ProZ.com frequently asked questions

1 - Contests: general

1.1 - What are ProZ.com translation contests?

ProZ.com translation contests are contests organized periodically by and for ProZ.com members, as a diversion and learning exercise.

1.2 - Who can participate in contests?

This may vary from contest to contest. In a few cases, where the ProZ.com member population does not appear to support competition in a given language pair, entry submission may be opened up to non-members as well, but in general entry submission is limited to ProZ.com members. Only ProZ.com members are eligible for the prizes to be awarded in the drawings held from among the winners at the end of annual contests. If you are not already a member and are interested in participating in this contest, you may be eligible for a special discount on new ProZ.com membership. See this page for more details.

Non-members can participate in the qualification and final voting rounds. Site users who have been registered on the site for at least one month and work in the same language pair in which they wish to vote will have the option of rating either "Quality of writing", "Accuracy of translation", or both. Those who are native speakers of the target language but do not work in the pair will be able to judge "Quality of writing" only.

Final voting in each pair will be open only to those users who have been registered on the site for at least one month, are native in the target language and work in the same language pair in which they wish to vote.

1.3 - How does the contest work?

The contest is divided into three different phases: submission phase, qualification phase and final voting phase.

During the submission phase, contestants propose their translations of any of the source texts provided into any language. There is a submission deadline for all language pairs and if a pair receives fewer than 3 entries, it does not go into final voting rounds and so no winner is selected. However, feedback is enabled for the benefit of the contestants and translators that work in the pair can tag the sections of the entries they like or dislike and provide a comment.

Note that the submission deadline may be extended for some language pairs at the discretion of the contest organizer.

For pairs with a large number of entries (more than 7), a qualification round is opened to ensure that an appropriate number of entries reaches the finals, and that the entries selected are the best and most accurate. Voters are asked to rate entries in two categories: "Quality of writing" and "Accuracy of translation" on an absolute scale of 1 ("poor") to 5 ("perfect"). During this phase, entries are removed from contention when it becomes clear that they have no reasonable chance of winning. Such assessment is made based on the average rating received from peers (relative to that assigned to other entries), after some minimum number of votes.

Winnowing out entries in this way helps focus voter attention on the leading entries, increasing the likelihood that the best entries will be identified for inclusion in the final round. The 3-7 entries that receive the highest scores will pass into the final round.

In final voting rounds, voters are asked to select the entry that they consider the best of the group. Second and third best entries may also be designated, with points being assigned to entries in amounts of four (4), two (2) and one (1), respectively. The entry that collects the most points in final round voting, wins.

1.4 - In what languages are the contests held?

Source texts are selected in the languages most requested by ProZ.com members. Translations can be made into any language. Language pairs that collect at least three entries are considered valid contest pairs.

1.5 - What kind of texts are chosen for the translation contests?

Source texts are generally short literary excerpts of general appeal. All the source texts presented in the contest are proposed by the community.

Note: The viewpoints expressed in the content of the source texts are not endorsed by site staff or contestants. ProZ.com contests call upon language professionals to show their translating skills without regard to their own viewpoints.

1.6 - Can I propose a source text for a future contest?

Yes. Especially for languages which are not spoken by site staff, translation contests depend on members of the community to propose suitable source texts in their native language. If you do not see a source text in a given language, this means that no suitable text has been proposed or decided on for the contest. Any member of the community may propose a source text for use in translation contests at http://www.proz.com/translation-contests/propose_source_text. Having proposed a source text for a contest does not exclude you from participation in that contest. If you propose a new source text for this contest which is then used in the contest, you will receive one year of full ProZ.com membership.

1.7 - How can I know when a new translation contest is open?

You can subscribe to contest-related announcements either by clicking on "Subscribe to news and announcements" in the contest page or by checking the "Check this box if you would like to receive ProZ.com translation contest related announcements." box in your email preferences page.

1.8 - On what basis are the winners determined?

Winners are decided on the basis of voting by peers. Winners for each language pair receive a digital certificate in their profiles and recognition within the community for having submitted what other peers consider the best translations in each language pair. The winner of the main prize is determined from a drawing among all contest winners.

Note: The legitimacy of a winning entry or participant should not be questioned publicly. If you feel something has been unfair or wish to report a case of abuse, the appropriate channel to report this is via a support request, where staff will be able to look into the matter fully.

1.9 - Is there a special forum to discuss contest-related matters?

Yes, all matters related to contests can be discussed in the ProZ.com Translation Contests forum.

1.10 - Can I comment on the entries or the source text in the forums?

During submission, qualification and voting phases, no public comments on the submitted entries, or on the possible ways to translate the source texts will be allowed in forums or elsewhere (except for the tagging and comments allowed within the contest interface.) However, linguistic discussion about the difficulties posed by the texts and ways to approach them is welcome once the voting is over.

1.11 - Is there any prize awarded to the winners?

In some cases there are prizes. In all cases, winners receive a digital certificate and, optionally, recognition in the community and in their profile.

1.12 - Can I submit feedback for the contest?

Yes. If you have any comment on the contest, and you want to share it with the community, you can contact the contest coordinator through the online support system. Your feedback will be evaluated for inclusion into the contest testimonials page.

1.13 - Where can I see information on past contests?

You can visit the Past contests page and see information on each contest held from 2007, including winners and feedback.

2 - Submitting an entry to a translation contest

2.1 - Is it possible to enter the contest with a partner?

Yes. It is possible for two people to work together on a contest entry. In these cases, one of the partners submits the contest entry, identifying his/her contest partner at the time of submission.

Note that non-members can pair up with site members to enter the contest. The option to submit an entry will only be visible to the site member. After submitting the contest entry, he/she should identify the site user as his/her contest partner.

2.2 - Why is there no source text for my source language?

ProZ.com translation contests depend on the collaboration of participants in many aspects-- voting, commenting, submitting entries, and also in finding suitable source texts in various languages (especially languages in which no member of the site team is native). You can help ensure source texts in a variety of languages for future contests by proposing a text in your native language. A feature has been created to allow the community to propose and comment on potential source texts for contests. Criteria for suitable contest source texts are also outlined.

To propose a source text, or to discuss other proposed texts, just go to http://www.proz.com/translation-contests/propose_source_text

2.3 - Can I submit an entry in any language combination declared in my profile?

Yes. You can enter the contest in any of the working or interest languages declared in your profile.

2.4 - Can entries be submitted by the same person in more than one pair?

There are no restrictions on the number of language pairs in which a qualified member can submit entries. Only one entry may be made per language pair.

2.5 - Can I edit an entry I have already sumbmitted?

Yes, you can edit your entry as many times as you want during the submission phase. Once the submission phase is closed you can no longer edit your entry.

2.6 - Are contestants allowed to use machine translation when preparing their entries?

Yes. There are no restrictions on tools used for the translation of entries.

2.7 - I see that there are entries, but I am unable to view them. Why?

Although an entry count is shown, entries are not visible during the submission phase.

2.8 - I had access to a colleague's translation of the source text into my language. What should I do?

If you saw and read your colleague's translation of the source text into the language with which you want to enter the contest, it is advisable that you refrain from participating.

2.9 - I found a published translation of the source text into my language. What should I do?

If you found and read a published translation of the source text into the target language with which you want enter the contest, you are advised to avoid entering the contest in that pair.

2.10 - Can my entry be disqualified from the contest?

Yes. Please review the contest rules to see the instances of disqualification.

Note that disqualification may also be considered in instances where tagging or voting is carried out by close relatives (children, spouses, etc.) of contestants, for the sake of transparency, as per contest rules.

3 - Qualification round: rating, tagging, agreeing/disagreeing and providing feedback on entries

3.1 - How do I rate an entry?

Translators who work in a given language pair can judge entries in one or two categories: "Quality of writing" and "Accuracy of translation" on an absolute scale of of 1 ("poor") to 5 ("perfect").

To rate an entry, simply click on a star . Your selection will automatically be saved.

The entries that advance to the finals will be the 3-7 with the highest average ratings.

3.2 - Do I have to rate all entries?

No. You do not need to rate all entries for a given language pair in qualification phase. However, some participants enjoy rating as many entries as they can and help ensure an even contest result while earning 10 browniz points for each Quality of writing or Accuracy of translation rate they submit.

3.3 - Can I change my ratings?

Yes. It is possible to change the ratings you have provided, until the close of the qualification phase.

3.4 - What is entry tagging?

Entry tagging allows raters and voters to "like" or "dislike" segments of contest entries they they consider to be notable. Others may then "agree" or "disagree" with tags created by others. In any case, comments and links may be entered for justification. All tags, agrees, disagrees and comments will remain anonymous until the conclusion of the contest.

3.5 - Is tagging optional?

Yes. Adding tags will not change the outcome of voting; the purpose of tagging is to compare notes with other voters and provide feedback to contestants. Winners are determined by the rating/votes their entries receive.

3.6 - How do I tag an entry?

To "tag" a section of a translation, highlight it first and then click on "Like" or "Dislike" . A window will pop up, allowing you to select a category for your tag and a comment and link for reference .

3.7 - Can I delete a tag I have made?

You can delete your own tags until they have received an agree or disagree. To remove a tag, mouse over it and click on the red "X" at the top right of the text that pops up. You will be asked to confirm deletion of the tag.

Tags which have been deleted cannot be recovered, so be sure you want to delete a tag before doing so or asking staff to do so.

If the tag has already received an agree or disagree and you wish to remove it, contact site staff via the support system for help.

3.8 - What if a tag on an entry is wrong?

The tagging system includes the option for participants to agree or disagree with a tag. In this way, tags which are "wrong" will generally be weeded out by contest participants themselves.

3.9 - Will comments included in tags show immediately?

No. Comments accompanying tags will be subject to vetting by site staff and only purely linguistic comments in line with Site rules will be approved.

3.10 - Can I agree/disagree with tags?

Yes. If an entry has already received tags, a tag box will be displayed and you will be able to agree or disagree with the tags entered.

Note that if you mouseover an already tagged section of an entry you will be able to see which portions of the source text other voters refer to.

3.11 - Will my name show next to my tags?

During the voting and qualification phases, tags will be anonymously visible to other raters who will in turn be able to agree or disagree with them. However, when the contest finishes, all taggers' identities will be shown.

3.12 - Can I see what portions of my translation were tagged?

Yes. You should be able to see tags in your entry. However, if no tag has been added, then no tags box will be shown next to your entry.

3.13 - Can I agree/disagree with a tag my own entry received?

Yes. You can agree/disagree with dislike/like tags and provide a comment and a link to support your choice.

3.14 -

4 - Finals round: determining winners

4.1 - Who can vote?

In the qualification round, members and/or users who have been registered on the site for at least one month and work in the same language pair in which they wish to vote will have the option of rating either "Quality of writing", "Accuracy of translation", or both. Those who are native speakers of the target language but do not work in the pair will be able to judge "Quality of writing" only.

Final voting in each pair will be open only to those members and users who have been registered on the site for at least 1 month who are native in the target language and work in the same language pair in which they wish to vote.

4.2 - How do I vote for an entry?

To select the entry that you consider the best of the group just click on below the entry.

Remember that second and third best entries may also be designated, with points being assigned to entries in amounts of four (4), two (2) and one (1), respectively.

4.3 - Can I vote if I have submitted an entry?

Yes. In the qualifying round, you can rate entries other than your own. In the finals, you can vote for an entry other than your own as the best. In some cases, finalists may include their own entries among those they designate as the top three. However, in such cases, points will be applied only to entries other than one's own.

4.4 - Is voting for second best and third best entries optional?

Yes. You may vote for the best entry in any language pair only, for the best and the second best entries or for best, second best and third best entries in each language pair.

20 browniz points will be granted to participants for each vote they submit.