which you may not offer services (yet). Working fields are those in which you currently offer services --without necessarily being a specialist in those fields. And, finally, specialty fields are also working fields, but they are fields in which you specialize or do your best work.
Mind you that, as Sheila points out, you do not earn fewer KudoZ PRO points for answering Kudoz questions outside your fields. However, if you earn KudoZ points for answering KudoZ questions in fields that are not reported in your profile as either specialty, working or interest, these will not show (unless you edit your fields). This is why it is recommended that you focus your KudoZ activity on fields in which you specialize or work to improve your directory position in those fields.
After reporting fields in your profile, you can set your e-mail notification preferences for KudoZ and jobs via your e-mail notification dashboard: http://www.proz.com/?sp=dashboard .
You will find more information about profile fields here: http://www.proz.com/faq/791#791
Hope this helps!
Lucía ▲ Collapse
| | | | XXXphxxx (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:17
Portuguese to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Speciality field | Jun 27, 2013 |
Thanks Lucia.
So if I understand you correctly, the only field that is actually used to filter for Kudoz, job postings, directory listing etc is the speciality field and the rest (working and interest) is for information only?
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 19:17
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Outsourcers know my specialisations, but they do ask me to work on other jobs | Jun 27, 2013 |
Lisa Simpson, MCIL wrote:
I THINK I follow you. I suppose it never occurred to me before because I've never seen this kind of differentiation anywhere else. I'm still not clear why the three different categories are necessary and why would you have a working field that is not also your speciality field? Surely there's a lot of doubling up there? Interest fields also strike me as slightly redundant, a bit like that last line some people have on their c.v.: reading, travelling, tennis...
To some extent, I think it's just to make things more manageable for everyone. After all, we can select a maximum of 140 subject areas (10+30+100). One way of looking at them is as a long list from N°1, being our greatest comfort zone, to N°140 (assuming we select the maximum in each category), being a subject that interests us somewhat and where we have sufficient knowledge to maybe contribute in KudoZ.
But I certainly wouldn't want to receive notifications of KudoZ questions in 140 subject areas - I'd spend all day ploughing through them. So that's one reason for splitting out the "interest" ones. Actually, I'm not sure anyone but the owner has access to the list of interests - I suspect it's only for notifications. The working/specialisation split is handy for exactly the same reason - I believe I only get immediate KudoZ alerts for my specialisations, whereas I get immediate Fr>En job alerts in my specialisation and my working areas. I quite like the split between those: I consider myself to be a specialist in marketing, somewhat less so in education, but when it comes to real estate I'm very happy to translate house descriptions, but not any and every real estate text. And if an agency urges me to translate an engineering text, I can show them a long list of "possibles" in addition to my specialisations - and engineering doesn't figure in it.
The split's rather arbitrary, of course - there isn't a line that can be drawn between the categories, but ProZ.com forces us to draw a dotted line between them. It must make quite a big difference to outsourcers, I imagine. It's an effective way of reducing a mammoth list of possible translators to a shorter one of hopefully the most suitable.
Do you see any real disadvantages to it?
Lucia can give you a fuller answer to your subsequent question, Lisa, but if you go to the advanced directory you'll see that selections can be filtered by both field and level of expertise - specialist, proficient or interested.
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| Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule | | Information used by filters will depend on the area / action | Jun 27, 2013 |
Lisa Simpson, MCIL wrote:
Thanks Lucia.
So if I understand you correctly, the only field that is actually used to filter for Kudoz, job postings, directory listing etc is the speciality field and the rest (working and interest) is for information only?
Not necessarily, Lisa. It depends on whether you are conducting a search in the directory, posting a job, setting your e-mail preferences or posting a KudoZ question. For instance, if you are setting your e-mail preferences, all 3 categories count since you can choose to be notified of KudoZ questions posted in your specialty fields, in your working fields, your interest fields or all fields. If you search the directory, you can choose to search for professionals who specialize or work in a given field, general or specific.
What's important is that the working and specialty fields you report are in line with the services you offer and that, if you want to have a good position the directory to attract potential clients, your earn KudoZ PRO points in those fields and in your top language pairs.
Hope this explains further.
Lucia
| | | | XXXphxxx (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:17
Portuguese to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Sheila Wilson wrote:
Do you see any real disadvantages to it?
Maybe it's just me but I would say the whole system is very confusing. At best, I can see the point in having a list of primary subject areas (being those that you specialise and work in) and secondary ones (i.e. those you have a passing interest in or in which you do the odd job here and there), but listing specialist areas and then duplicating those in the working fields section (plus perhaps adding a few more) seems a little pointless to me.
| | | | | Post removed: This post was hidden by a moderator or staff member because it was not in line with site rule |
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| Fields do not need --and cannot-- be duplicated in profiles | Jun 27, 2013 |
Lisa Simpson, MCIL wrote: Sheila Wilson wrote:
Do you see any real disadvantages to it? Maybe it's just me but I would say the whole system is very confusing. At best, I can see the point in having a list of primary subject areas (being those that you specialise and work in) and secondary ones (i.e. those you have a passing interest in or in which you do the odd job here and there), but listing specialist areas and then duplicating those in the working fields section (plus perhaps adding a few more) seems a little pointless to me.
Fields do not need to be duplicated when reporting them, Lisa. In fact, if you check your Profile updater, you will see that once you add a field to a category, it is no longer available for selection.
To clarify the distinction, if you report "Journalism" as a specialty field, this will count as a working and an interest field for filters as it is assumed that if you specialize in a given field it is because you became interested in that field and then you worked in that field to become an expert. In the same way, if you add "Archaeology" to your working fields, this will count as an interest field, but not as an specialty one, assuming that you became interested in that field and this is why you ended up working in that field. Eventually, this working field may become an specialty one, provided you acquire specialist knowledge in it.
Lucia
| | | | XXXphxxx (X)
United Kingdom
Local time: 19:17
Portuguese to English
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Okay, I think I'm beginning to understand. So, speciality fields also filter as working and interest fields and working fields also filter as interest fields?
I'm curious why someone would want to filter the directory for working or interest fields? Surely, if you're filtering at all you'd rather have the specialists?
[Edited at 2013-06-27 16:09 GMT]
| | | | | Filtering depends on the area or action being performed | Jun 27, 2013 |
Lisa Simpson, MCIL wrote:
Okay, I think I'm beginning to understand. So, speciality fields also filter as working and interest fields and working fields also filter as interest fields?
I'm curious why someone want to filter the directory for working or interest fields? Surely, if you're filtering at all you'd rather have the specialists?
What you understand is correct for KudoZ and KudoZ notifications for instance, Lisa, but not for jobs or the directory. If you visit the directory you will see that the "Expertise" filter reads specialty as well as working fields (not interest ones though). So outsourcers searching the directory will get a list of professionals who work and specialize in the field they specify.
Lucia
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