oh dear... is this the ridiculous thread?

everyday, I wake up, go to my computer (to work) and find a slew of emails, many from new agencies that have picked me off the internet or my profile and that appear to have sprung up over night

here is one of today's "specials" .... not an agency but what is more and more common... a website claiming to be a directory or "network" appealing to freelancers and trying to eliminate the "middleman"

 www.tradagora.com

there are more and more of these types of sites, trying to intervene between translators and agencies, preying on freelancers who don't have time to market themselves and do their research (or know how to).
 
This one is typical ... no webmaster in sight, and no way to contact them.  They are all over the internet posting about themselves and trying to create hype.  Of course they aren't free ... I am sure they are pocketing money somehow.  This one is out of Belgium...and seems to have been in existence for 4 months now, or so my research says  http://mintportal.bvdep.com/MintPortal-CJFJAIIIEIAIFIEIEIFIJIAI.urk

I am not going to spend a lot of time on this one, but this is the bad side of the internet ... that seems to have no controls.  Even if you are a wary consumer ... it is pretty easy to get sucked in.  And once you have uploaded your data on a weak moment, you will never get it off...

So sure, those who are lucky get contacted by agencies and "get their price" and get paid, the rest of us, well, we get contacted too, and sometimes it is good, but it certainly is"translator beware"... welcome to the real world

Another ridiculous Eng-Spa offer, only 0.02USD per source word...

http://www.translatorscafe.com/cafe/SelectedJob.asp?Job=111935&Jobs=111935%20111934%20111929%20111924%20111923%20111916%20111914%20111913%20111900

...and once again they also managed to sneak through the 5c screen although it is very clear that they do mean 2, and not 5: ["the rate is of $0.02/word. If your rates are superior please do not contact us. Payment: 0.05 USD per word"]

df

Removed.

NK

"If your rates are superior" no but *I* am superior to a rate of 2c a word!

Josephine Bacon

Thanks, Nikita!

Oops, he did it again?!?!

http://www.translatorscafe.com/cafe/SelectedJob.asp?Job=111940

Yes, he reposted it. This time the ad was removed by Walter Landesman.

NK

Thanks again, Nikita and Walter!

Each time they managed to get one bidder. I wonder if it's the same person or they will have to choose between two different bidders. The former would be operationally easier. To get just one bid is ideal at this level of service.