1 - Membership: general

You may also be interested in:

1.1 - Who are the site members?

Site members are the site users who have a current paid membership subscription
Members have certain networking privileges and enjoy full access to all data, all features and all clients at the site. And they belong to the site that is improving and redefining the way translation is done.

1.2 - Am I considered a "member" of ProZ.com if I do not pay?

No. The term "member" is reserved for those who take out membership subscriptions. (Initially, the term "member" was used generally to include all registrants; in 2005, the terminology shifted to reflect the fact that member income is what makes the site possible.)

1.3 - What are the benefits of membership?

Membership entitles one to full participation in the ProZ.com community, where the translation profession is being defined and improved continuously.

Among the specific benefits of membership are:
- Instant access to the largest global community of online translators via forum posts, job posts, group mails and KudoZ questions. *
- Featured or exclusive access to translation clients via the directory, job postings and Blue Board
- Full access to the Blue Board database of translation clients
- Free web and email hosting, and profile pages linked to throughout ProZ.com (you benefit from ProZ.com's high search engine ranking)
For a complete list of specific benefits and features of ProZ.com membership, see http://www.proz.com/join

* Access to networking features, which potentially affect other members, may be modified or revoked at the discretion of the ProZ.com team.

1.4 - Does membership really make a difference in the rate at which I can expect to meet new clients?

Yes. Members are four times more likely than non-member site users to meet new clients. The disparity is growing as we create new member-only features, and as more people decide to join ProZ.com. (Ratio current as of June 2005.)

1.5 - I use ProZ.com regularly without paying. What would I gain by becoming a member?

Joining ProZ.com means becoming a member of the site that redefines and improves translation and language, but there are other more down-to-earth advantages as well:

If you look closely, you'll notice that for each channel provided for clients and translators to meet, there is an advantage or two built in for ProZ.com members. For example, members appear in the first set of results shown to clients in the directory and job quote pages. Also, clients can restrict job postings to members, and full access to the Blue Board is reserved for members.

You'll notice many more differences once you join ProZ.com. Members can post to the forums instantly, they can host powwows, track profile visits, send group mails and post jobs instantly.* Members also get free hosting, they are randomly featured on the home page, and they get linked to from various areas in ProZ.com's site. As a result, their profiles and home pages get higher search engine ranks and they meet clients and colleagues more frequently and more directly.

In short, joining ProZ.com is the way to ensure you have full access to, and derive full benefit from, all that ProZ.com has to offer.

* Access to networking features, which potentially affect other members, may be modified or revoked at the discretion of the ProZ.com team.

1.6 - Will I receive more job offers if I become a member?

Members enjoy the benefit of being able to submit their quotes for member-only jobs and are ranked first in the Directory of Translators and Interpreters.

However, note that other strategies are equally important to get jobs at ProZ.com:

* Display a complete profile. The more complete your profile, and the more you use it to market your top language pair(s) and fields of expertise, the easier it is to attract potential clients. You should think of your profile as your "shop window", and work to fill your shop window with the best you have to offer.

* Consider focusing your KudoZ activity in your top language pair and field(s) of expertise. A few minutes of effort, a few times a month, may be all that is needed to boost or maintain your position in the freelancer directory.

You will find more information on how to improve your listing in the directory here.

1.7 - How can I pay for membership?

You may pay for your membership with one of the following methods:

Credit Card
Paypal
Moneybookers
Check or Money Order (only payable in USD)
Wire Transfer (in EUR and USD)
Wallet
Western Union

1. Go to the Membership Purchase Page
2. Click the "buy now" link next to your chosen membership option
3. Follow the instructions on subsequent pages to pay for your membership.

Please know that depending on which payment type you use, your membership status might not be upgraded the same day. For example, if you pay by wire transfer, it could take up to 2 weeks before we receive your payment.

1.8 - How much does membership cost?

"Full" membership costs 129 usd/ 114 eur per year when you first upgrade. To renew costs 119 usd/ 104 eur. "Partial" membership (allowing access to just jobs-related functions or just community-related functions) costs 70 usd and 48 usd , respectively. Renewal costs the same.

It is also possible to buy full memberships for a 6-month period for 80 eur/usd.

A discount is available to users who have earned "browniz" points. Those who pay with 4,000 browniz pay 115 usd/ 99 eur for a year of full membership, or 60 usd for a year of partial membership. Full membership renewal with browniz is 109 usd/ 94 eur and 36 usd for partial membership renewal.

1.9 - If I become a member, can I expect to get a return on my investment?

There are no guarantees, but currently a high percentage of members surveyed reports earning a positive return on investment. Overall, nearly ninety percent of members earn a positive return within a year. Over forty percent report a positive return within 3 months. This is possible because the value of meeting a single new client tends to exceed the yearly cost of membership. (Data as of June 2005)

1.10 - What if I decide that I am not satisfied with my membership--can I get a refund?

Yes. ProZ.com offers a full satisfaction guarantee. If you are not completely satisfied with your ProZ.com membership, submit a support request that includes the method by which you prefer to receive your refund and the account information. A prorated refund will be issued, less any payment fees that have been charged.

(So for example, if you pay 120 euros for ProZ.com membership and after 6 months decide to ask for a refund, you will be sent 60 euros, minus any payment fees that were initially charged.)

Note: Most credit card purchases can be refunded directly until 60 days after the purchase. After 60 days, the refund can be processed via payment methods such as PayPal, Moneybookers, check, or wire transfer. Due to high transfer fees, wire transfer is not normally a preferred method for refund.

1.11 - Why do you charge translators for membership, instead of companies that search for them?

If you are a translator, we in the ProZ.com team work for you. We view it as our job to provide tools and opportunities that you can use to expand your businesses and improve your profession. We work very hard and feel that we succeed in providing excellent value and service to our members. It is appropriate and necessary that we charge for our work.

1.12 - I submitted payment for my membership but it has not been activated. What is wrong?

If you submitted payment for your membership and it has not yet been activated /renewed, please submit a support request and provide the following information:

1. Payment method used
2. Amount paid (membership item purchased)
3. Date of payment
4. Transaction ID
5. PayPal / Moneybookers email address (if any of these 2 methods were used)
6. PayPal / Moneybooker transaction ID (if any of these 2 methods were used)
7. Bank account holder's name (if wire transfer method was used)

This information will help staff locate your payment and process your purchase.

1.13 - What is a partial membership?

A partial membership is a type of membership for users who are interested in accessing the member-only functions of only select areas of the site.

Two different partial memberships are currently available at reduced costs: Jobs Partial Membership and Community Partial Membership.

More information about the benefits included in these two membership types is available here.

1.14 - Can I downgrade / upgrade membership?

Yes. You can change your membership type any time. To do so, just purchase the membership you would like to have and submit a support request.

If you chose to upgrade your membership, about half of the remaining in your past membership will be added to the new membership period.

If you chose to downgrade your membership, around the double of the remaining in your past membership will be added to the new membership period.

1.15 - What happens to my partial membership if I upgrade to full membership?

When upgrading from partial to full membership, half of the time remaining in the partial membership will be added to the full membership period. The full membership will take effect immediately.

1.16 - Why are members (ie. those who pay) given advantages when it comes to meeting clients? Just because you pay, it does not mean you are good.

We do not recommend that translators do commercial work without being paid for doing so. (Translating for non-profits is another matter; we don't see much harm in doing free translation when the work will not be sold.)

Using the same logic, we at ProZ.com offer many free services, but we draw the line at commercial work. Basically, exposure before paying clients is a service for which we charge. In exchange for your investment, we work very hard for you, and the statistics say that membership pays off for professional translators in any country and at any stage of their careers.

1.17 - If I renew my membership before it expires, what happens with my renewal date?

Every time you purchase a renewal, or for example, a software promotion with a six- month membership, we add that time to the time that you have in your current membership.
For example, if your membership expires in three months and you buy the membership for one year, your renewal date will be in 15 months.

1.18 - Will ProZ.com membership really help me to meet clients? Isn't my certification / degree more important?

The two are not in conflict. By being a member, you increase your exposure, so that potential clients find you (and your credentials!) more frequently. If anything, having certification and degrees increases the degree to which you stand to benefit from membership.

1.19 - Can I purchase membership on behalf of a colleague?

Yes. To purchase membership on behalf of other site user, just purchase the membership as if it was for your account and then submit a support request specifying the user ID and the site name of your colleague so that staff can transfer the membership acquired.

1.20 - What is my membership expiration date?

Your membership expiration or renewal date is the date shown when mousing-over your name at the top of site pages.

You can also see information on your membership expiration date in the membership page.

1.21 - Will my membership be automatically renewed when it expires?

Your membership will be automatically renewed if you used PayPal recurring payment option when purchasing membership the last time. Otherwise, you will have to renew your membership by following the payment steps described here.

1.22 - What are ProZ.com membership campaigns?

Twice a year, ProZ.com organizes membership campaigns, where special discounts and offers are made available to all users.

1.23 - When is the next ProZ.com membership campaign?

ProZ.com runs membership campaigns usually twice a year, one mid-year campaign and one end of year campaign. You can see if a campaign is active at the moment here.

1.24 - I would like to purchase/renew my full membership for an extended period. Is it possible?

Yes, you can purchase/renew your full membership for 3, 5 or 10 years. You can see all the options here.

1.25 - Can I purchase/renew my full membership for an extended period using 4000 browniz?

No, this option is not available with browniz.

2 - Corporate membership

2.1 - What is corporate membership?

Corporate membership is the ProZ.com membership option designed specifically for corporate users of ProZ.com, such as translation companies / agencies and other corporate language services providers.

2.2 - What are the benefits of corporate membership?

As full corporate participants in the world's leading translation portal and community, corporate members enjoy special exposure, privileges and standing in the ProZ.com community.

In addition to being distinguished with a special corporate ribbon, corporate members gain the commercial benefit of inclusion in the corporate membership directories -- both public and private enterprise versions. They can also post standard jobs directly, without waiting for them to be vetted, and they enjoy direct telephone access to support. Discounts are available to corporate members on ProZ.com events, and also on access to the new ProZ.com CONNECT! platform for outsourcing and vendor management.

For a full list of benefits, see: http://www.proz.com/join?viewPage=corp

2.3 - Where is the corporate directory?

The corporate directory is at http://www.proz.com/translation-agencies

It is accessible from the top navigation menu by going to "Directories" => "Companies".

The corporate directory is also promoted from the freelancer directory and the new ProZ.com CONNECT! platform.

2.4 - Are any of the benefits of individual membership included in corporate membership?

Many of the benefits of individual membership are included in corporate membership, including full access to the Blue Board, job postings, unvetted forum postings, discounts on events, the right to organize powwows, etc.* However, benefits that make sense only for individuals -- such as inclusion in the freelancer directory -- are not included.

* Access to networking features, which potentially affect other members, may be modified or revoked at the discretion of the ProZ.com team.

2.5 - What happens to my current individual membership if I purchase a corporate membership?

If you are already a standard member of ProZ.com, you have two options in taking out a corporate membership: (1) you can create a new profile specifically for corporate activities, purchasing the membership for this new profile, or (2) you can purchase the corporate membership under your current profile. If you choose option (2), the unused portion of your subscription fee will be converted into an extension of your corporate membership period.

To have your individual membership converted to corporate membership, please submit a support ticket.

2.6 - I understand I get 'test drive' access to ProZ.com CONNECT! as a corporate member. What is ProZ.com CONNECT!, and what does 'test drive' mean?

ProZ.com CONNECT! is an enterprise-grade candidate sourcing and management platform that medium- and large-sized language companies and end clients are using to improve the effectiveness and efficiency of their back-office translation-related operations.

Corporate members get 'test drive" access to this platform. In addition to providing a degree of market insight, in the form of greater insight into the ProZ.com database of candidates, this gives you an opportunity to determine if the solution is right for you.

The advanced features of the CONNECT! platform are available only if you actually subscribe to the platform. As a corporate member of ProZ.com, you would be eligible to subscribe at a discounted rate.

2.7 - How do I join as a corporate member?

Go to: http://www.proz.com/join?viewPage=corp

2.8 - Are there any conditions under which a company that wants to join will be refused?

The ProZ.com staff reserves the right to refuse corporate members on a selective basis. Companies with low average Blue Board entries may not be accepted as corporate members. Membership may also be refused to those with reports of non-payment on file from ProZ.com translators or interpreters.

3 - Student Membership

3.1 - What is ProZ.com student membership?

ProZ.com student membership is a membership type designed for people who are studying to become translators, interpreters, or other language industry professionals.

3.2 - What are the benefits of ProZ.com student membership?

Student members of ProZ.com get opportunities to network with professional working in the industry (at powwows and in the forums), watch them work (in KudoZ), and even work with them (in the mentoring program). They also have the option of attending conferences and training sessions at a discounted rate, to prepare practically for their future careers.

Also, as members of an international group of translation and interpreting students, student members are able to develop the networks that will serve them as professionals.

3.3 - Who is eligible for student membership?

Any current student who foresees him/herself becoming a translator or interpreter in the future is eligible for student membership. Documentation is not required.

3.4 - Which of the site's services are open to students?

Student members get full access to KudoZ (the terms help network used by thousands of professionals each day), the ProZ.com forums (the world's leading translator forums), conferences, powwows (free, informal local meetings), trainings (discounted for students), the mentoring / apprenticeship program, a dedicated forum for student members, and more.

Although you will appear in the directory of students, student membership does not include access to the jobs system or professional directory.

3.5 - Will student membership help me to get clients?

No, not directly. As a student member, you will not appear in the directory of professionals, and you will not be permitted to quote on posted jobs.

On the other hand, any networking that you do, or trainings that you take advantage of, may help to reduce the time it takes to build your client base when you enter the professional phase of your career.

3.6 - What is the mentoring / apprenticeship program?

The mentoring / apprenticeship program provides a means for translators and translation students who would like to be mentored to meet ProZ.com members who are well-established enough to take on an apprentice. This program is in an experimental pilot phase. For more information, see: http://www.proz.com/faq/mentoring

3.7 - Are student members identified as such throughout the site?

Yes. A special "student member" ribbon will appear beside your name at points throughout the site.

3.8 - How much does student membership cost?

One year of student membership is available for €30 / $39, payable online by credit card, paypal or other means. VAT tax will be charged to residents of the EU who do not produce a VAT number.

Depending on the payment method you choose, your membership may be activated instantly.

Satisfaction is guaranteed. If you are not happy with your student membership, a prorated refund will be provided to you.

3.9 - How do I join as a student member?

To purchase student membership, visit the student membership page and follow the steps described here.

3.10 - I have a question about student membership that is not answered here. Where should I go for information?

If you have a question about student membership, submit a support request for more information.