The Style Files
My thoughts on design, writing and entrepreneurship.
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Photo credit (background): www.pexels.com
Graphics matter. Photo credit: www.pexels.com Any translator or interpreter is sure to know proz.com as an industry standard. It's the go-to site to answer all your questions and an international hub for our niche industry. Even so, the site definitely has its drawbacks. Here are a few of the areas most in need of improvement.
1. Color Scheme I first became a translator in 2011 and the website looked nearly identical to its current version. Even then, it wasn't exactly cutting-edge. There are plenty of sites available such as Wix or Weebly that feature easy yet attractive alternatives. Meanwhile, pastels and evergreen belong to a 90s color scheme and are desperately in need of an upgrade. 2. Disorganization To its credit, proz.com has TONS of information. It's absolutely densely packed with forums, profiles and company information. Why is it that huge websites are often completely devoid of any rhyme or reason when they need it the most? I was prompted to write this post based on a legitimate ticket that was rejected because it was filed under the wrong section. You could've fooled me as a veteran of the industry and longtime user! Organization is partially related to the site's awful graphic design which any commercially-trained writer could tell you. For example, the Blue Board is a way for translators to rate and review company information. It's one of the site's best tools that you won't find anywhere on the homepage for reasons that defy the laws of marketing. Fonts? Bolding? Bullet points? Yeah, no. Most of the site is a jumble of tiny lettering stripped bare of any logical organization. I'm not feeling it. 3. Lack of Visuals I'm someone who studied language and design and find that time and again, the two groups rarely overlap. With some exception, designers make subpar writers and writers wouldn't recognize an image if it bit them in the face. It's just silly how little these two groups know about each other. In the meantime, proz.com fits this stereotype to a T due to its lack of images outside of video links. It's so easy yet so NOT THERE. 4. Cyberbullying Cyberbullying has long since been the subject of debate for any online forum. Although no one has cracked the code for running off trolls or dispelling internet negativity, some sites are better than others. I experienced cyberbullying from a fellow translator who was repeatedly downright nasty on proz.com's otherwise useful kudoZ page. If that kind of behavior isn't tolerated in the workplace, there should be no room for it on job-related platforms, either. 5. Bidding Wars One of the ways that translators are first introduced to paid work is through proz.com. Many of the jobs posted on their job board are meant as a way for newbies to get started however low the pay. Believe you me: it's very, very low, indeed. Unfortunately, these types of bidding scenarios are increasingly common within our industry which makes for unlivable wages. I can't get behind these erosive practices and wish proz.com would place limitations on these degrading price points. Final Thoughts The hub for all things translation and interpretation continues to serve the needs of its users. However, the site is noticeably behind in certain areas. Here's to keeping up with the internet and integrating text with other valuable web content, among other things. Let's hope some of the site's younger users are able to shed some light on these fixable shortcomings.
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AuthorHi, my name is Martha Oschwald and I'm a content writer focused on design. This page is meant to give you a taste of my writing style and latest musings. Archives
April 2022
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