| Pages in topic: < [1 2 3] > | I must be missing something.... Thread poster: Paul Stevens
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Rachel Fell 
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:25
French to English
+ ...
| I'm pretty sure... | Aug 4, 2011 |
I know who you mean, as I have noticed the person's outstanding contribution in recent days in the sheer number of Kudoz questions in 2 or 3 of the language pairs that the person and I have in common. I was quite taken aback a few weeks ago to see the person was actually contributing to Kudoz answers, as it seemed such a marked contrast in form. And after all, the point has been made in earlier 'disappeared' threads that, as people keep answering the person's questions, why on earth not accept s... See more I know who you mean, as I have noticed the person's outstanding contribution in recent days in the sheer number of Kudoz questions in 2 or 3 of the language pairs that the person and I have in common. I was quite taken aback a few weeks ago to see the person was actually contributing to Kudoz answers, as it seemed such a marked contrast in form. And after all, the point has been made in earlier 'disappeared' threads that, as people keep answering the person's questions, why on earth not accept such taxing jobs... 
[Edited at 2011-08-05 00:03 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Oliver Walter
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:25
German to English
+ ...
| Difficult to judge | Aug 4, 2011 |
Kate Chaffer wrote:
I'm fairly sure I know who this person is, as he/she often posts strings of questions in my language pair as well. I think there have also been other threads discussing the same person.
As soon as I saw Paul's post, I thought I know who it is, as I have seen this member doing the same thing in the past couple of years - I was right!
In my opinion, this person simply has too many language pairs and accepts absolutely any project he/she is offered.
Possibly too many language pairs, but I think in particular too many subject areas: Specialises in 10 areas, and also works in a further 24. It must be a very special well-read and knowledge-hungry person who can do that!
It's like the person is going through the translation and posting a question every time he/she has to think!
Well, that may be related to my observation that the questions come in groups, with 1 to 5 minutes between successive questions in each group.
Looking at this person's profile, I see he/she has hidden his/her Kudoz information so he/she is obviously aware that potential clients may not view it so well!
I noticed that also and was going to post a comment to that effect, but Kate and Paul have already done that!
I must say, I have mixed feelings about this person's Kudoz activity. The questions and their answers might be useful to me in the future (though I don't think they have been yet), and if I think s/he is abusing Kudoz, the moderators/site administrators clearly don't agree, and I am under no obligation to reply to the questions even when I know the answers. I don't know whether the resulting translations are good - they could well be good. For me in practice, the only negative value of the large number of his/her Kudoz posts is that they make is more difficult (but only slightly) to find the other Kudoz posts.
(my 2p-worth of comment)
Oliver
| | | | Kate Chaffer
Italy
Local time: 22:25
Member (2009)
Italian to English
| Not what I meant at all | Aug 4, 2011 |
Jack Doughty wrote:
Is it possible that the person asking all these questions and the person answering them all are one and the same person, cheating his/her way to a massive build-up of KudoZ points? I presume site staff could check on this.
When I said that only one person was generally answering this person's questions in my pair, I just meant to say that everyone else has given up. The two people are very different!
| | | | Oliver Walter
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:25
German to English
+ ...
| did close the questions | Aug 4, 2011 |
Paul Stevens wrote:... but this can still be found if you type the member's name into a google search and include "site:proz.com" to cut down the number of results.
It's interesting that the person in question has asked nearly 3,100 KudoZ questions whilst answering less than 300. Both the asking and the answering started late in 2005, and the most recent answered was in March 2011. At least s/he is well behaved in that apparently all questions were correctly closed; the most recent open question is only about 3 days old.
Personally, I don't think that members should have the option of hiding their KudoZ information and would recommend that the site should consider removing this option, but I'm sure that others will disagree. Maybe it should remain available but with the effect that the "Kudoz activity" section would then carry the message "This member has chosen to hide the information about his/her Kudoz activity".
BTW: Why are we spending so much time discussing this topic/person?  (Only a professional psychologist should answer!)
Oliver
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Sonia Hill
United Kingdom
Local time: 21:25
Italian to English
| I've filtered this person | Aug 4, 2011 |
Kate Chaffer wrote:
I'm fairly sure I know who this person is, as he/she often posts strings of questions in my language pair as well. I think there have also been other threads discussing the same person.
Like Kate I'm sure I know who this person is, as he/she also works in both my language pairs. I began to get frustrated at the numbers of questions being asked, many of which were very basic. I've now filtered the person in question out of my KudoZ settings so I don't have to see the questions any more.
I suspect that this person has Certifed status in one language pair, and that pair is certainly not the main pair I work in.
| | | | | 75 questions on the same doc are hard to ignore | Aug 4, 2011 |
Oliver Walter wrote: BTW: Why are we spending so much time discussing this topic/person? (Only a professional psychologist should answer!) Oliver
I'm not a professional psychologist but it's hard for professional translators to ignore 75 questions on the same doc (most of which are basic and answers are easily findable, if they have to be looked up to begin with).
Perhaps if this person refrained from translating between 2 foreign languages and in fields not mastered (an assumption made from the non-stop masses of questions), then things would calm down and perhaps appear a bit more 'professional'. A total of over 3000 questions asked must be some sort of Kudoz milestone.
And please add vote for making it impossible to hide Kudoz history.
| | | | Holly Nathan (X)
Italy
Local time: 22:25
Italian to English
| does it even help if you DO hide your kudoz? | Aug 4, 2011 |
If you are doing the job through an agency, then they might well even use Kudoz themselves, in which case they are going to see how much you don't know (and also the person who DOES know all the answers).
| | | | Kate Chaffer
Italy
Local time: 22:25
Member (2009)
Italian to English
| Close questions to ask more | Aug 4, 2011 |
Oliver Walter wrote:
At least s/he is well behaved in that apparently all questions were correctly closed; the most recent open question is only about 3 days old.
Of course the person closes the questions, because if they don't, they can't ask any more!
[Edited at 2011-08-04 13:32 GMT]
[Edited at 2011-08-04 13:32 GMT]
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B D Finch
France
Local time: 22:25
French to English
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As the person concerned is asking questions for a different combination from that she is a Certified Pro in (she claims the target as one of the languages she is "Native" in), it is possible that she is competent to Pro level in the certified combination, but not in the combination that she is currently translating.
This raises the question of whether a person who is a Certified Pro should be allowed to use that designation when dealing with other combinations?
Person... See more As the person concerned is asking questions for a different combination from that she is a Certified Pro in (she claims the target as one of the languages she is "Native" in), it is possible that she is competent to Pro level in the certified combination, but not in the combination that she is currently translating.
This raises the question of whether a person who is a Certified Pro should be allowed to use that designation when dealing with other combinations?
Personally, I am not providing her with any answers and have filtered her, as I do to anybody whom I think should not be translating in my language pair. Instead of answering her questions, perhaps the eager beavers concerned should offer to take over the translation job for her for a suitable fee, as she is clearly out of her depth!
[Edited at 2011-08-04 14:43 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Allison Wright (X)
Portugal
Local time: 21:25
| No psychologist, me | Aug 4, 2011 |
Oliver Walter wrote: BTW: Why are we spending so much time discussing this topic/person? (Only a professional psychologist should answer!) Oliver
My own lack of psychological credentials aside, one motivation for discussing this issue at length may be that we view ourselves (at ProZ) - or perhaps feel that others (e.g. clients) view us - as a group. As such when one of us behaves in a way which is - or may be viewed as - belittling to the professional status we have worked so hard to achieve and maintain, then some of us feel the need to object. Just a thought. Take it or leave it.
| | | | Ildiko Santana
United States
Local time: 13:25
Member (2002)
Hungarian to English
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MODERATOR | @Nicole Schnell: "The badge has nothing to do with translation skills" | Aug 4, 2011 |
Nicole Schnell wrote:
The badge is awarded for good citizenship and integrity within the community, and nothing else. (...) never, ever connect the badge to translation skills.
Since the above false statements concern 2583 ProZ.com Certified PRO freelancers and all prospective applicants, I feel it reasonable to remind readers of this patronizing and misleading post of what the Certified PRO screening process is about.
From http://www.proz.com/pro-tag/info/about/freelancers
What are the requirements for getting certified?
1. Translation ability:
- Competence in source
- Competence in target
- Research competence
- Cultural competence
- Technical competence
2. Business reliability
3. Good citizenship
The 3 parts explained
01 Translation ability
A screening process has been developed in accordance with the guidelines set forth in the EN 15038 standard for quality in translation. For translators, various means are used to confirm the "competences" called for in EN 15038, including verification of credentials that applicants have earned from associations around the world, such as the American Translator Association (USA), the Chartered Institute of Linguists (UK). (Sample translation, peer/client review and other data may be considered in the review process, especially in language pairs and areas in which tested credentials may not be as readily accessible.)
02 Business reliability
The second requirement for admittance into the program is business reliability. This is assessed through a combination of peer review, client review and consideration of relevant data from the ProZ.com database. In the case of companies, track record both as a supplier and as a buyer may be considered. Once admitted to the program, participants must maintain good track records in order to remain in the program.
03 Good citizenship
The third requirement for admittance into the program is "good citizenship". Participants must endorse and act in a manner consistent with the ProZ.com professional guidelines, they must accept the terms and conditions of program participation, and they must contribute to the upkeep of the program by remaining in good standing as members, in terms of membership fees, profile data, and adherence with site and program rules and regulations.
An excerpt from the EN 15038 standard for quality in the translation industry
3.2.2 Professional competences of translators
Translators shall have at least the following competences.
Translating competence
Linguistic and textual competence in the source language and the target language
Research competence, information acquisition and processing
Cultural competence
Technical competence
The above competences should be acquired through one or more of the following:
formal higher education in translation (recognised degree);
equivalent qualification in any other subject plus a minimum of two years of documented experience in translating;
at least five years of documented professional experience in translating.
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Ildiko Weinberger wrote: Nicole Schnell wrote:
The badge is awarded for good citizenship and integrity within the community, and nothing else. (...) never, ever connect the badge to translation skills. Since the above false statements concern 2583 ProZ.com Certified PRO freelancers and all prospective applicants, I feel it reasonable to remind readers of this patronizing and misleading post of what the Certified PRO screening process is about. From http://www.proz.com/pro-tag/info/about/freelancers What are the requirements for getting certified? 1. Translation ability: - Competence in source - Competence in target - Research competence - Cultural competence - Technical competence 2. Business reliability 3. Good citizenship
2 - How good of a translator does one have to be to be admitted into the program? Is the idea that only elite translators will be admitted? [Direct link]
No. The screening process seeks to establish only that an applicant meets or exceeds certain minimum professional standards in the three screening areas (translation ability, business reliability and “citizenship”). In other words, the level screened for is not “elite” but “adequate
http://www.proz.com/pro-tag/info/faq
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Krzysztof Kajetanowicz (X)
Poland
Local time: 22:25
English to Polish
+ ...
Ildiko Weinberger wrote: Nicole Schnell wrote:
The badge is awarded for good citizenship and integrity within the community, and nothing else. (...) never, ever connect the badge to translation skills. Since the above false statements concern 2583 ProZ.com Certified PRO freelancers and all prospective applicants, I feel it reasonable to remind readers of this patronizing and misleading post of what the Certified PRO screening process is about.
False statements? Patronizing? Misleading?
That is one weird way of referring to someone's critical opinion of something.
Besides - theoretical requirements are one thing, how the process works in reality is another. Just because proz.com claims to verify this and that doesn't mean Nicole's opinion is 'false' and 'misleading'. It's like waiving the Constitution in the face of someone who complains about being arrested for no reason, saying "look, your statement is misleading, in this country people don't get arrested for no reason"! Are we no longer able to have a discussion about this process for fear of insulting 2583 Certified PROs?
| | | | | Let's please stick to the original topic | Aug 4, 2011 |
Hello all,
The criteria used in screening for the Certified PRO Network and other information related to the program can be found at http://www.proz.com/cpn (thank you Ildiko for providing the information above).
Also, Nicole, would you mind submitting a support request regarding your application? I suspect that the issue you mention at <... See more Hello all,
The criteria used in screening for the Certified PRO Network and other information related to the program can be found at http://www.proz.com/cpn (thank you Ildiko for providing the information above).
Also, Nicole, would you mind submitting a support request regarding your application? I suspect that the issue you mention at http://www.proz.com/post/1782317#1782317 may be related to a glitch rather than to a restriction (any member with a "Freelancer and company" account type is invited to apply as a freelancer).
Finally, I'd like to ask at this point that we return to the topic, and of course let's keep this constructive and civil. Thanks.
Lucia ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kirsten Bodart
United Kingdom
Local time: 22:25
Dutch to English
+ ...
I have ranted on this person to my husband too.
I don't answer his/her questions anymore because, to be honest, although I don't know much of some topics myself, I do my utmost to do things myself. And I should really be at a loss and my husband too so that I will actually ask. That is what my agency pays me for. And as long as it is not too specialised a topic, one can find things easily.
Regarding this... See more I have ranted on this person to my husband too.
I don't answer his/her questions anymore because, to be honest, although I don't know much of some topics myself, I do my utmost to do things myself. And I should really be at a loss and my husband too so that I will actually ask. That is what my agency pays me for. And as long as it is not too specialised a topic, one can find things easily.
Regarding this person... the word 'lazy' springs to mind... faintly.
[Edited at 2011-08-04 17:08 GMT]
[Edited at 2011-08-04 17:09 GMT] ▲ Collapse
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