Poll: Which of these is most likely to make a job offer interesting for you?
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
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Sep 16, 2018

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "Which of these is most likely to make a job offer interesting for you?".

This poll was originally submitted by Anita Hedman. View the poll results »



Anastasia Kingsley Kinkusic
 
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 08:38
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Sep 16, 2018

All of them, preferably together!

Natalia Pedrosa
Nikki Scott-Despaigne
 
Anastasia Kingsley Kinkusic
Anastasia Kingsley Kinkusic  Identity Verified
Member (2011)
Croatian to English
+ ...
Winning combination Sep 16, 2018

I like it when the stars align and all four of these aspects are present in a job offer:

1. 10.000 - 60.000 Word translation
2. Good fee - 0,07-0,08€ per source word
3. Good topic - law, government, technical, commercial or medical
4. Good client reputation (meaning they are communicative and pay on time).

The best!


Natalia Pedrosa
 
Maxi Schwarz
Maxi Schwarz  Identity Verified
Local time: 03:38
German to English
+ ...
other Sep 16, 2018

re: "good payment terms" - I freelance, so I'm not seeking employment, and the fee is my fee. So this one is moot.

I will accept a translation request if:

- the work is within my area of expertise
- I have the time to do it

I'll end up not doing the job if the client doesn't like my fees or declines for another reason.


 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 09:38
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
All of the above Sep 16, 2018

If I must choose one as most likely, then it is interesting subject matter.

If the platform is a hassle and it's poorly paid, forget it!


Muriel Vasconcellos
Jennifer Forbes
Laura Bissio CT
 
José Henrique Lamensdorf
José Henrique Lamensdorf  Identity Verified
Brazil
Local time: 05:38
English to Portuguese
+ ...
In memoriam
Using Herzberg's theory, there is a mix here Sep 16, 2018

First, we have to discuss the meaning of "interesting" here.
a) Is the job offer financially interesting, i.e. good for the bottom line of your professional activity?
b) Is the job personally interesting, i.e. would you think of doing it for free in your spare time?

Anyone living on professional translation should be ready to do boring work for the money alone. Of course, interesting jobs will come up now and then, the more often the better.

Frederick Herzbe
... See more
First, we have to discuss the meaning of "interesting" here.
a) Is the job offer financially interesting, i.e. good for the bottom line of your professional activity?
b) Is the job personally interesting, i.e. would you think of doing it for free in your spare time?

Anyone living on professional translation should be ready to do boring work for the money alone. Of course, interesting jobs will come up now and then, the more often the better.

Frederick Herzberg proposed the motivation/hygiene theory. For those unfamiliar with it, this 1-minute video sums it up: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=S5XZi_7IL4g

Now it's easy to classify the options offered:
  • Interesting subjects (content of the files) - Motivation
  • Good payment terms - Hygiene
  • No complicated procedures (registration, NDA) - Hygiene
  • The type or profile of the client - Undefined; it could be Motivation (a high prestige company) or Hygiene (a company that treats its vendors well)


Using Herzberg's theory, the lack of Hygiene factors would tend to make the job uninteresting, while the presence of Motivation factors would tend to make it interesting. It's a balancing act.
Collapse


Ricki Farn
Vuka Mijuskovic
 
Muriel Vasconcellos
Muriel Vasconcellos  Identity Verified
United States
Local time: 01:38
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
Topic is most important by far Sep 16, 2018

Christine Andersen wrote:

If I must choose one as most likely, then it is interesting subject matter.

If the platform is a hassle and it's poorly paid, forget it!



If the topic really interests me a lot, I will stand on my head to do it. But the pay has to be decent and I've reached the point where I can't really deal with PDFs anymore. A PDF, depending its condition, can be a deal-breaker.


 
Yetta Jensen Bogarde
Yetta Jensen Bogarde  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 09:38
Member (2012)
English to Danish
+ ...
Good payment terms Sep 16, 2018

and second no complicated procedures

 


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Poll: Which of these is most likely to make a job offer interesting for you?






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