Absurd work proposition - possibly a scam Thread poster: Tom in London
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:57
Member (2008)
Italian to English
Just got the following personal email from an Agency registered on Proz and apparently based in Vilnius (Lithuania) and with a string of "5" ratings on the Blue Board:
________________________
Dear Tom,
I hope you are well. 😊
We have an IT>EN project that would require your expertise. Would you agree to work with us on this project?
Please find more details regarding this project below: PROJECT SPECIALIZATION: General JOB TYPE: MT post-editin... See more Just got the following personal email from an Agency registered on Proz and apparently based in Vilnius (Lithuania) and with a string of "5" ratings on the Blue Board:
________________________
Dear Tom,
I hope you are well. 😊
We have an IT>EN project that would require your expertise. Would you agree to work with us on this project?
Please find more details regarding this project below: PROJECT SPECIALIZATION: General JOB TYPE: MT post-editing
TOOLS: OneForma platform
START DATE: as soon as possible
WORKLOAD: as per your needs
LANGUAGE COMBINATION: Italian to English
PAYMENT TERM: 30 days after the invoice is issued
Please note that before joining this project we ask to perform a test translation. This mandatory assignment is a part of our onboarding process and is designed to gauge your skills and give us an idea of your linguistic competence. The test will be paid only if it is a pass.
=====
What to do:
- APPLY HERE: https://xxxxxxxxxxxxxx
- We will send you our Service Provision Agreement, so you would be legally protected.
- You will write “Agree” and send your payment details.
- We will start sending tasks via our system.
Looking forward to hearing back from you!
__________________
Apart from the bad English, this is absurd: they expect me to go through this long complicated "onboarding" (I cringe at that word) process, including entering into a legal agreement, learning how to use their software, and a test (unpaid unless I pass) for a miserable post-editing job I wouldn't be interested in anyway. And they don't give any information about the job; first of all you're expected to sign up and go through their "onboarding" process, which begins like this when you click on the link in the email (I have deleted my email address, which they must have obtained from Proz or somewhere else). I have no idea why it says TWITTER at the top:
No thanks. This whole thing looks like a scam to obtain people's personal information. This is confirmed by some of the TrustPilot reviews of the OneForma platform: https://tinyurl.com/24ln998x
My only question to colleagues is: should I suggest to Proz that this agency may be fraudulent?
[Edited at 2023-06-20 08:36 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | Emanuele Vacca 
Italy
Local time: 16:57
Member (2020)
English to Italian
| Looks like the ISAAC project | Jun 20, 2023 |
It sounds like the (infamous) ISAAC project, aiming at training MT engines. It's funny how they are constantly looking for people for the job as probably no one wants to do it.
| | | | Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:57
Member (2008)
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER | Retaining data | Jun 20, 2023 |
According to the TrustPilot reviews, they ask you for all kinds of personal data before telling you what the project actually is. Then they retain the data, after you've given them permission to do whatever they want with it. And you can't delete the data. Anyone who makes the mistake of going into that "onboarding" process - by clicking "yes" on the very first question - may be heading for big trouble.
"One must be so careful these days." (T S Eliot: The Waste Land, 1922)
| | | | | ISAAC project | Jun 20, 2023 |
Adding to what Emanuele said the Isaac project also runs on OneForma and also announces that the workload is per the translator’s needs (?!). I don’t believe in coincidences like that…
... See more
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Tom in London
United Kingdom
Local time: 15:57
Member (2008)
Italian to English
TOPIC STARTER
One more reason never to trust what you see on the BlueBoard.
| | | | | I received it | Jun 20, 2023 |
Tom in London wrote: Just got the following personal email from an Agency registered on Proz and apparently based in Vilnius (Lithuania) and with a string of "5" ratings on the Blue Board: ________________________ Dear Tom, I hope you are well. 😊 We have an IT>EN project that would require your expertise. Would you agree to work with us on this project? Please find more details regarding this project below: PROJECT SPECIALIZATION: General JOB TYPE: MT post-editing TOOLS: OneForma platform START DATE: as soon as possible WORKLOAD: as per your needs LANGUAGE COMBINATION: Italian to English PAYMENT TERM: 30 days after the invoice is issued Please note that before joining this project we ask to perform a test translation. This mandatory assignment is a part of our onboarding process and is designed to gauge your skills and give us an idea of your linguistic competence. The test will be paid only if it is a pass. ===== What to do: - APPLY HERE: https://xxxxxxxxxxxxxx - We will send you our Service Provision Agreement, so you would be legally protected. - You will write “Agree” and send your payment details. - We will start sending tasks via our system. Looking forward to hearing back from you! __________________ Apart from the bad English, this is absurd: they expect me to go through this long complicated "onboarding" (I cringe at that word) process, including entering into a legal agreement, learning how to use their software, and a test (unpaid unless I pass) for a miserable post-editing job I wouldn't be interested in anyway. And they don't give any information about the job; first of all you're expected to sign up and go through their "onboarding" process, which begins like this when you click on the link in the email (I have deleted my email address, which they must have obtained from Proz or somewhere else). I have no idea why it says TWITTER at the top: No thanks. This whole thing looks like a scam to obtain people's personal information. This is confirmed by some of the TrustPilot reviews of the OneForma platform: https://tinyurl.com/24ln998x My only question to colleagues is: should I suggest to Proz that this agency may be fraudulent? [Edited at 2023-06-20 08:36 GMT]
I just replied that I do not provide tests, not sure if it is a scam.
| | | | | My two cents | Jun 20, 2023 |
Tom in London wrote: Just got the following personal email from an Agency registered on Proz and apparently based in Vilnius (Lithuania) and with a string of "5" ratings on the Blue Board: ________________________ Dear Tom, I hope you are well. 😊 We have an IT>EN project that would require your expertise. Would you agree to work with us on this project? Please find more details regarding this project below: PROJECT SPECIALIZATION: General JOB TYPE: MT post-editing TOOLS: OneForma platform START DATE: as soon as possible WORKLOAD: as per your needs LANGUAGE COMBINATION: Italian to English PAYMENT TERM: 30 days after the invoice is issued Please note that before joining this project we ask to perform a test translation. This mandatory assignment is a part of our onboarding process and is designed to gauge your skills and give us an idea of your linguistic competence. The test will be paid only if it is a pass. ===== What to do: - APPLY HERE: https://xxxxxxxxxxxxxx - We will send you our Service Provision Agreement, so you would be legally protected. - You will write “Agree” and send your payment details. - We will start sending tasks via our system. Looking forward to hearing back from you! __________________ Apart from the bad English, this is absurd: they expect me to go through this long complicated "onboarding" (I cringe at that word) process, including entering into a legal agreement, learning how to use their software, and a test (unpaid unless I pass) for a miserable post-editing job I wouldn't be interested in anyway. And they don't give any information about the job; first of all you're expected to sign up and go through their "onboarding" process, which begins like this when you click on the link in the email (I have deleted my email address, which they must have obtained from Proz or somewhere else). I have no idea why it says TWITTER at the top: No thanks. This whole thing looks like a scam to obtain people's personal information. This is confirmed by some of the TrustPilot reviews of the OneForma platform: https://tinyurl.com/24ln998x My only question to colleagues is: should I suggest to Proz that this agency may be fraudulent? [Edited at 2023-06-20 08:36 GMT]
I don't know whether it is a scam or not, but I would stay away of it for more then one reason: I don't like their MO. It screams too much hassles for nothing, and certainly not for my (your?) rate.
My advice: 'Go to the next job'
[Edited at 2023-06-20 22:11 GMT]
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Tom in London wrote:
Anyone who makes the mistake of going into that "onboarding" process - by clicking "yes" on the very first question - may be heading for big trouble.
"One must be so careful these days." (T S Eliot: The Waste Land, 1922)
Any potential client who uses the word "onboarding" immediately gets a black mark from me. Apart from anything else, the term should only be used for employees, not business associates recruited on a contract basis. So its misuse in this way suggests a client with an unhealthy attitude towards freelance translators.
A request for "onboarding" often leads immediately to "offboarding" from my side.
"The awful daring of a moment's surrender
Which an age of prudence can never retract"
Ibid.
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finnword1
United States
Local time: 10:57
English to Finnish
+ ...
Tom in London wrote:
One more reason never to trust what you see on the BlueBoard.
Like when you see that an agency has received 16 "fives" on the same day.
| | | | | I got the same request for IT-DE | Jun 21, 2023 |
I gently declined as I do no MTPE and no test translation, either.
| | | | | I also got the same offer | Jun 25, 2023 |
Tom in London wrote: Just got the following personal email from an Agency registered on Proz and apparently based in Vilnius (Lithuania) and with a string of "5" ratings on the Blue Board: ________________________ Dear Tom, I hope you are well. 😊 We have an IT>EN project that would require your expertise. Would you agree to work with us on this project? Please find more details regarding this project below: PROJECT SPECIALIZATION: General JOB TYPE: MT post-editing TOOLS: OneForma platform START DATE: as soon as possible WORKLOAD: as per your needs LANGUAGE COMBINATION: Italian to English PAYMENT TERM: 30 days after the invoice is issued Please note that before joining this project we ask to perform a test translation. This mandatory assignment is a part of our onboarding process and is designed to gauge your skills and give us an idea of your linguistic competence. The test will be paid only if it is a pass. ===== What to do: - APPLY HERE: https://xxxxxxxxxxxxxx - We will send you our Service Provision Agreement, so you would be legally protected. - You will write “Agree” and send your payment details. - We will start sending tasks via our system. Looking forward to hearing back from you! __________________ Apart from the bad English, this is absurd: they expect me to go through this long complicated "onboarding" (I cringe at that word) process, including entering into a legal agreement, learning how to use their software, and a test (unpaid unless I pass) for a miserable post-editing job I wouldn't be interested in anyway. And they don't give any information about the job; first of all you're expected to sign up and go through their "onboarding" process, which begins like this when you click on the link in the email (I have deleted my email address, which they must have obtained from Proz or somewhere else). I have no idea why it says TWITTER at the top: No thanks. This whole thing looks like a scam to obtain people's personal information. This is confirmed by some of the TrustPilot reviews of the OneForma platform: https://tinyurl.com/24ln998x My only question to colleagues is: should I suggest to Proz that this agency may be fraudulent? [Edited at 2023-06-20 08:36 GMT]
I don't know what their intentions are, but I got the same message in my language pairs for FR-JP, DE-JP and IT-JP. I kindly declined their offer, since they told me that they only pay by the hour which I charge by the number of source words.
However, two weeks later, they sent me exactly the same messages in the above-mentioned pairs by the same PM who sent me the first round of inquiry two weeks ago, although I have clearly stated that I only go by the number of source words the first time. I pointed this out to the PM that you have sent me exactly the same messages two weeks ago which I have clearly declined already, so I had to say no again.
I don't know what they're up to; maybe it's just a scam or the infamous ISAAC project like Emanuele pointed out, or just trying to increase the number of linguists in their database, but it seemed to me that they are desperate in securing linguists in the language pairs I work in.
| | | | | They don't even check the language | Jun 26, 2023 |
I got the same message for French-Spanish. Nowhere in my profile I state that I translate into Spanish...
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