Site rules

Rules for the use of ProZ.com

The following rules have been created to extend and protect the pleasant, results-oriented atmosphere of the ProZ.com translation workplace. By using the site, you indicate your acceptance of, and agreement to abide by, these rules.

Site Rule

1	Entries must be original works. Reuse or referencing of existing (ex. published) translations, in whole or in part, is prohibited and leads to disqualification. It is possible to work with one other person, but that person must be included as a partner when the entry is submitted.
2	Contestants' identities should remain anonymous while the contest is underway. Contestants should not discuss their own entries, or the decisions they made in the translation process, while the contest or contest voting is underway. To provide information that would enable a colleague to determine which of the entries is one's own is grounds for disqualification.
3	Speculation on entries is not allowed. It is against the rules to speculate as to who may have submitted a given entry.
4	Public comments concerning entries during the contest are not allowed. Public comments concerning entries (or the possible ways to translate the source text) are not allowed by any ProZ.com user during the contest or contest voting periods. Comments made to the forums will not be vetted, and if made public, they will be removed. Direct person-to-person discussion (ie. by email, etc.) of this sort among voters is also prohibited.
5	Encouraging voters to vote in a certain way is against the rules. Encouraging voters to vote in a certain way, or to select a certain entry, is not allowed. Attempting to influence the outcome by inviting a select group of users (for example, users from one country) to vote is also prohibited.
6	The legitimacy of a win should not be questioned publicly. If unfairness is suspected, it should be reported to site staff members via a support request.

Adherence to the above rules is a condition for continued right to access and use the site.

Enforcement

Staff members and moderators may take any of the following actions to enforce the above rules:
* contacting site users to call attention to specific rules
* refraining from approving (or removing/hiding) postings that violate a rule
* causing a message related to the rules to appear to certain users when they undertake certain actions
* suspending, temporarily or permanently, access to site features that have been used in violation of the rules.
* termination of profile or membership (staff only)

Moderators and staff members must act in accordance with, and are protected by, site rules in exactly the same way as other members.

Termination

In rare cases of severe infraction, ProZ.com staff members may terminate a profile (and membership) with immediate effect. In most cases, however, ProZ.com uses a "yellow card/red card" policy, akin to yellow-card/red-card practice in the sport of football/soccer, for terminations.

Yellow and red cards are issued only by staff members. Rules are cited by number, and the date of the card is logged. The terms "yellow card" or "red card" are used explicitly; if an email is sent, the terms appear in the subject line.

A site user who has been issued a yellow card may continue to use the site (sometimes with certain restrictions), but is otherwise under notice that further infractions will lead to termination. A person whose profile has been terminated will not be readmitted to ProZ.com.

Outsourcers are subject to the site's Termination policy.

Clarification

For clarification regarding any of the above rules or rules enforcement, please submit a support request.