Can someone please help getting profile ready? Thread poster: Javi Tazinafo
|
|---|
Javi Tazinafo 
Brazil
Local time: 00:55
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
Hello, dear colleagues.
I am a new member and also a recent translator. My career is just starting and need a hand on polishing my profile because I am not getting replies for jobs.
My situation is that I am still young and have no credentials nor a translation education and don't know yet how to make clients believe I know what I am doing.
My translations are very good and I have been receiving good feedback, but I am afraid that is not enough.
... See more Hello, dear colleagues.
I am a new member and also a recent translator. My career is just starting and need a hand on polishing my profile because I am not getting replies for jobs.
My situation is that I am still young and have no credentials nor a translation education and don't know yet how to make clients believe I know what I am doing.
My translations are very good and I have been receiving good feedback, but I am afraid that is not enough.
Please, whoever's got the time, take a look at my profile. I need help specifically on the fields "about me", "user message" and "tagline". These are already filled, but need more polishing.
Apart from the profile, I think the texts I write for the quotes are also keeping me from drawing interest. I have been searching here in the forum for previous topics about that and got some interesting insights, then I composed a texts, but have a feeling it is still not quite right.
Here is a model:
X: URL for the job post page.
W: rate per word/hour.
Y: delivery date.
Z: date of quote.
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Hello. In reference to posted job ***X***,
My rate is ***W***. Other currencies are also acceptable (equivalent value).
This rate is an initial unconfirmed value. In case of interest, I would need to see the document before I can confirm it.
Payment no later than 30 days after receipt of invoice.
(PayPal, MasterCard or Visa)
The delivery date is ***Y***, valid only if starting on day ***Z***. The number of days past this day must be added to the delivery date.
Please mind my CV as well as my ProZ profile (http://proz.com/translator/1242359).
Matheus Favaretto Tazinafo
Full Time Translator: EN-PTbr/PT-EN
WLM: *****
Skype: *****
E-mail: *****
------------------------------------------------------------------
So, what do you think?
I thank you all in advance for the kindness! )
[Edited at 2010-09-17 19:45 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | |
If it's any consolation, most of us have been in your position at some stage - I know I was.
I've always believed that the letters after your name don't really matter, and your work should speak for itself. So I'd strongly recommend taking one or two translations that you feel particularly proud of, and adding them to your ProZ profile. The sample translations are one of the first things I look at in deciding whether someone is any good or not.
Also, I would concentra... See more If it's any consolation, most of us have been in your position at some stage - I know I was.
I've always believed that the letters after your name don't really matter, and your work should speak for itself. So I'd strongly recommend taking one or two translations that you feel particularly proud of, and adding them to your ProZ profile. The sample translations are one of the first things I look at in deciding whether someone is any good or not.
Also, I would concentrate on English to Portuguese - your English is very good, but it still has a few little flaws that show you're not a native speaker.
By the way, your profile says you worked for a "download website". I'm not totally clear what this means, because all websites involve downloading information.
Good luck! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Javi Tazinafo
Brazil
Local time: 00:55
Member (2010)
English to Portuguese
TOPIC STARTER
Hello.
Thank you for your feedback. I will remove the PT-EN pair.
A download website just like www.softpedia.com . How should I call this?
Someone told me to get rid of the User Message completely. What do you think? Should I leave blank?
| | | | Rodion Shein
Russian Federation
Local time: 06:55
English to Russian
+ ...
| Submit a Support Request | Sep 18, 2010 |
Hi Matheus,
The best option is to submit a support request (http://www.proz.com/support). ProZ.com team will help you build a strong profile (there is even a dedicated support program). Then you will update it occasionally.
Do not hesitate to contact site staff and moderators in your language pair to get any help with the site.
Rodion
| | |
|
|
|
Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 04:55
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Some hopefully constructive comments | Sep 18, 2010 |
Matheus Favaretto Tazinafo wrote:
My situation is that I am still young and have no credentials nor a translation education and don't know yet how to make clients believe I know what I am doing.
My translations are very good and I have been receiving good feedback, but I am afraid that is not enough.
You have WWA entries that support your claim to be a good translator but apart from that, clients have to take everything on trust.
No translation education - wouldn't it be a good idea to get some sort of training? There are some quite basic but good courses available that will help you avoid some of the pitfalls (eg how to handle names, citations, abbreviations etc)
No sample texts - why not put up examples of your translations so everyone can see what you do?
No CV - you do come across to me as someone who may be trying to hide something: "more information on demand only"; "CV available on request only"
Apart from the profile, I think the texts I write for the quotes are also keeping me from drawing interest. I have been searching here in the forum for previous topics about that and got some interesting insights, then I composed a texts, but have a feeling it is still not quite right.
Your quote is fine for telling clients "what I want", but where is the "what I can give"? Why should they choose you over the thousands of other translators in your pair?
Apart from those specific comments, I have to say that you're doing a lot of things right - your profile is quite complete, you have WWA, you are a member of ProZ.
Have you thought about answering KudoZ questions? The benefits are threefold: 1) you improve your ranking in the directory in general, and specifically when clients restrict their search to your specialist subjects where you have points; 2) Clients can access your comments and answers, giving them an idea of how you tackle difficult terminology; 3) it's just satisfying to help your peers (well I think so, anyway).
I think you have to be prepared to accept lean times until you gain more experience, but hopefully you're on the right path.
Good luck,
Sheila
P.S. Do you really accept card payments? That would be unusual for freelancers I think, but I could be wrong.
| | | | To report site rules violations or get help, contact a site moderator: You can also contact site staff by submitting a support request » Can someone please help getting profile ready? | Wordfast Pro | Translation Memory Software for Any Platform
Exclusive discount for ProZ.com users!
Save over 13% when purchasing Wordfast Pro through ProZ.com. Wordfast is the world's #1 provider of platform-independent Translation Memory software. Consistently ranked the most user-friendly and highest value
Buy now! » |
| | TM-Town | Manage your TMs and Terms ... and boost your translation business
Are you ready for something fresh in the industry? TM-Town is a unique new site for you -- the freelance translator -- to store, manage and share translation memories (TMs) and glossaries...and potentially meet new clients on the basis of your prior work.
More info » |
|
| | | | X Sign in to your ProZ.com account... | | | | | |
Login to reply/comment 
