Forums about proz.com » ProZ.com suggestions »
Suggestion: Count Interest Fields as fields for directory placement (see inside)
Thread poster: Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz
Łukasz Gos-Furmankiewicz  Identity Verified
Poland
Local time: 02:41
English to Polish
+ ...
Jul 2, 2013

(This concerns the basic directory search and My Directory Ranking. It matters more in rarer pairs and fields than it does in English Spanish/German/French.)

It is difficult to classify certain fields in certain pairs as working fields, for example due to a low demand resulting in a low turnover. As a result, we may well have interest fields, 'mere' interest fields that is, in which we can hardly claim to work (how many people work in religion outside of Latin, or archaelogy or sla... See more
(This concerns the basic directory search and My Directory Ranking. It matters more in rarer pairs and fields than it does in English Spanish/German/French.)

It is difficult to classify certain fields in certain pairs as working fields, for example due to a low demand resulting in a low turnover. As a result, we may well have interest fields, 'mere' interest fields that is, in which we can hardly claim to work (how many people work in religion outside of Latin, or archaelogy or slang?). I suppose if they correspond to a lifelong interest or a degree, we can always upgrade them to a specialisation. On the other hand, that's not always possible, and specialisations are only 10 at any rate.

I've also noticed that in some fields and pairs it doesn't take a lot to end up in the top 10. This makes me think that perhaps the whole list isn't actually that long. I believe it would make sense to include translators who only indicate interest in that field. Not to mention that an experienced translator with some interest in a field will likely still deliver better results than a rookie who specialises in it, anyway.

This isn't much of a problem for the advanced search, where the user can indicate that an interest in the field is sufficient. On the other hand, 1) basic search users may take a while to realise what the problem is (i.e. rare field and pair combination, Interest not selected in advanced options), and 2) it's impossible to check one's directory placement in the My Directory Ranking tool.

At any rate, regardless of what happens with the search, how about just enabling My Directory Ranking for interest fields? ▲ Collapse
 
Josephine Cassar
Josephine Cassar  Identity Verified
Malta
Local time: 02:41
Member (2012)
English to Maltese
+ ...
True Jul 2, 2013

I agree with what you say; I also had difficulty choosing them as some of my speciality do not appear- EU affairs e.g.I also have difficulty answering questions related to my speciality fields as no questions appear, and also in my top language pairs-e.g. EN>MT. I agree that interest fields should count as fields for directory placement and thank you for bringing it up.
 


To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator:

Moderator(s) of this forum
Jared Tabor[Call to this topic]
Lucia Leszinsky[Call to this topic]

You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request »

Suggestion: Count Interest Fields as fields for directory placement (see inside)






Anycount & Translation Office 3000
Translation Office 3000

Translation Office 3000 is an advanced accounting tool for freelance translators and small agencies. TO3000 easily and seamlessly integrates with the business life of professional freelance translators.

More info »
Protemos translation business management system
Create your account in minutes, and start working! 3-month trial for agencies, and free for freelancers!

The system lets you keep client/vendor database, with contacts and rates, manage projects and assign jobs to vendors, issue invoices, track payments, store and manage project files, generate business reports on turnover profit per client/manager etc.

More info »