Question for Platinum Members Thread poster: cochon
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cochon
Local time: 13:12
English to French
Hello to all platinum members! I am a french/english translator and i would be interested in taking the platinum membership. I am not familiar with this service and I would like to get some feedbacks about it.
Did it actually worked out for any of you in getting translation jobs from home. If yes, how often? Please let me know at [email protected] - My name is Emilie.
| | | | Mary Worby 
United Kingdom
Local time: 12:12
German to English
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| Difficult to say! | Jan 20, 2003 |
I\'ve been a platinum member for just over a year now and, in that time, I have had enquiries from several companies, many of whom have turned into customers. (These are generally direct enquiries via e-mail, rather than the jobs which are posted on the site).
What is difficult to say is whether that work would have come along anyway had I not been platinum. I have a fairly high profile on the site, answer KudoZ questions, pop up in the forums now and again, and have a compl... See more I\'ve been a platinum member for just over a year now and, in that time, I have had enquiries from several companies, many of whom have turned into customers. (These are generally direct enquiries via e-mail, rather than the jobs which are posted on the site).
What is difficult to say is whether that work would have come along anyway had I not been platinum. I have a fairly high profile on the site, answer KudoZ questions, pop up in the forums now and again, and have a complete profile. I think getting work through the site has to be a combination of various factors. Going platinum alone is not some sort of magic formula for success  !
I certainly got work through ProZ before going Platinum as well. And it is definitely true to say that jobs were not my reasons for going Platinum. I merely felt it was a valuable resource that merited support. And I would still feel that now, even without the bonus of work!
HTH
Mary ▲ Collapse
| | | | | No big difference, BUT... | Jan 20, 2003 |
Hi Emilie,
ProZ worked very well for me. By relocating to Canada I lost many of my former clients. Mainly due to my ProZ-membership I was able to get back into full-time translation within less than a year.
However, I don\'t think that upgrading to Platinium-membership made a significant difference. BUT as ProZ worked so well for me, I just wanted to support ProZ to continue and enhance services to the translation community by paying my membership fee.... See more Hi Emilie,
ProZ worked very well for me. By relocating to Canada I lost many of my former clients. Mainly due to my ProZ-membership I was able to get back into full-time translation within less than a year.
However, I don\'t think that upgrading to Platinium-membership made a significant difference. BUT as ProZ worked so well for me, I just wanted to support ProZ to continue and enhance services to the translation community by paying my membership fee.
In short, why don\'t you test ProZ for a few months and if it\'s working for you as well you can upgrade any time.
Stephan ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Supporting a helpful site! | Jan 20, 2003 |
I went platinum as a way of putting my money where my mouth was. I had spent a year singing the praises of the site, without once considering backing it with more than just words.
I have had jobs from the site - both before and after Platinum Membership, but these were usually through direct contact, from my profile page, rather than via bids for jobs posted. However, my reasons for going platinum were more closely connected with supporting the existence of the site in the ... See more I went platinum as a way of putting my money where my mouth was. I had spent a year singing the praises of the site, without once considering backing it with more than just words.
I have had jobs from the site - both before and after Platinum Membership, but these were usually through direct contact, from my profile page, rather than via bids for jobs posted. However, my reasons for going platinum were more closely connected with supporting the existence of the site in the immediate aftermath of the bursting of the internet bubble.
Over the last three years, this site has given me so much help and support as a freelance translator living in a fairly isolated area that I feel that helping it to survive and grow is the least I can do in return.
If you only think in terms of financial reward, who knows whether it is a sound investment, but if you think in terms of supporting a network of colleagues and a vital resource, then there is no doubt about the wisdom of going platinum.
Plus, there are a few fringe benefits too! Access to the user friendly CAT tool Metatexis being one. ▲ Collapse
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Parrot
Spain
Local time: 13:12
Spanish to English
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| Pardon me, Berni, I think in terms of financial reward | Jan 21, 2003 |
so I backed it with my money.
No, seriously, Stephan is right. I joined proz as a non-paying question-asker in the middle of the year and was surprised to see the financial results on Excel. Give it a bit of time.
| | | | Bill Greendyk
United States
Local time: 07:12
Member (2002)
Spanish to English
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| It's paid off for me! | Jan 21, 2003 |
I joined Proz as a Platimum member from the beginning, because that\'s just me -- I\'m a risk-taker, and the risk seemed worth taking.
Since then, exactly one year ago, I have received several good jobs via the Proz Job bidding process. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that 1) Platinum members are reviewed by potential clients first, and 2) I earned a number of Kudoz points, and as I believe, potential clients see the job bidders in the order of the number of Kudoz point... See more I joined Proz as a Platimum member from the beginning, because that\'s just me -- I\'m a risk-taker, and the risk seemed worth taking.
Since then, exactly one year ago, I have received several good jobs via the Proz Job bidding process. This is undoubtedly due to the fact that 1) Platinum members are reviewed by potential clients first, and 2) I earned a number of Kudoz points, and as I believe, potential clients see the job bidders in the order of the number of Kudoz points they have accumulated. (Someone please correct me if I\'m wrong.) 
However, the jobs I received directly from Proz are nothing when compared to jobs I\'ve received through \"connections\" that I\'ve gotten through the Proz-jobs. I have developed a \"niche,\" in other words, a specialty area in which most of my jobs are. It seems that between agencies and direct clients, one\'s name, especially in a specialty area, if you have one, gets out there after doing a job or two. At present, I have more than full-time work, and a large part of that is thanks to Proz., and indirectly, my Platinum membership. Furthermore, the Platimum advantages are many more, as Berni points out very well.
In short, I\'d give it a shot, and I think you won\'t be disappointed in the end.
Good luck,
Bill ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Whoa there Polly! | Jan 21, 2003 |
Hi Ceci,
I wasn\'t saying Platinum might not pay off financially for others, I was just saying it has not done so for me.
But my point was that that fact has not made me regret going platinum.
I would have done as I have done if the darkest star in all the heavens had shone down upon my transaction! (to paraphrase a certain illegitimate son of Gloucester...
Berni
| | | | Steffen Walter
Germany
Local time: 13:12
Member (2002)
English to German
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| Going Platinum with BrowniZ | Jan 22, 2003 |
Hi Emilie,
a few things to add on the positive side:
a) I exactly followed the approach suggested by some others, i.e. staying with ProZ for some months and then going Platinum.
b) Provided you decide to actively participate in the KudoZ terms help system, you could accumulate BrowniZ points relatively quickly by peer-grading answers and entering terms into the KudoZ glossary (or uploading your own terminology collections). As a resu... See more Hi Emilie,
a few things to add on the positive side:
a) I exactly followed the approach suggested by some others, i.e. staying with ProZ for some months and then going Platinum.
b) Provided you decide to actively participate in the KudoZ terms help system, you could accumulate BrowniZ points relatively quickly by peer-grading answers and entering terms into the KudoZ glossary (or uploading your own terminology collections). As a result, you can upgrade to Platinum for half the normal amount, using 6,000 BrowniZ instead.
c) For me, this investment has long paid off as I got a couple of jobs through ProZ.
My two cents,
Steffen ▲ Collapse
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