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Poll: What has been the longest period when you had little or no work?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Dec 6, 2017

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "What has been the longest period when you had little or no work?".

This poll was originally submitted by Little Woods. View the poll results »



 
Michael Harris
Michael Harris  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 09:26
Member (2006)
German to English
Other Dec 6, 2017

Fortunately, only a half a day.

 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:26
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
1-2 weeks Dec 6, 2017

10 days exactly was the longest period I was without work and it happened only once. The first 3 days were quite welcome, then I started feeling kind of nervous and as time went by kind of worried, at that time a new cycle began…

 
Eckhard Boehle
Eckhard Boehle  Identity Verified
Germany
Local time: 09:26
English to German
+ ...
2 weeks - a month Dec 6, 2017

I had doldrums every now and then in the course of more than 30 years with nothing going on for some days, which even caused me to write emails to my best outsourcers to ask them for work. In most cases, assignments followed quite promptly ...
But since about 3 years I am getting so many offers that I am forced to reject many (quite interesting) jobs due to lack of time. That is, of course, a lot better as I can select the jobs that suit me best....
See more
I had doldrums every now and then in the course of more than 30 years with nothing going on for some days, which even caused me to write emails to my best outsourcers to ask them for work. In most cases, assignments followed quite promptly ...
But since about 3 years I am getting so many offers that I am forced to reject many (quite interesting) jobs due to lack of time. That is, of course, a lot better as I can select the jobs that suit me best.
Collapse


 
Ada Mirasol Navarro
Ada Mirasol Navarro  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:26
Member (2017)
English to Spanish
+ ...
2 weeks - a month Dec 6, 2017

I'm starting out as a freelance after several years as an in-house and whenever a week goes by and I haven't received a single offer I start getting nervous.

I use that time to look for clients, check past projects, etc. but it can't be quite difficult not to panic.


 
Mohammad Saud
Mohammad Saud
India
Local time: 13:56
Member (2017)
Arabic to English
+ ...
Registered as a pluse member but there is no job for me Dec 6, 2017

I have registered before one week or more than that but till now I didn't receive any job however I have qouted for number of jobs as well as sent emails to the job posters but no replies from anyone.
I think it is my failure not proz.com to not be able to get a job because good people suggested me for registering on it.
So, kindly guide me to my mistakes and failures for not finding any job and tell me your experience and ideas for getting success. I will be highly obliged and thank
... See more
I have registered before one week or more than that but till now I didn't receive any job however I have qouted for number of jobs as well as sent emails to the job posters but no replies from anyone.
I think it is my failure not proz.com to not be able to get a job because good people suggested me for registering on it.
So, kindly guide me to my mistakes and failures for not finding any job and tell me your experience and ideas for getting success. I will be highly obliged and thankful to the people who will help and assist me in this regard.

[Edited at 2017-12-06 14:05 GMT]

[Edited at 2017-12-06 16:01 GMT]
Collapse


 
Marjolein Snippe
Marjolein Snippe  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 09:26
Member (2012)
English to Dutch
+ ...
perseverance Dec 6, 2017

Hello msmh,

Perhaps you should open a separate topic about this, or have a look at various existing topics.
The bottom line is: persevere. It is not at all unusual to apply for 10-20 jobs and receiving no reply at all. Most agencies receive a great many applications and do not have the time to reply to all. It can take a few months to get enough work and (returning) clients to make a living.

Some things that may help are
- limit your language pairs; translat
... See more
Hello msmh,

Perhaps you should open a separate topic about this, or have a look at various existing topics.
The bottom line is: persevere. It is not at all unusual to apply for 10-20 jobs and receiving no reply at all. Most agencies receive a great many applications and do not have the time to reply to all. It can take a few months to get enough work and (returning) clients to make a living.

Some things that may help are
- limit your language pairs; translate only to your native language. I don't know what your native language is, but your post does not sound like you are a native English speaker. That does not mean your English is bad, but it may not be good enough to translate INTO English.
- include a CV in your profile, and specify what translation experience you have
- ask a native speaker to take a look at your user message and tag line; the user message does not seem to be written in correct English, which does not inspire confidence in you as a translator. The tag line is not very effective to attract customers (ideally, THEY should feel honored you want to translate for them).
- send your CV to different translation agencies working in your language pairs. In the accompanying email, specify what your specific experience is in the different fields
- think of an area in which you really add something. Do you have previous work experience in any particular area? Did you do a major in any area? The subjects listed on your profile seem rather general.

Try to be AND come across as a confident professional. Good luck!
Collapse


 
Jared Tabor
Jared Tabor
Local time: 05:26
SITE STAFF
Build a strong profile that accurately reflects you and markets your services to your clients Dec 6, 2017

Hi msmh,

msmh wrote:

I have registered before one week or more than that but till now I didn't receive any job however I have qouted for number of jobs as well as sent emails to the job posters but no replies from anyone.
I think it is my failure not proz.com to not be able to get a job because good people suggest me for registering on it.
So, kindly guide me to my mistakes and failures for not finding any job and tell me your experience and ideas for getting success. I will be highly obliged and thankful to the people who will help and assist me in this regard.

[Edited at 2017-12-06 14:05 GMT]


Your profile needs some work! This is what potential clients will see when they find you in the directory or elsewhere, and based on what they see they will decide whether to contact you or not. Marjolein gives some good advice. Consider using your full name, for starters, as well. As Marjolein indicates, your tagline could be stronger, and it is very important-- it's the one bit of text that appears in the directory that you can control.

Be sure to sign up for one of the upcoming "Plus subscriber small group profile review" webinars at https://www.proz.com/translator-training/format/free-webinars . They are designed to help you build a strong, professional-looking profile, which is key to meeting new clients, both on and off ProZ.com. And be sure to go through the Plus subscriber checklist, to make sure you're making use of everything you need in your subscription: https://www.proz.com/pages/Plus-subscriber-checklist


 
Mohammad Saud
Mohammad Saud
India
Local time: 13:56
Member (2017)
Arabic to English
+ ...
Thank you so much for your kind reply, I respect your advice. Dec 6, 2017

Marjolein Snippe wrote:

Hello msmh,

Perhaps you should open a separate topic about this, or have a look at various existing topics.
The bottom line is: persevere. It is not at all unusual to apply for 10-20 jobs and receiving no reply at all. Most agencies receive a great many applications and do not have the time to reply to all. It can take a few months to get enough work and (returning) clients to make a living.

Some things that may help are
- limit your language pairs; translate only to your native language. I don't know what your native language is, but your post does not sound like you are a native English speaker. That does not mean your English is bad, but it may not be good enough to translate INTO English.
- include a CV in your profile, and specify what translation experience you have
- ask a native speaker to take a look at your user message and tag line; the user message does not seem to be written in correct English, which does not inspire confidence in you as a translator. The tag line is not very effective to attract customers (ideally, THEY should feel honored you want to translate for them).
- send your CV to different translation agencies working in your language pairs. In the accompanying email, specify what your specific experience is in the different fields
- think of an area in which you really add something. Do you have previous work experience in any particular area? Did you do a major in any area? The subjects listed on your profile seem rather general.

Try to be AND come across as a confident professional. Good luck!


 
Mohammad Saud
Mohammad Saud
India
Local time: 13:56
Member (2017)
Arabic to English
+ ...
Thank you so much for your kind reply, I respect your advice. Dec 6, 2017

Jared Tabor wrote:

Hi msmh,

msmh wrote:

I have registered before one week or more than that but till now I didn't receive any job however I have qouted for number of jobs as well as sent emails to the job posters but no replies from anyone.
I think it is my failure not proz.com to not be able to get a job because good people suggest me for registering on it.
So, kindly guide me to my mistakes and failures for not finding any job and tell me your experience and ideas for getting success. I will be highly obliged and thankful to the people who will help and assist me in this regard.

[Edited at 2017-12-06 14:05 GMT]


Your profile needs some work! This is what potential clients will see when they find you in the directory or elsewhere, and based on what they see they will decide whether to contact you or not. Marjolein gives some good advice. Consider using your full name, for starters, as well. As Marjolein indicates, your tagline could be stronger, and it is very important-- it's the one bit of text that appears in the directory that you can control.

Be sure to sign up for one of the upcoming "Plus subscriber small group profile review" webinars at https://www.proz.com/translator-training/format/free-webinars . They are designed to help you build a strong, professional-looking profile, which is key to meeting new clients, both on and off ProZ.com. And be sure to go through the Plus subscriber checklist, to make sure you're making use of everything you need in your subscription: https://www.proz.com/pages/Plus-subscriber-checklist


 
Axelle H.
Axelle H.  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 09:26
English to French
1 or 2 days ... Dec 6, 2017

.. and then I decide to do some shopping or visit my friend and I must rush back home as I have an emergency request from a costumer..

 
Seula Yun
Seula Yun  Identity Verified
South Korea
Local time: 17:26
Member (2017)
English to Korean
+ ...
One month Dec 6, 2017

When I was first getting in the this industry, I was be able to work only a few projects.
But never lasted more than a month I think.


 
Elizabeth Tamblin
Elizabeth Tamblin  Identity Verified
United Kingdom
Local time: 08:26
French to English
I can't remember Dec 6, 2017

I haven't had much work in the past month. That doesn't bother me too much, but I will be annoyed if I suddenly get deluged with work in the week before Christmas. It implies that their preferred translators are on holiday, so they are now desperate enough to contact me.

 
Mario Chavez (X)
Mario Chavez (X)  Identity Verified
Local time: 04:26
English to Spanish
+ ...
Doing many costumes? Dec 6, 2017

Axelle H. wrote:

.. and then I decide to do some shopping or visit my friend and I must rush back home as I have an emergency request from a costumer..





 
Axelle H.
Axelle H.  Identity Verified
France
Local time: 09:26
English to French
I .. Dec 6, 2017

Mario Chavez wrote:

Axelle H. wrote:

.. and then I decide to do some shopping or visit my friend and I must rush back home as I have an emergency request from a costumer..





do need holidays


 
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Poll: What has been the longest period when you had little or no work?






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