ProZ.com Translation Forums

How do you deal with companies not responding | How to find...

Peter Motte — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 18:42:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How do you deal with companies not responding
Poster: Peter Motte
Post title: How to find...

[quote]Stanislaw Czech, MCIL CL wrote:

I would not chase individual ProZ job postings by email. Many of these posts get a large number of applications, and silence usually just means you were not shortlisted. A better use of the time is to target direct clients and agencies whose work fits your specialisations, where a short, specific introduction can lead to a longer relationship. I would also keep a simple list of who you contacted and when, and follow up once after a couple of weeks at most. [/quote]

... direct clients?

How do you deal with companies not responding | Thanx!

Sabrina Willumsen — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:26:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How do you deal with companies not responding
Poster: Sabrina Willumsen
Post title: Thanx!

[quote]WolfgangS wrote:

not respond back. [/quote]

Alright. Thank you for letting me know how you react. I need to collect some ideas from people about how to handle it.

Thanx!

How do you deal with companies not responding | best strategy

Sabrina Willumsen — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:24:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How do you deal with companies not responding
Poster: Sabrina Willumsen
Post title: best strategy

[quote]Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:

When a potential client does not respond to my bid, I assume that I do not in some way meet their requirements and that they are not interested in working with me for whatever reason (my rate?). I cannot see how getting in touch would change the decision they have already made; quite the opposite, in fact. Some job posters receive dozens (hundreds?) of replies, and asking them for feedback does not strike me as the best strategy. It’s wiser to move on… [/quote]

Yes, guess you are right. It may seem very aggressive perhaps to contact them in order to get an answer.

Thanks for your comment.

How do you deal with companies not responding | Thank you!

Sabrina Willumsen — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:22:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How do you deal with companies not responding
Poster: Sabrina Willumsen
Post title: Thank you!

[quote]Michael Newton wrote:

Don't be surprised. It is normal and par for the course. If you don't hear from them, they are not interested. Very rarely I have received a "your bid has been declined". Move on and get on with your life. Realize that when you submit a bid, you are just gambling. [/quote]

It's good to know that I am not the only one who does not get even a "your bid has been declined".
Thank you for your comment!

How do you deal with companies not responding | Thank you!

Sabrina Willumsen — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 16:20:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How do you deal with companies not responding
Poster: Sabrina Willumsen
Post title: Thank you!

[quote]Victor Muruet Garcia wrote:

I am with you, Sabrina. It is hard to deal with unresponsive entities (as it seems there is no one to deal with after bidding or responding to an add).
I used to navigate the poster's website in search of a contact PM and ask for feedback (with mx results of success in terms of responses).
I find contacting new potential companies/clients harder nowadays as everything seems automated and feel like I am dealing with bots rather than a human being,
My best tip at the moment would be try to contact them if possible not to dwell too much on that. Also, if they have reviews on the dashboard, maybe try to contact a couple of the reviewers to gauge their current experience with them.
I hope it helps.
Victor [/quote]

Thanks a lot, Victor! I also have the impression that I am dealing with bots unfortunately. It makes sense to contact reviewers - I'll keep that in mind!
Thanx!

How do you deal with companies not responding | I do

WolfgangS — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 10:27:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How do you deal with companies not responding
Poster: WolfgangS
Post title: I do

not respond back.

How do you deal with companies not responding | Re: How do you deal with companies not responding

Stanislaw Czech, MCIL CL — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 08:18:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How do you deal with companies not responding
Poster: Stanislaw Czech, MCIL CL
Post title: Re: How do you deal with companies not responding

I would not chase individual ProZ job postings by email. Many of these posts get a large number of applications, and silence usually just means you were not shortlisted. A better use of the time is to target direct clients and agencies whose work fits your specialisations, where a short, specific introduction can lead to a longer relationship. I would also keep a simple list of who you contacted and when, and follow up once after a couple of weeks at most.

How do you deal with companies not responding | Normal

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 08:01:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How do you deal with companies not responding
Poster: Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Post title: Normal

When a potential client does not respond to my bid, I assume that I do not in some way meet their requirements and that they are not interested in working with me for whatever reason (my rate?). I cannot see how getting in touch would change the decision they have already made; quite the opposite, in fact. Some job posters receive dozens (hundreds?) of replies, and asking them for feedback does not strike me as the best strategy. It’s wiser to move on…

How do you deal with companies not responding | companies not responding

Michael Newton — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 07:20:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How do you deal with companies not responding
Poster: Michael Newton
Post title: companies not responding

Don't be surprised. It is normal and par for the course. If you don't hear from them, they are not interested. Very rarely I have received a "your bid has been declined". Move on and get on with your life. Realize that when you submit a bid, you are just gambling.

How do you deal with companies not responding | Normal

Philip Lees — Fri, 23 Oct 2026 04:42:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How do you deal with companies not responding
Poster: Philip Lees
Post title: Normal

[quote]Sabrina Willumsen wrote:

It has happened several times that a company posts a job on Proz.com and never reply me. I applied for it and I never hear either a "you have got the job" or the opposite.
I don't even get a confirmation from them that they have received my application.
Does it sounds familiar to you?[/quote]
This is normal, especially for jobs advertised on ProZ.

Just file it away and move on.

How do you deal with companies not responding | How to deal with companies not responding

Victor Muruet Garcia — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 22:16:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How do you deal with companies not responding
Poster: Victor Muruet Garcia
Post title: How to deal with companies not responding

I am with you, Sabrina. It is hard to deal with unresponsive entities (as it seems there is no one to deal with after bidding or responding to an add).
I used to navigate the poster's website in search of a contact PM and ask for feedback (with mx results of success in terms of responses).
I find contacting new potential companies/clients harder nowadays as everything seems automated and feel like I am dealing with bots rather than a human being,
My best tip at the moment would be try to contact them if possible not to dwell too much on that. Also, if they have reviews on the dashboard, maybe try to contact a couple of the reviewers to gauge their current experience with them.
I hope it helps.
Victor

How do you deal with companies not responding

Sabrina Willumsen — Thu, 22 Oct 2026 07:24:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How do you deal with companies not responding
Poster: Sabrina Willumsen

Hi everybody,

It has happened several times that a company posts a job on Proz.com and never reply me. I applied for it and I never hear either a "you have got the job" or the opposite.
I don't even get a confirmation from them that they have received my application.
Does it sounds familiar to you?
Do you send an email after some couple of days to follow up?

Best regards,
Sabrina

Meet with translators in Toulouse, France.

François LASSERRE DU ROZEL — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 12:51:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: Meet with translators in Toulouse, France.
Poster: François LASSERRE DU ROZEL

D'accord. Merci.

Meet with translators in Toulouse, France. | powow

Philippe Boucry — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:59:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: Meet with translators in Toulouse, France.
Poster: Philippe Boucry
Post title: powow

[quote]François LASSERRE DU ROZEL wrote:

I would like to meet new translators located near my city.
[/quote]

On appelle ça un powow sur ce site.

Ça s'organise ici : [url removed]

Meet with translators in Toulouse, France.

François LASSERRE DU ROZEL — Thu, 24 Sep 2026 11:18:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: Meet with translators in Toulouse, France.
Poster: François LASSERRE DU ROZEL

Hello Community,

I am a French translator based in Montauban. I would like to meet new translators located near my city.
I would like to know new people to share our passion of languages.

How often do you apply for new jobs? | Guess we got all kinds here!

Andrej Preradovic — Tue, 12 May 2026 22:34:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How often do you apply for new jobs?
Poster: Andrej Preradovic
Post title: Guess we got all kinds here!

Yeah, getting clients to reach out (and telling others about you) is the ideal outcome for sure. Unfortunately most of my work has always been for bigger agencies where it's hard to stand out...both because the work can be monotonous (hard to impress someone with MTPE of UI strings) and because you get handed from PM to PM who are working in divisions or locations you don't even know about.

So I have to constantly look for new jobs daily :/ I actually developed a small app to help me with that since it gets draining after a while. Especially when the client finally tells you the rate they want you to work for...

How often do you apply for new jobs? | A mix of inbound and occasional outreach works for me

Rodolfo Abachi — Tue, 12 May 2026 13:30:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How often do you apply for new jobs?
Poster: Rodolfo Abachi
Post title: A mix of inbound and occasional outreach works for me

Interesting question. I'm still in the earlier stages of building my client base, so I do check job boards regularly — not every single day, but a few times a week. I focus on ProZ job boards and LinkedIn postings.

That said, I've found that the most sustainable approach is to invest in a good profile, on-time delivery, and quality work so that repeat clients and word-of-mouth referrals grow organically. As I've gained more regular clients, my active job-hunting has decreased.

For more experienced colleagues like Samuel Murray who haven't had to reach out in 15 years — that's really the ideal situation! It takes time to build that kind of reputation, but it's definitely the goal to work towards.

How often do you apply for new jobs? | @Andrej

Samuel Murray — Fri, 08 May 2026 07:15:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How often do you apply for new jobs?
Poster: Samuel Murray
Post title: @Andrej

[quote]Andrej Preradovic wrote:
How often do you apply for new translation jobs? Do you scour the job boards daily, wait for clients to contact you, or do you have enough clients/agencies so that you don't actually have to look for new gigs? [/quote]
I have not contacted clients myself for over 15 years. Clients find me. They find me on various freelance registers, and when an agency splits in two and the new agency PMs remember my name.

That said, contacting new clients has been on my to-do list for at least 5 years -- I just don't get round to doing it. In principle it's easy: use the filter in the Blue Board, visit the agencies' websites, and fill in their freelancer application forms.

There aren't many "jobs" in my language combination on the ProZ.com jobs board, but when such a job appears, I apply for it, if only to get my name in the client's books. My rates are often higher than the budget specified in the job posts, so I rarely get the job. So, in that sense I do "contact clients", but only after they posted a job.

How often do you apply for new jobs? | Daily

Gregor Trebec — Fri, 08 May 2026 07:14:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How often do you apply for new jobs?
Poster: Gregor Trebec
Post title: Daily

I scroll the board on daily basis.

How often do you apply for new jobs? | @Andrej

Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida — Thu, 07 May 2026 21:44:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How often do you apply for new jobs?
Poster: Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Post title: @Andrej

I have been translating for over 40 years, so usually I wait for clients to contact me, unless something really interesting comes up on the job board. I must say that hasn’t happened for a long while…

How often do you apply for new jobs?

Andrej Preradovic — Thu, 07 May 2026 20:31:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: How often do you apply for new jobs?
Poster: Andrej Preradovic

I'm curious: How often do you apply for new translation jobs? Do you scour the job boards daily, wait for clients to contact you, or do you have enough clients/agencies so that you don't actually have to look for new gigs?

Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol | Partly right

Peter Motte — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:55:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol
Poster: Peter Motte
Post title: Partly right

[quote]Samuel Murray wrote:
AFAIK the 120% tax deduction in Belgium relates only to the cost of e-invoicing software. In other words, if you pay EUR 100 subscription for e-invoicing software, then you can "deduct" EUR 120 from your taxable income or profit. This makes the cost of e-invoicing software almost free for regular freelancers. [/quote]

That's right, but it's only for a limited time, as far as I know. And even if it isn't for a limited time, the moment the government needs money, it's one of the first things which will disappear.
That makes it dangerous it you take it into account when you choose a Peppol service provider and don't look at the price. Sooner or later it might go up.
That EUR 120 at this moment means you pay x% of EUR 120, whereby x depends on the % of taxes you pay (which depends on the level of your income).
A few years ago, there were tax incentives in Belgium for people who bought an electric car. It was something like 110 or 120% tax deduction. Because it doesn't mean you can deduct the whole cost of the car of the taxes you have to pay, and moreover lots of people can only deduct part of the costs anyway, lots of people all at a sudden discovered they had to pay more taxes than they expected, and their car wasn't free at all, as some of them thought.

Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol | What "tax-deductible" means

Samuel Murray — Thu, 26 Feb 2026 12:02:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol
Poster: Samuel Murray
Post title: What "tax-deductible" means

[quote]Peter Motte wrote:
Costs are not tax-deductible, they are turnover-deductible and lower your taxes but not for the full amount of the costs. [/quote]
In English, the term "tax deductible" means that you can deduct it from your taxable income or profit. It does not mean the same as "tax credit", which is an amount that you deduct from your taxes.

I understand that some people who do not understand the concept yet may think that "tax deductible" means a tax credit -- it is a common misunderstanding. Typically, for freelancers, business expenses are tax deductible, i.e. you can lower your taxable income or profit by that amount.

AFAIK the 120% tax deduction in Belgium relates only to the cost of e-invoicing software. In other words, if you pay EUR 100 subscription for e-invoicing software, then you can "deduct" EUR 120 from your taxable income or profit. This makes the cost of e-invoicing software almost free for regular freelancers.

Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol | That's right

Peter Motte — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 15:48:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol
Poster: Peter Motte
Post title: That's right

[quote]Lieven Malaise wrote:

[quote]Peter Motte wrote:
"tax-deductible" implies that you can deduct the total amount of your taxes, whereas that's not true. You can only deduct part of it. Calling costs "tax-deductible" is unclear language. [/quote]

This is becoming dull. You can simply look it up, you know. It's a common word for a common prinicple. [/quote]

That's right, but it's unclear. Lots of people think that freelancers or shopkeepers or whatever have the right to deduct the complete prices of their cars from their taxes. Which is not true.

Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol | No

Lieven Malaise — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 15:46:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol
Poster: Lieven Malaise
Post title: No

[quote]Peter Motte wrote:
"tax-deductible" implies that you can deduct the total amount of your taxes, whereas that's not true. You can only deduct part of it. Calling costs "tax-deductible" is unclear language. [/quote]

This is becoming dull. You can simply look it up, you know. It's a common word for a common prinicple.

Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol | How will that turn out?

Peter Motte — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 15:19:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol
Poster: Peter Motte
Post title: How will that turn out?

[quote]Lieven Malaise wrote:

[quote]Peter Motte wrote:
Fact is: all kinds of things can happen with the information you give them. Selling to avoid bankruptcy is only one of them. [/quote]

But the law prohibits that they sell your personal data. They can't just sell them (well they can, but that would have severe legal consequences). It's not that difficult. [/quote]

Question is how it will turn out if they sell data which is needed to run the company. There is something like "legitimate interests".
In this case, it's certainly something which will have to be tested in court.
E.g.: a company A gets quoted on the stock exchange.
Another company B offering the same services is also quoted on the stock exchange.
What if B buys A?

[Edited at 2026-02-25 15:34 GMT]

Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol | Not tax-deductible

Peter Motte — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 15:18:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol
Poster: Peter Motte
Post title: Not tax-deductible

[quote]Lieven Malaise wrote:

[quote]Peter Motte wrote:
Well, no, it's not actually tax-deductible. You can enter it as costs[/quote]

There is no contradiction. Being tax-deductible means you can enter it as costs, which ultimately makes you pay less taxes. I didn't mean to say there are no costs at all.

[Bijgewerkt op 2026-02-25 14:57 GMT] [/quote]

"tax-deductible" implies that you can deduct the total amount of your taxes, whereas that's not true. You can only deduct part of it. Calling costs "tax-deductible" is unclear language.

Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol | No

Lieven Malaise — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:59:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol
Poster: Lieven Malaise
Post title: No

[quote]Peter Motte wrote:
Fact is: all kinds of things can happen with the information you give them. Selling to avoid bankruptcy is only one of them. [/quote]

But the law prohibits that they sell your personal data. They can't just sell them (well they can, but that would have severe legal consequences). It's not that difficult.

Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol | Same thing

Lieven Malaise — Wed, 25 Feb 2026 14:56:00 +0000

Forum: Being independent
Topic: Belgium is a guinea pig for Peppol
Poster: Lieven Malaise
Post title: Same thing

[quote]Peter Motte wrote:
Well, no, it's not actually tax-deductible. You can enter it as costs[/quote]

There is no contradiction. Being tax-deductible means you can enter it as costs, which ultimately makes you pay less taxes. I didn't mean to say there are no costs at all.

[Bijgewerkt op 2026-02-25 14:57 GMT]