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Is the Proz Certified P now being equated with credentials?
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John Rawlins
John Rawlins  Identity Verified
Espanha
Local time: 14:36
espanhol para inglês
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Adds some kind of value May 21, 2009

Madeleine MacRae Klintebo wrote:

The order and wording of these choices means that a new user, for example a direct client, is likely to assume a PRO certificate adds some kind of value.


Yes, I believe that a new user is likely to assume that a PRO certificate adds some kind of value.

Madeleine – Do you believe that a PRO certificate adds no value?

[Edited at 2009-05-21 19:30 GMT]


 
Giles Watson
Giles Watson  Identity Verified
Itália
Local time: 14:36
italiano para inglês
In memoriam
Perspective May 21, 2009

Hi John, Madeleine and everyone,

In an ideal world, these qualifications would be set in some sort of perspective.

To start with, any outsourcer who looks for very basic, generic qualifications such as degrees or other distinctions probably hasn't really profiled his or her ideal translator particularly well, or doesn't need to: in other words, price is probably as much of a factor as proficiency.

Otherwise, a documented track record of competent translatio
... See more
Hi John, Madeleine and everyone,

In an ideal world, these qualifications would be set in some sort of perspective.

To start with, any outsourcer who looks for very basic, generic qualifications such as degrees or other distinctions probably hasn't really profiled his or her ideal translator particularly well, or doesn't need to: in other words, price is probably as much of a factor as proficiency.

Otherwise, a documented track record of competent translation in the appropriate sector would be rather more important. Obviously, though, experience and other qualifications are even better

The value of degrees, professional qualifications and Proz certification is dependent on the parameters applied by the certifying body. Proz certification, for example, is currently not all that impressive but it is likely to become more influential as the community grows and more peer reviews are filed.

I think it would be helpful if Proz could provide outsourcers with succinct summaries of the evaluation process for each of the certifying bodies it recognises, and of its own criteria.

FWIW

Giles
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Madeleine MacRae Klintebo
Madeleine MacRae Klintebo  Identity Verified
Reino Unido
Local time: 13:36
sueco para inglês
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Not really May 21, 2009

John Rawlins wrote:

Madeleine – Do you believe that a PRO certificate adds no value?

Since my daytime job is in marketing, I'm somewhat dubious of any "award", or in this case "certification", that you can buy. Whenever you see a company receiving some kind of "award", please check who paid for the champagne at the award ceremony.

Since only paid-up members of ProZ can get this certification, there is a certain element of buying here. Add to that that there's been a number of previous threads about how rigorous the certification process is.

That's not to say that most individuals with a P aren't highly professional. From my experience they mostly are; I have my own reasons for not applying.

So the simple answer, is no.


 
Madeleine MacRae Klintebo
Madeleine MacRae Klintebo  Identity Verified
Reino Unido
Local time: 13:36
sueco para inglês
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Hmmm again May 21, 2009

How did my first posting end here as well?

[Edited at 2009-05-21 20:35 GMT]


 
Christel Zipfel
Christel Zipfel  Identity Verified
Local time: 14:36
Membro (2004)
italiano para alemão
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This is exactly the problem May 21, 2009

Madeleine MacRae Klintebo wrote:


The order and wording of these choices means that a new user, for example a direct client, is likely to assume a PRO certificate adds some kind of value. Yes, I can see the "or", but how many potential clients will do the same?



Will the customers be able to distinguish?


 
John Rawlins
John Rawlins  Identity Verified
Espanha
Local time: 14:36
espanhol para inglês
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May I express my envy May 21, 2009

Madeleine MacRae Klintebo wrote:

Since only paid-up members of ProZ can get this certification, there is a certain element of buying here. Add to that that there's been a number of previous threads about how rigorous the certification process is.



Of course, no student of translation can be considered as somebody who may have somehow bought his or her degree. Moreover, all holders of translation degrees from all universities are equally notable for their excellence and diligence.

Well Madeleine - I take my hat off to you. May I express my envy at the very fine view you must enjoy from such a high horse.


 
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT
Tomás Cano Binder, BA, CT  Identity Verified
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Local time: 14:36
Membro (2005)
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Sorry we can't be friends! May 21, 2009

The Misha wrote:
... still cannot do the job, if one is to judge by the oft-ridiculous KudoZ questions regularly posted by these "professionals". Thanks but no, thanks, I'd rather not be bundled together under the same designation with any of those.


I am Certified PRO and encourage you to check whether my Kudoz questions are ridiculous and whether I post questions regularly (asked 22 questions in 7 years; answered 2200 questions in the same time; was chosen as most helpful in 60% of cases). Most Certified PRO people I know in my language pairs answer questions and very rarely ask something.

I think you probably got carried away with this. Maybe you wanted to say "...sometimes posted by SOME of these "professionals"..."? Please do not put all people in the same bag. I won't put you in a bag of "anti-Certified PRO"!


 
Madeleine MacRae Klintebo
Madeleine MacRae Klintebo  Identity Verified
Reino Unido
Local time: 13:36
sueco para inglês
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And that horse would be? May 21, 2009

John Rawlins wrote:
Of course, no student of translation can be considered as somebody who may have somehow bought his or her degree. Moreover, all holders of translation degrees from all universities are equally notable for their excellence and diligence.

Well Madeleine - I take my hat off to you. May I express my envy at the very fine view you must enjoy from such a high horse.


Please John, I do not in anyway "look down" on anyone and haven't sat on any kind of horse for 30+ years.

If you care have a look at my profile you'll find that I am in no way a "student of translation". I do, however, have a degree in English with a very short module in translation theory.

This is a degree I completed quite a few years after starting my career as a translator. And in a country where there are, as yet, no tuition fees.

Now, what was your point?


 
Katalin Horváth McClure
Katalin Horváth McClure  Identity Verified
Estados Unidos
Local time: 08:36
Membro (2002)
inglês para húngaro
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The Devil is in the details - did anybody notice? May 21, 2009

Again, if one takes 2 minutes to check out the job posting form (not forum) here:
http://www.proz.com/?sp=jobs&sp_mode=post&type=translation&view=advanced, one would see the little blue balloons with question marks that provide a short explanation about "Credentials" and the choices for anybody navigating the page, including (supposedly ignorant) outsourcers.

Yes, we can star
... See more
Again, if one takes 2 minutes to check out the job posting form (not forum) here:
http://www.proz.com/?sp=jobs&sp_mode=post&type=translation&view=advanced, one would see the little blue balloons with question marks that provide a short explanation about "Credentials" and the choices for anybody navigating the page, including (supposedly ignorant) outsourcers.

Yes, we can start picking on the wording, and even start discussing whether the "or" in the first option is clear enough to make it straightforward that it is a "permissive or" (must have one of the two) or is it possible, that someone, somewhere, sometime would understand it as an "exclusive or" (must have one of the two and only one)???

At the same time, I am surprised that NOBODY picked up on another (IMHO very important) detail.
See the options again:

For "Professional credentials", the three options are:

Must have reported credentials or a Certified PRO certificate.
Must have reported credentials
Not required


Nothing to pick on?

Let's see again:

Must have reported credentials or a Certified PRO certificate.
Must have reported credentials
Not required


Now, how about that?
Reported credentials are just that - people report their credentials. (Whatever they think a credential is...)
The point is that "reported credentials" are not all verified. In fact, only a fraction of reported credentials are verified by ProZ.com's staff.

As far as I know, the Certified Pro program requires its participants to put all their reported credentials through the verification process. People are being asked to remove non-verified credentials from their profiles.

Given these, if I am an outsourcer that believes in the value of credentials, which of the three options should I select?

[Edited to make the URL clickable.]

[Edited at 2009-05-21 21:32 GMT]
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Uldis Liepkalns
Uldis Liepkalns  Identity Verified
Letônia
Local time: 15:36
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inglês para letão
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Pardon me, I will skip horses May 21, 2009

John Rawlins wrote:
Of course, no student of translation can be considered as somebody who may have somehow bought his or her degree. Moreover, all holders of translation degrees from all universities are equally notable for their excellence and diligence.

Well Madeleine - I take my hat off to you. May I express my envy at the very fine view you must enjoy from such a high horse.


I believe the value of such "certifications" was discussed ad nauseam in the past (also on other matters and in another threads - say, can any commercial site - defining itself as a "VENUE" or "a meeting place" hand out badges of "Trados" (or Excel, Word, Photoshop, you name it) certified and place it among mandatory requirements for bidding on the job.

And please let's not be overoptimistic about client's education - while being jobs moderator, I have seen quite a lot of job postings, where mandatory requirement for interpreter was "Trados Certified".

Madeleine MacRae Klintebo wrote:
Now, what was your point?


Yeah, what was it?

Uldis


 
Henry Dotterer
Henry Dotterer
Local time: 08:36
FUNDADOR DO SITE
Closing the thread May 22, 2009

Given that the original topic seems to have been addressed, and discussions appears to be drifting in a less positive direction, I am closing the thread.

Thank you.


 
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Is the Proz Certified P now being equated with credentials?






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