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¡Finally here! WWA rating for translators
Thread poster: Álvaro Espantaleón Moreno
Álvaro Espantaleón Moreno
Álvaro Espantaleón Moreno  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 08:23
Member (2015)
English to Spanish
Oct 17, 2017

I could see this move coming since 2015 and it seems it is finally here. ProZ will now rank translators, who will become a commodity ranked from 1 to 5. Just like picking an apartment in Airbnb. I am strongly against this system after seeing how it works in other sites: basically, the translator will do absolutely anything to please the outsourcer and get 5 stars. Like accepting even lower rates, accepting proofreading for free, accepting crazy deadlines, accepting any possible request from the ... See more
I could see this move coming since 2015 and it seems it is finally here. ProZ will now rank translators, who will become a commodity ranked from 1 to 5. Just like picking an apartment in Airbnb. I am strongly against this system after seeing how it works in other sites: basically, the translator will do absolutely anything to please the outsourcer and get 5 stars. Like accepting even lower rates, accepting proofreading for free, accepting crazy deadlines, accepting any possible request from the outsourcer (regardless of how unfair it might be), etc. Or maybe I'm just wrong and not seeing the good side of this...

*This is the source:

ProZ.com is planning to announce enhancements to the Willingness to Work Again (WWA) service in the coming days. A WWA entry will now support an additional WWA rating which will be a score of 1 to 5 and will express in more detailed terms, an outsourcers' "willingness to work again" with that linguist.

Additionally the WWA entry form will include the service type of the job (e.g. subtitling, translation) as well as the language pair of the job. This will allow service providers to better differentiate themselves based on the type of work they do. A service provider's 5 year and 12 month average WWA rating will be displayed on their ProZ.com profile and available as a directory search & selection option. Service providers will have the option to show (or hide) their entire WWA & WWA rating history. More detailed WWA "category ratings" are planned for the future. To help shape the direction of this new service please take a moment to complete this short

[Subject edited by staff or moderator 2017-10-17 12:51 GMT]
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Michael Beijer
Michael Beijer  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:23
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
oh oh Oct 17, 2017

Wow, it's going to be interesting to see how this pans out!

Although I basically agree with you, it does seem kind of unfair that we can rank them but they can't rank us.

Michael


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:23
Member (2008)
Italian to English
It's all one big rank Oct 17, 2017

Michael Joseph Wdowiak Beijer wrote:

Wow, it's going to be interesting to see how this pans out!

Although I basically agree with you, it does seem kind of unfair that we can rank them but they can't rank us.

Michael


The only meaningful way to rank translators is by quality. Proz is in no position to do that. Please desist.


Bernhard Sulzer
Tarcisio (Todd) Goes
 
Axelle H.
Axelle H.  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 08:23
English to French
Pro Z is .. Oct 17, 2017

The new Upwork ?

Anna Augustin
 
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL
Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:23
Member (2004)
English to Italian
Time to... Oct 17, 2017

cancel the membership, if this happens...

Tarcisio (Todd) Goes
 
Robert Forstag
Robert Forstag  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:23
Spanish to English
+ ...
Important questions Oct 17, 2017

1.
Will the site apply the same rigid rules to the kinds of comments that can be made by outsourcers as it does to the comments that can be left by freelancers on the Blue Board.
2.
Will freelancers have the right to respond to outsourcer ratings and comments just as outsourcers can do on the Blue Board?

My opinion of this initiative will in part depend on the answers to these questions.

I can definitely see such a system resulting in long strings of h
... See more
1.
Will the site apply the same rigid rules to the kinds of comments that can be made by outsourcers as it does to the comments that can be left by freelancers on the Blue Board.
2.
Will freelancers have the right to respond to outsourcer ratings and comments just as outsourcers can do on the Blue Board?

My opinion of this initiative will in part depend on the answers to these questions.

I can definitely see such a system resulting in long strings of high ratings (and accompanying encomiums) for translators who are cheap and compliant (but not necessarily “good”).

[Edited at 2017-10-17 12:49 GMT]
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Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:23
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Same here Oct 17, 2017

Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:

cancel the membership, if this happens...


Same here


 
writeaway
writeaway  Identity Verified
French to English
+ ...
Hopefully non-payers will be excluded from this as well Oct 17, 2017

Wow. I really don't recognise the site I was happy to join in 2002.
Is this supposed to be an incentive to (re)become a paying member??
Commodity is the right word imo.


Bernhard Sulzer
 
Michael Newton
Michael Newton  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 03:23
Japanese to English
+ ...
WWA Rating for Translators Oct 17, 2017

The new Upwork? I think we can see in the not too distant future:
proz.com will start charging agencies a certain percentage of the contract and free-lancers will also be charged a certain percentage of the contract. If proz.com were to charge Upwork-type fees, I would have to pay USD 150.00 on a USD 1500.00 contract and the agency would end up paying the same.

I also see the following:
translators having to list on their profile:
(1) religion
(2) sexual or
... See more
The new Upwork? I think we can see in the not too distant future:
proz.com will start charging agencies a certain percentage of the contract and free-lancers will also be charged a certain percentage of the contract. If proz.com were to charge Upwork-type fees, I would have to pay USD 150.00 on a USD 1500.00 contract and the agency would end up paying the same.

I also see the following:
translators having to list on their profile:
(1) religion
(2) sexual orientation (a la NHS)
(3) meat-eater or vegan
(4) political parties supported
(5) age
(6) race
etc. etc.
Brave new world.
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Michael Beijer
Michael Beijer  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:23
Member (2009)
Dutch to English
+ ...
hmm Oct 17, 2017

Tom in London wrote:

Michael Joseph Wdowiak Beijer wrote:

Wow, it's going to be interesting to see how this pans out!

Although I basically agree with you, it does seem kind of unfair that we can rank them but they can't rank us.

Michael


The only meaningful way to rank translators is by quality. Proz is in no position to do that. Please desist.


But it does say:

ProZ.com is planning to announce enhancements to the Willingness to Work Again (WWA) service in the coming days.
A WWA entry will now support an additional WWA rating which will be a score of 1 to 5 and will express in more detailed terms, an outsourcers' "willingness to work again" with that linguist.


i.e., it will be agencies ranking us, not Proz. it'll basically just allow them to do to us what we have always already been able to do to them. fair is fair. I don't expect too much trouble, except for maybe the occasional disgruntled agency I annoyed by badmouthing them here and there online because of being a non or late payer, etc.


 
Fiona Grace Peterson
Fiona Grace Peterson  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 08:23
Italian to English
New blood in no short supply Oct 17, 2017

Giovanni Guarnieri MITI, MIL wrote:

cancel the membership, if this happens...


It would be heartening to think site staff actually cared that "old" members are leaving the site in droves. But they don't... plenty of new members to pay membership dues where others have left. Sad really.


 
Dinny
Dinny  Identity Verified
Greece
Local time: 09:23
Italian to Danish
+ ...
Time To Say Goodbye Oct 17, 2017

I'm almost retired anyway, and I haven't gained anything from my ProZ membership for many years.
To be evaluated in this way would make me feel part of a slave market.


 
Dinny
Dinny  Identity Verified
Greece
Local time: 09:23
Italian to Danish
+ ...
How To Terminate? Oct 17, 2017

I was checking whether there was a nice little button on my profile page, like "Terminate membership", but apparently I will have to spend time on finding out how to leave. Hopefully, it won't be as complicated as on Facebook!

 
Michal Fabian
Michal Fabian  Identity Verified
Canada
Local time: 03:23
Dutch to Slovak
+ ...
And thus the exodus of professional translators continues. Oct 17, 2017

Will they change their name, I wonder?

If I wanted to be a member on Upwork/Freelancer/Fiver, I would be.


 
Tom in London
Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 07:23
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Just don't renew Oct 17, 2017

Dinny wrote:


I was checking whether there was a nice little button on my profile page, like "Terminate membership", but apparently I will have to spend time on finding out how to leave. Hopefully, it won't be as complicated as on Facebook!



Just don't renew, when the time comes.

Is there anywhere else we can go or should we set something up?

[Edited at 2017-10-17 13:45 GMT]


Janet Muehlbacher
 
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