ProZ.com's unique membership model means that when outsourcers and service providers connect via ProZ.com, neither side is charged any commissions or fees. When a translator, interpreter, subtitler or transcriber meets a client or provider, the relationship is yours, unencumbered, forever.
It means language professionals who meet clients at ProZ.com do not need to pay anything to the website. There are no fees for this connection.
Outsourcers are encouraged to post jobs or to contact freelancers via profiles on the site. Once a positive connection is made, the relationship may last as long as you wish. Unlike other sites, when a client meets you via the ProZ.com directory, that client is yours, directly. You set your prices, you bill clients directly, and the next time they need your services, they are free to go directly to you without visiting ProZ.com.
This site has been impacting the language community for over 20 years (since 1999).
In that time, millions of dollars (or whatever currency you agree upon) have been paid to language professionals. With zero commission, it means more of those wages have gone to service providers.
Some sites might take 5-20% of your wages. Not ProZ.com.
The real goal is to connect service providers and outsourcers for a long-term relationship.
Need help establishing yourself with this mindset?
I invite you to join likeminded professionals by talking about it in ProZ.com forums, at the Translation Mastermind facebook group free to professional members with the plus package or in the free Translators and Interpreters (ProZ.com) Facebook group.
Without commissions, how does ProZ.com remain the world's leading community of freelance translators?
Members pay for membership benefits that give connection advantages to professional members for quoting on jobs and getting found in the directory. Business membership helps outsourcers in their relationship with service providers and get found by end clients and other language companies for more work.
Members are the key to keeping commission-free relationships going for 20+ years.
Why does ProZ.com work like this? Because the site was made by freelancers, for freelancers.
Do you think you want to be a freelance translator or interpreter? We wrote a blog post on that too.