Excessive applications from English-Portuguese translators. Anybody else "suffering" from this? Thread poster: Edwin Miles
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Edwin Miles
Germany
Local time: 15:05
Member (2008)
German to English
Okay, in the last three or four days, I've had a couple of dozen applications from mostly Brazil-based translators who want to work with me as a freelance translator. They all translate in various combinations of Portuguese and/or to/from English.
This has only been happening for a few days, as I said. The applications are all different in style, each apparently individually written (and well written). Many have links to real profiles on LinkedIn and here on Pros.
So I ... See more Okay, in the last three or four days, I've had a couple of dozen applications from mostly Brazil-based translators who want to work with me as a freelance translator. They all translate in various combinations of Portuguese and/or to/from English.
This has only been happening for a few days, as I said. The applications are all different in style, each apparently individually written (and well written). Many have links to real profiles on LinkedIn and here on Pros.
So I don't actually think it's a scam (more like spam), but I'm suddenly getting SO MANY of these. On top of which, I'm a freelancer myself and I like it that way. I don't employ others, and I have no desire to become an agency.
Is anybody else here experiencing this? Anybody have any ideas why this might be happening? TIA for any advice! ▲ Collapse
| | | | Natalie 
Poland
Local time: 15:05
Member (2002)
English to Russian
+ ...
MODERATOR SITE LOCALIZER | Most probably | Oct 20, 2022 |
these applicants are just scammers sending stolen CVs and located not in Brazil but somewhere in a quite different part of the world, e.g. Palestine. Please see https://www.proz.com/topic/230462 to begin with; there are also many other threads on similar topics.
| | | | Edwin Miles
Germany
Local time: 15:05
Member (2008)
German to English
TOPIC STARTER | These are different... | Oct 20, 2022 |
Natalie wrote: these applicants are just scammers sending stolen CVs and located not in Brazil but somewhere in a quite different part of the world, e.g. Palestine. Please see https://www.proz.com/topic/230462 to begin with; there are also many other threads on similar topics.
My first thought was scammers, too. But these are different. They don't contain the usual red flags of a scam: bad English, bad spelling, dodgy email addresses, phone numbers that go to Palestine, etc. The email addresses and contact for the translators I've checked are mostly readily available on other sites.
Also I don't see a benefit for the scammers. They're offering their services at a range of rates, mostly relatively low (by my European-based standards).
They don't really smell like a scam, and my scam-snoot is pretty sensitive these days.
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Vanda Nissen
Australia
Local time: 23:05
Member (2008)
English to Russian
+ ...
Yes, deleted three today, and there were two yesterday, all with Brazilian Portuguese.
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 14:05
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
| I'm sorry to hear that | Oct 21, 2022 |
No, fortunately, I am not "suffering" from that experience, but from time to time I receive private emails from Brazilian Portuguese translators asking for tips to enter the translation market and about my experience as a translator.
Well, I am not the best person to answer because I translate exclusively into European Portuguese, my native language. I don't know the Brazilian translation market.
To me, those are new members who want to start working in the translation industry no ma... See more No, fortunately, I am not "suffering" from that experience, but from time to time I receive private emails from Brazilian Portuguese translators asking for tips to enter the translation market and about my experience as a translator.
Well, I am not the best person to answer because I translate exclusively into European Portuguese, my native language. I don't know the Brazilian translation market.
To me, those are new members who want to start working in the translation industry no matter how, and maybe they think the easiest way is to send applications and their CVs.
Proz offers useful information for them and many more.
All it takes is effort, persistence, honesty and mastering their native language and the foreign languages they work with.
Sending applications is not the main or the best approach, especially when they are sent to the wrong people, freelancer translators like us.
[Edited at 2022-10-21 09:58 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Jessica Noyes
United States
Local time: 09:05
Member
Spanish to English
+ ...
Maybe some enterprise is aggressively marketing lists of "translation agencies" to translators in Brazil. These could be bona fide translators seeking to encounter new clients. They read the come-on for purchasing the list, buy the list, and then hopefully follow up with people like us.
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Edwin Miles wrote:
Okay, in the last three or four days, I've had a couple of dozen applications from mostly Brazil-based translators who want to work with me as a freelance translator. They all translate in various combinations of Portuguese and/or to/from English.
This has only been happening for a few days, as I said. The applications are all different in style, each apparently individually written (and well written). Many have links to real profiles on LinkedIn and here on Pros.
So I don't actually think it's a scam (more like spam), but I'm suddenly getting SO MANY of these. On top of which, I'm a freelancer myself and I like it that way. I don't employ others, and I have no desire to become an agency.
Is anybody else here experiencing this? Anybody have any ideas why this might be happening? TIA for any advice!
I'm getting lots of "applications" for all sorts of language combos and from many countries every day and although I practice as a company (until the end of the year) I'm no outsourcer. Notably, 99.9% of all applications have gmail addresses. Never found out where they originate from.
[Edited at 2022-10-21 14:23 GMT]
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Adieu
Ukrainian to English
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| Elections-related worries? | Oct 21, 2022 |
Perhaps people are anticipating a crisis and trying to diversify/lock in foreign clients who pay in foreign currency?
| | | | Vanda Nissen
Australia
Local time: 23:05
Member (2008)
English to Russian
+ ...
| I've received 5 more this morning | Oct 21, 2022 |
All with Brazilian Portuguese. Something is really going on.
| | | | expressisverbis
Portugal
Local time: 14:05
Member (2015)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
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