ProZ.com site glossary

This document describes the terminology used at ProZ.com.

(Note that because site terminology has evolved over time, the terms below may not yet be used consistently throughout the entire site. If you come across site text that does not match this terminology, please let us know by submitting a support request.)

agency
See "translation company".
Blue Board
A database of outsourcers with ProZ.com users' expressed likelihoods of working again with them. A risk management tool for evaluating outsourcers. (In English, Blue Board should be two words, both capitalized.)
Blue Board average entry level
An aggregate figure representing the average LWA expressed for a single outsourcer by service providers.
Blue Board comment
Part of a Blue Board entry. Comments should be limited in scope to explanation/grounds for the LWA; they should not include general statements concerning an outsourcer. (Example: "They are rude" is not allowed. "They were rude to me" is allowed, from the standpoint that it explains why the service provider may not work with an outsourcer again.)
Blue Board entry
A service provider makes an "entry" to the Blue Board expressing his or her likelihood of working again with a given outsourcer. (Terms like "rating", "review", etc., are misleading and should be avoided.) An entry is comprised of an LWA (requird) and a comment (optional).
Blue Board LWA
Likelihood of Working Again (with a given outsourcer.) A number from 1 to 5 that refers to the numerical portion of an entry, with 1 being the least likely and 5 being the most likely.
Blue Board poster
A service provider or outsourcer who makes an entry or reply.
Blue Board record
A page of entries/LWA's made concerning a single outsourcer. Records are accessible using URLs of this format: http://www.proz.com/bb/#
Blue Board reply
When an entry is made, the corresponding outsourcer is given an opportunity to make a one-line "reply."
browniz
Points awarded for contributions to the ProZ.com community. It should be spelled like any other noun, only capitalized when grammar requires it, and without a captial "Z".
client (or "end client")
The final customer who is paying for the language service. Often, clients pay agencies for translation work, who then outsource that work to freelancers.
directory
An organized listing of some ProZ.com user profiles. Different types of directories at ProZ.com include the freelancer directory, agency directory, and team directories.
freelancer
A language service provider who works in an individual, freelance capacity.
interpreter
A language service provider who mediates between speakers of different languages. (Compare with "translator".)
Join ProZ.com
Become a ProZ.com member (formerly "go platinum" or "upgrade")
KudoZ
ProZ.com's terms help network. It should be spelled consistently with a capital "K" and "Z".
language service provider
A general term for translators, interpreters, editors, and anyone else who provides language-related services.
outsourcer
An umbrella term that includes agencies, companies, clients, individuals and any other entity that buys translation services. Anyone who has posted a job is considered an outsourcer (in that context).
profile
A page provided to each registered user for the purpose of describing themselves and their services.
profile mail
A web-based form reached through a ProZ.com profile that allows sending email to the member without disclosing the member's email address.
ProZ.com
The name of the site should always be spelled this way. It should also not be shortened to "ProZ". When used in a URL, such as [pre]http://proz.com[/pre], an all lowercase spelling is acceptable.
ProZ.com Connect
A new initiative at ProZ.com to take marketing of our members' translation services to a new level in order to help seek out the most desirable language companies and end clients around the world, and to guide them more effectively in the options available for locating the specialists they need at ProZ.com.
ProZ.com member
A site user with a current paid membership subscription
ProZ.com messaging
A private messaging feature allowing members to send each other short messages via the site. When the recipient next loads a page at ProZ.com, he or she will be notified of and can read the new message. It should not be referred to as "instant messaging", because the messages are not received instantly.
ProZ.com user, site user, user
Anyone who uses ProZ.com
ProZ.com visitor or guest
A site user who is not a ProZ.com member
quote
An estimate and application submitted by a language service provider in response to a job posting. "Quote" has replaced the deprecated term "bid", and should be used in its place in all cases. (Bid has auction-related connotations that can give the mistaken impression of a downward pressure on rates).
rates
The prices language service providers generally charge for their work. Rates might be per word or page based on a count of the source or the target document, or they might be hourly fees. Service providers generally charge different rates for different services (e.g. checking/editing is generally cheaper than translating).
register
Create a login account and profile at ProZ.com
registered user, registrant
A ProZ.com user with a login account and profile
translation company
A company that accepts language jobs from end clients and either translates them using in-house translators or outsources them to freelance translators. Translation companies generally accept jobs in many language pairs and fields, in contrast to freelancers, who tend to specialize.
translator
A language service provider who translates written messages from one language to another.
VID
Verified identity. Registered users are "VIDed", and a mark appears next to their name in various places on the site, when we can be reasonably assured that the name in his or her profile is the person's real name. The method used to make this determination is described when the VID mark is clicked.