| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | Do you think this start-up is a scam? Thread poster: Alex Farrell (X)
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Alex Farrell (X) 
Japan
Local time: 22:15
Japanese to English
I think so.
"50% Cost Savings. More usage, more work for translators!"
Right below that:
"1 Price for all Language Pairs. Simplicity is king"
http://www.exvo.com/globalize/pages/globalize
I'm thinking, "No, thank you."
Thoughts?
| | | | | Why not try signing up as a translator? | May 26, 2009 |
Hello Alex,
Just to check out the site, why don't you try signing up as a translator? Signing up is free, so I don't think there would be any financial damages. Or ask them what "1 Price for all Language Pairs. Simplicity is king" really means.
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The co-founder bit sounds a little like a pyramid scam. In theory, you do not need any real jobs as long as more and more co-founders join. You will then get your 10%.
It all sounds off to me.
| | | | Laurent KRAULAND (X)
France
Local time: 15:15
French to German
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| Too much hot air... | May 26, 2009 |
This is basically what I would call an hot air site. Nice presentation, big fonts and so on... but where is the essential content? Maybe I am a little dumb, but I was not able to find it.
Laurent K.
PS: afaik, the owner of this site posted a few jobs on another website. Nothing to write home about, really (i.e. well below 10/100 euros per SW)!
[Edited at 2009-05-26 11:44 GMT]
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NMR (X)
France
Local time: 15:15
French to Dutch
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Marijke Singer wrote:
The co-founder bit sounds a little like a pyramid scam. In theory, you do not need any real jobs as long as more and more co-founders join. You will then get your 10%.
It all sounds off to me.
There is something strange about this website, other than MLM or pyramids, I don't know what it is but for myself I do refrain.
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Anyone who thinks in terms of one price for all language pairs knows nothing about the trade
spencer
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ScottishWildCat wrote:
This is basically what I would call an hot air site. Nice presentation, big fonts and so on... but where is the essential content? Maybe I am a little dumb, but I was not able to find it.
Laurent K.
PS: afaik, the owner of this site posted a few jobs on another website. Nothing to write home about, really (i.e. well below 10/100 euros per SW)!
[Edited at 2009-05-26 11:44 GMT]
The few times I could see prices quoted on ProZ.com I didn't see any figure anywhere near 10/100 Euros either...
I have sent in many quotes at 0.08 or even at 0.06, but without joy. Granted, it could be MY fault, but most outsourcers state "we can offer 0.04" etc. It doesn't seem to me that the quotes level does reflect in any way for or against this Mr. Afaik (or whatever his name is...).
| | | | | I'd avoid it | May 27, 2009 |
It seems fishy, not enough specific information about what they do, just a lot of buzzwords. A quick Google search was not reassuring. I like to to see info about a company on the web sites of well-known business magazines, newspapers, TV networks etc. I didn't find anything like that about the company, just more hot-air type sites and very little info. It's a start-up, but still...... it just doesn't feel right to me. I might do periodic Google searches on this company, to see what's going o... See more It seems fishy, not enough specific information about what they do, just a lot of buzzwords. A quick Google search was not reassuring. I like to to see info about a company on the web sites of well-known business magazines, newspapers, TV networks etc. I didn't find anything like that about the company, just more hot-air type sites and very little info. It's a start-up, but still...... it just doesn't feel right to me. I might do periodic Google searches on this company, to see what's going on, but I would avoid getting involved with it for now. ▲ Collapse
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Rod Walters
Japan
Local time: 22:15
Japanese to English
| Not with a barge pole | May 27, 2009 |
The basic idea of starting up a 'guild' company with financial contributions from participants is quite interesting. Whether it's the sort of thing that freelance translators are likely to be attracted to is another question.*
However, as has already been noted, the site is full of guff. Also the subscription is set at such a level as 1) to cover the cost of development of that website with just a few subscriptions 2) make it not worthwhile to pursue restitution if it turns out to b... See more The basic idea of starting up a 'guild' company with financial contributions from participants is quite interesting. Whether it's the sort of thing that freelance translators are likely to be attracted to is another question.*
However, as has already been noted, the site is full of guff. Also the subscription is set at such a level as 1) to cover the cost of development of that website with just a few subscriptions 2) make it not worthwhile to pursue restitution if it turns out to be a scam.
If the site were serious, I would want to see some sort of contract before forking over a penny. And I can't see how any of the promises made can reasonably be met. The suggestion seems to be that work is going to be done more quickly and more cheaply than under current models, with more happiness all round. Ain't gonna happen.
However, it will be fun to watch where this goes.
* A very select guild built around a limited number of CAT workflows or subject areas might be well worth pursuing with that approach. ▲ Collapse
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So, what do you think now?
I still wonder whether it is a scam or not.
They want me to translate texts as a part of my "training", which means that I just translate for free.
They wrote me that I can accept tasks and set my own rates as soon as I am done with my training. But in their Policies you can read that they won´t tell you the criteria to pass the training. So it can easily happen that I translate thousands of words for free "as a part of my traini... See more So, what do you think now?
I still wonder whether it is a scam or not.
They want me to translate texts as a part of my "training", which means that I just translate for free.
They wrote me that I can accept tasks and set my own rates as soon as I am done with my training. But in their Policies you can read that they won´t tell you the criteria to pass the training. So it can easily happen that I translate thousands of words for free "as a part of my training".
Don´t you think they should announce their criteria for the training and how long does the training period take (or at least the word amount)?
Is it a scam? ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Scam: Page no longer exists!!? | Oct 21, 2011 |
Uh, yeah, I would say scam: seeing as how the page is no longer accessible!
Error accessing the page:
The Page You were Looking for does not Exist
We're sorry but this page can't be found
Click Start to find something else to view
| | | | | Page no longer exists | Oct 21, 2011 |
That one doesn´t, but this one does:
http://www.exvo.com/#!/pages/intro
You can sign up as a translator and start your training or "training"!
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| Scam or not, I don't like being forced to work for free | Oct 21, 2011 |
Katerina Novotna wrote:
They want me to translate texts as a part of my "training", which means that I just translate for free.
They wrote me that I can accept tasks and set my own rates as soon as I am done with my training. But in their Policies you can read that they won´t tell you the criteria to pass the training. So it can easily happen that I translate thousands of words for free "as a part of my training".
Don´t you think they should announce their criteria for the training and how long does the training period take (or at least the word amount)?
Is it a scam?
Hi Katka,
I don't know if it's a scam or not, but I'd be wary to take on anything that is required to be free, especially with so many variables and unknowns involved.
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Stanislav Pokorny wrote:
Hi Katka,
I don't know if it's a scam or not, but I'd be wary to take on anything that is required to be free, especially with so many variables and unknowns involved.
Ok, thank you for your advice! It´s just not transparent enough to become a part of it.
| | | | Alberto Manni
United Kingdom
Local time: 14:15
Member (2020)
English to Italian
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| It's not a serious initiative | Apr 3, 2012 |
Hello everybody,
I'd like to share what I have seen.
I went through the training, where I came across a serious bug which blocked its completion. Exchanged a few mails with some Mark of exvo support, then eventually finished it. That was for free, alright, and, by the way, looked like material belonging to the exvo web site itself, not a pay job in disuguise. So far, so good, but I felt like the guinea pig.
Then comes a first job, a short one. I ac... See more Hello everybody,
I'd like to share what I have seen.
I went through the training, where I came across a serious bug which blocked its completion. Exchanged a few mails with some Mark of exvo support, then eventually finished it. That was for free, alright, and, by the way, looked like material belonging to the exvo web site itself, not a pay job in disuguise. So far, so good, but I felt like the guinea pig.
Then comes a first job, a short one. I accept, and do it.
I get a completion note, and the promise of the payment in seven days.
That was a few months ago.
No news since then, and no reply from Mark, who must have found a better job.
I just receive some automated messages from time to time, asif the whole thing is now run by a bored, lonlely server with no humans around.
So, while they didn't try to rob my money, they did rob some of my work, and left the site abandoned.
[Edited at 2012-04-03 12:56 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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