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. Meet a client or provider, and the relationship is yours, unencumbered, forever. What does this mean?

Mike Donlin

California Assembly Bill 5 took effect on January 1, 2020 and holds that most workers are employees - not freelancers. This has started to impact the gig economy and the language industry's translators and interpreters.

The statute (AB5) was signed into law by California governor Gavin Newsom in September 2019 and took effect on January 1, 2020. While initial coverage focused on freelance drivers for ride-sharing companies like Uber and Lyft, its impact has been felt across many industries including language professionals.

Mike Donlin

Last night, the film Parasite became the first non-English language movie to win Best Picture at the Oscars. It won 4 awards in total. The wins resulted in plenty of screen time in front of a worldwide audience for interpreter Sharon Choi. But does she have a profile at ProZ.com?

Mike Donlin

ProZ.com localization: A community effort to make ProZ.com accessible to everyone.

If you are non-native English speaker, you might have realized by now that ProZ.com is also available in over 60 other languages. This is possible thanks to ProZ.com localizers, site members who have volunteered their efforts and skills to help the community. 

ProZ.com localization started in 2006, with the goal of making ProZ.com accessible for non-English speaking language professionals. Over a decade has passed, and today, ProZ.com is being localized into 84 languages. Some of the areas that have been localized so far include...

Andrea Capuselli

In part 1 of Henry's story, we saw how a moment in the company of Mona Lisa sparked a flash of inspiration that led to some research which resulted in a dream…

Andrew Morris

Options are available to purchase membership at ProZ.com through local currency and payment contacts in 25 different countries. This means you or your business can benefit from ProZ.com membership by purchasing in your currency in a way that might be more effective for you.

Mike Donlin

Do you have your own website? Now, if you're a Plus subscriber, you can show your visitors the feedback you've received from clients and colleagues on ProZ.com without ever having to leave your page.

"WWA" (Willingness to Work Again) feedback is a ProZ.com feature that provides translators, interpreters and other service providers with a means of requesting, collecting and displaying in their profiles feedback from outsourcers and colleagues with whom they have worked.

The translator feedback page provides a dedicated interface to those willing to request or provide translator feedback, and with this widget, you can embed your WWA feedback card on your own website. You can find it under the Tools menu at the top navigation bar of the site:

ProZ.com's web widgets allow you to generate a code that you can easily add to your website. This widget will automatically be updated whenever somebody makes a WWA entry to your profile. Your site visitors and potential clients will be able to see your full feedback card, sorted by the most recent to the oldest entry.

Rocio Palacios

ProZ.com the website has been around since 1999, and so have those who have volunteered to foster and protect the positive, results-oriented atmosphere of the site: the moderators.

Lucía Leszinsky

We all define success in different ways. Do you consider yourself successful? Are you proud or happy about where you are right now in your career? Of professional objectives you have reached? Would you be willing to share with others how you got there? 

A new site area, "Freelancer success stories", is now available under the "Member activities" menu.

Jared Tabor

Do you find that when you try to pay a freelancer with PayPal, they can't accept it? ProZ*Pay offers you the option to fund your payment with PayPal while the recipient receives payment in the way they prefer.

Funding an individual payment with PayPal can be completed immediately through ProZ*Pay.

Mike Donlin

The ProZ.com Blue Board has been an important risk management tool for language service providers since 2001. It provides language professionals a place to give feedback on the likelihood of working again with an outsourcer.

Most entries highlight positive relationships. ProZ.com is a place where companies and language service providers meet and engage in good-faith transactions.

It is also a place to report negatively when payment has not been received. Cases of non-payment are taken seriously at ProZ.com.

When non-payment reports are made, outsourcers now see a link to ProZ*Pay where a payment may be made immediately.

Mike Donlin

Are you wondering whether a career in translating or interpreting may be for you? Here are some questions asked by those aspiring to be freelance translators or interpreters:

Henry

Recently in our Facebook group, made up of 25,000 freelance translators from all four corners of the globe, we asked them what they thought were the criteria that should entitle an agency to a ribbon.

How do you measure up?

Mike Donlin

Hi translators and interpreters.

There have been significant changes in translation and interpreting in recent years. How are you, as a freelancer, adapting?

Henry

The active shutdown of the federal government is the longest in United States history, entering its 32nd day as of this writing.

Over 400,000 federal workers are not being paid and others have been put on a temporary leave (furloughed).  The United States media has focused on the long lines at the airport and national parks are left unattended since the shutdown started on December 22, 2018.

How has the government shutdown impacted freelancers in the language industry? 

Mike Donlin