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Information, news and frequently asked questions about ProZ.com

Job Posting

1 What kind of jobs can be posted at ProZ.com?
2 What are the keys to getting a good response to my posting? What else should I bear in mind?
3 How quickly will I hear from translators (or interpreters)?
4 What are the fees I will have to pay?
5 How can I be sure a given translator is reliable?
6 What type of jobs are not allowed at ProZ.com?
7 How are prices and deadlines set for jobs?
8 Will service providers be quoting against each other?
9 How will service providers contact me?
10 I don't want to announce my job--its confidential. What can I do?
11 If I post a job and find a great translator, can I work with him/her directly next time?
12 I don't have a specific job -- but I would like to increase my database of translators.
13 What does it mean for a job to be funded by a non-profit group?
14 I offer a service for translators seeking jobs. Can I post?
15 Can I use the job posting form to advertise my services?
16 For what reasons can a job poster be banned from ProZ.com?
17 What can I do if I need to edit the information on my job posting?
18 I've posted a job but it is not visible yet.


1. What kind of jobs can be posted at ProZ.com?

Translation, interpretation, localization and other jobs requiring the services of multilingual professionals or companies may be posted.

2. What are the keys to getting a good response to my posting? What else should I bear in mind?

When posting a job, it is important to be as descriptive as possible with regard to the nature of the work, as well as your requirements for service providers.

In addition, it is very important that you supply complete information about yourself and/or your company. The best service providers are in high demand, and will generally not pursue jobs with questionable clients. Complete contact details, and perhaps a brief history of your company, may help you to kick off mutually beneficial relationships with top professionals.

Jobs posted should respect the principle of equal opportunity.

Please do not post jobs on behalf of third parties.

Please note that the contact details marked as mandatory on the Job Posting Form must be completed in each case - job postings with incomplete details will be removed by ProZ.com staff or moderators.

Where possible, jobs involving multiple language combinations should be aggregated using the corresponding function available on the Job Posting Form.

3. How quickly will I hear from translators (or interpreters)?

When a job is posted and approved by moderators or site staff, email notification is sent to each professional whose profile matches the requirements of your job. Depending on how unique or general your job requirements are, you may expect to begin hearing from service providers within minutes.

If your job is in a common language pair -- European languages, Arabic, Chinese, etc. -- you are encouraged to be very specific in your demands related to subject area expertise, etc. This will help to ensure you get the most suitable quotes from a manageable number of service providers.

4. What are the fees I will have to pay?

There are no fees for posting jobs at ProZ.com. There are also no commissions. This is possible because ProZ.com charges a yearly subscription fee to the service providers.

5. How can I be sure a given translator is reliable?

Consider the professionals' training and degrees, years in the field, credentials earned, membership in professional associations, references, etc. Professional experience outside of translation may also be relevant. You may want to discuss the content of your job with the translator in order to assess their understanding of the material. It is not unusual for a client to ask for a short excerpt from a job--100 words or so should be enough to get an idea--before assigning work to a new translator. (Note that some translators include samples of their work in their profile 'portfolios'. In addition, looking at a translators' KudoZ history is sometimes useful in understanding a translators' style or approach to terminology.)

6. What type of jobs are not allowed at ProZ.com?

Please refrain from posting job notices that do not specifically require the services of multilingual professionals. Also, job postings may not contain content of an adult nature.

7. How are prices and deadlines set for jobs?

The ProZ.com job form will only help you to meet service providers. Project details--work content, payment, deadline, etc.--must be agreed upon between you and the service provider directly.

8. Will service providers be quoting against each other?

No, those who contact you will not have seen quotes from others. Service providers are encouraged to offer rates and turnaround times that allow them to offer their best work. Use your judgement in deciding whether a quote may be unreasonably low (thereby making it difficult to deliver careful work), or unreasonably high.

9. How will service providers contact me?

You may indicate your preferred method of contact (email, phone, online application form, etc.) Service providers are encourage to respect your preferred method of contact; some outsourcers consider it a bad omen when a service provider ignores contact preferences, and will not work with those service providers.

10. I don't want to announce my job--its confidential. What can I do?

If your job is confidential, do not use the job posting form. Consider using the ProZ.com directory to find service providers who meet your requirements. When you find a suitable service provider in the directory, you can contact him or her directly.

11. If I post a job and find a great translator, can I work with him/her directly next time?

Absolutely. Once you have established a relationship with a ProZ.com translator or interpreter, you may find it is in your best interest to continue working only with that person. Nurturing a long-term service arrangement will bring benefits over time, as the service provider will be able to deliver high quality work in a shorter period of time, as he or she becomes increasingly familiar with terminology and information specific to you or your company.

12. I don't have a specific job -- but I would like to increase my database of translators.

You may post once a month, with a maximum of five job postings each time. Repeatedly posting calls for translators, without actual jobs, is regarded as intrusive by many professional service providers. For this reason, your potential posting may not be made visible on the ProZ.com homepage.

When posting a call for CVs for potential future projects, it is very important that you post complete information about your company and the types of jobs you tend to obtain. Your posting may be removed if such information is not provided.

13. What does it mean for a job to be funded by a non-profit group?

A non-profit group is an organization which exists for educational or charitable reasons, and from which its shareholders or trustees do not benefit financially. Some translators are willing to reduce their rates when working for a non-profit group they deem worthwhile. Jobs posted on behalf of non-profit organizations should include the name of the group, and a publicly visible link to a website with further information about the organization. Jobs marked as non-profit that do not meet these requirements will be removed by moderators or site staff.

Government organizations and similar entities are not covered by this definition; jobs funded by such entities should not be posted as 'non-profit'.

14. I offer a service for translators seeking jobs. Can I post?

No. The job posting form is for proposing business arrangements of one type: job poster paying posting recipient to perform services. Web portals, those selling databases of translators, etc., or anyone suggested an arrangement whereby the recipient of a posting would be paying the poster, will be regarded as an illicit advertiser. The posting will be removed, associated memberships will be revoked, and you will be banned from future postings.

15. Can I use the job posting form to advertise my services?

No. There is no possibility that you will find a client using this form. Instead, you will only inconvenience fellow service providers, who expect only legitimate job opporunities to come via this form. Your right to enter quotes on jobs will also be revoked.

16. For what reasons can a job poster be banned from ProZ.com?

Please refer to the ProZ.com termination policy.

17. What can I do if I need to edit the information on my job posting?

Before the job posting has been vetted, there is an "edit job" button at the top of the job posting which will allow you to edit your listing. However, once your job has been vetted and is visible by the public, you will not be allowed to edit your job posting. But, if you need to add anything to your job posting, you may stll add an "addendum" to it instead.

18. I've posted a job but it is not visible yet.

If you are a basic user of the site, your job posts will require vetting. This is usually done within 12 hours of the entry being posted. You may also want to check to make sure you have provided complete and correct contact details. If your job hasn't appeared after a 24-hour period, please contact a Jobs/Blue Board moderator (one at a time) or submit a support request.