Help with my ProZ profile Thread poster: Isabel Gonçalves Taveira
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Hello!
It's my first post on ProZ forum. I'm going to start as a freelance translator in a few days/weeks. I'm new on ProZ and on the translation market, so be kind with me.
I have completed my ProZ profile and would like to know what you think. Have you some advice to give me? What more can I do?
Kindest regards,
Isabel
| | | | Sheila Wilson 
Spain
Local time: 03:32
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Welcome, Isabel! | Jan 4, 2021 |
Isabel Taveira wrote:
It's my first post on ProZ forum. I'm going to start as a freelance translator in a few days/weeks. I'm new on ProZ and on the translation market, so be kind with me.
Welcome to ProZ.com, its forums, and the world of professional translation.
I have completed my ProZ profile and would like to know what you think. Have you some advice to give me? What more can I do?
You've got off to an auspicious start by contributing to the site itself and to the TED initiative. That says a lot about you already. You've already set yourself up with a good profile but there are always some tweaks that may be worth considering. In your case:-
-- I wonder if the order of your language pairs is the best possible. Often, clients will search the directory by filtering on top/only language pair. At present, you have EN>FR, which is a very big pool. I wonder if it would be better to have PT>FR first, as you'd be in a higher position in that search. But I really don't know which would be better. (There are 30,000 profiles in EN>FR here and only 1,500 PT>FR ones.)
-- You could get your native language verified (see the FAQ).
-- You could get your identity verified. That could be quite a plus for some potential clients. Some people are wary of online service providers who hide behind the internet. Of course, you already have your name and photo displayed -- both those are good.
-- You have some specialisations listed, but no other "working" subject areas. That would exclude you from appearing in searches for those subjects.
-- You clearly know about KudoZ but you need to spend time and effort there it's useful both for your directory ranking and for making yourself known to your peers. You can ask to be notified of all questions so you can get over there asap. Points in your specialisations are worth most but all points are useful.
-- I recommend uploading at least one sample per pair. It doesn't have to be something you've done professionally. You could translate something just for the sake of the sample.
-- You could give your degree as a credential, I think.
-- The more keywords the better. They help in Google searches and can also be specified in searches by potential clients.
-- You've localised your profile into French (great job!); I suggest doing the same for Portuguese.
The biggest improvement to your profile, though, would come from buying membership, with PLUS grade being the best one for you at the moment. This would bring you a basket of goodies (CAT, PM and other pro tools, training videos, FB group membership, etc), a vastly improved ranking in the directory, full BB access, and the ability to quote immediately on all posted jobs, plus other benefits. That's an awful lot of advantages for an investment that will give you a good ROI from the first job you land on the site. Your profile can be perfect but if nobody lands on it, it won't be doing you much good! Membership will bring you to the attention of far more clients. I advise you to invest in one of the major portals as your shop window, as that's where the clients are, and ProZ.com is by far the largest translation-specific portal, so it's the ideal choice.
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Hello Isabel,
As usual, Sheila has done a great job of analysing your profile, and I couldn't agree more with everything she says.
I would just add one word: specialise.
It might not seem obvious right now, but being or becoming a real expert in any field and marketing yourself as such is a huge asset in a translator's career.
All the best!
Bea
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Hello Sheila and Bea,
Thank you both of you! Really!
Now I have a clear view of what I can do to improve my profile.
I'm going to localise my profile into Portuguese too (that's a great idea!), but it will have to be on the same page as the French one. I already have my profile in two languages and to add a third one I must be a member.
Also, I'm considering being a member because there are so many features only available for members. So, yeah, I'm re... See more Hello Sheila and Bea,
Thank you both of you! Really!
Now I have a clear view of what I can do to improve my profile.
I'm going to localise my profile into Portuguese too (that's a great idea!), but it will have to be on the same page as the French one. I already have my profile in two languages and to add a third one I must be a member.
Also, I'm considering being a member because there are so many features only available for members. So, yeah, I'm really, really considering it.
I was thinking about uploading some TED Talks subtitles samples, but I don't know if it's okay. Maybe I'll upload that, anyway...
As for the credentials, if I want to verify them I would have to send a copy of my degree. Is it secure to send something like a degree?
THANK YOU!!
Have a nice day,
Isabel ▲ Collapse
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Patrícia Backes
Brazil
Local time: 00:32
Member (2020)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
I'm really beggining here in Proz.com, despite I joined 2 years ago but never set a profile before.
My first language pair is EN>PT. Is that the same to put PT>EN? The pair is both sides right?
The advices here were very useful.
It's pretty good to count on the community of freelancers!
Wait for a return.
Thanks much!
####
| | | | | Not the same thing | Jan 5, 2021 |
Patrícia Backes wrote:
My first language pair is EN>PT. Is that the same to put PT>EN? The pair is both sides right?
Hello Patrícia!
Welcome to you too.
To answer your question: it's not the same at all! First thing first, translators only translate into their mother tongue. That's like the first rule when you're a translator.
Let me explain. Take me for example. I translate from English/German/Portuguese to French and also from English/French to Portuguese. That's because I grew up speaking two languages and consider myself bilingual in PT and FR. I have two mother tongues, yeah, but I went to the university to improve both of my languages (in translation area). I never, NEVER would translate, for instance, from FR to EN. Because EN is not my mother tongue. I would not be as accurate as I would be in FR, or PT.
So, unless your mother tongues are EN and PT, I think you shouldn't put in your profile (or anywhere else) that you can translate both sides.
I hope I was helpful 
| | | | Sheila Wilson
Spain
Local time: 03:32
Member (2007)
English
+ ...
| Support ticket | Jan 5, 2021 |
Isabel Taveira wrote:
As for the credentials, if I want to verify them I would have to send a copy of my degree. Is it secure to send something like a degree?
If you can't find the answer in the FAQ, that would be something to ask ProZ.com staff. You can do that by sending a Support Ticket. There are quick links on many pages of the site, or visit the Support Centre. The "Submit a Ticket" option is displayed on a photo on that page -- hidden in plain view.
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Sheila Wilson wrote:
If you can't find the answer in the FAQ, that would be something to ask ProZ.com staff. You can do that by sending a Support Ticket. There are quick links on many pages of the site, or visit the Support Centre. The "Submit a Ticket" option is displayed on a photo on that page -- hidden in plain view.
Thank you for your help, Sheila! I'll do that.
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Marina Steinbach
United States
Local time: 22:32
Member (2011)
English to German
Isabel Taveira wrote:
I have completed my ProZ profile and would like to know what you think.
I'm not an expert in creating profiles, so I just went ahead and compared your profile with Sheila's.
Have you some advice to give me? What more can I do?
I immediately noticed two things that stand out:
1. Sheila has hashtags.
2. Sheila has a TWB button for volunteer translations.
I don't know how you can get these goodies. I assume that they are either awarded for special achievements (e.g. earning KudoZ points) or only available to PLUS members because we normally should all be working with the same software version...
Well, nevertheless, I wish you all the best in your future career as a freelance translator!
| | | | esperantisto
Local time: 06:32
Member (2006)
English to Russian
+ ...
SITE LOCALIZER
Marina Monica Steinbach wrote:
I don't know how you can get these goodies.
A simple mouseover on the tag will show you some details.
| | | | | Thank you for your comment | Jan 6, 2021 |
Marina Monica Steinbach wrote:
Isabel Taveira wrote:
I have completed my ProZ profile and would like to know what you think.
I'm not an expert in creating profiles, so I just went ahead and compared your profile with Sheila's.
Have you some advice to give me? What more can I do?
I immediately noticed two things that stand out:
1. Sheila has hashtags.
2. Sheila has a TWB button for volunteer translations.
I don't know how you can get these goodies. I assume that they are either awarded for special achievements (e.g. earning KudoZ points) or only available to PLUS members because we normally should all be working with the same software version...
Well, nevertheless, I wish you all the best in your future career as a freelance translator!
Hi Marina!
Thank you for your comment. I'll look at that too.
As for the TWB button, I know it only exists for the Translator Without Borders. Not for other type of volunteer translation, such as TED Talks.
| | | | Marina Steinbach
United States
Local time: 22:32
Member (2011)
English to German
| @esperantisto | Jan 6, 2021 |
esperantisto wrote:
A simple mouseover on the tag will show you some details.
No, a simple mouseover doesn't show me how to get the TWB button.
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Marina Steinbach
United States
Local time: 22:32
Member (2011)
English to German
Isabel Taveira wrote:
As for the TWB button, I know it only exists for the Translator Without Borders. Not for other type of volunteer translation, such as TED Talks.
I have translated for TRANSLATORS WITHOUT BORDERS last year, but do not have such a button. Therefore I assumed that not all ProZ members are working with the same software versions of their profiles. BTW, what are TED Talks?
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Marina Monica Steinbach wrote:
I have translated for TRANSLATORS WITHOUT BORDERS last year, but do not have such a button. Therefore I assumed that not all ProZ members are working with the same software versions of their profiles. BTW, what are TED Talks?
TED Talks are videos from expert speakers talking about subjects such as education, business, science, tech, and so on. Those videos are subtitled by volunteer translators, and I'm part of these TED translators
Here is this link : https://www.ted.com/
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