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Poll: If a job I were interested in required me to provide references, I would:
Thread poster: ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
ProZ.com Staff
SITE STAFF
Jan 23

This forum topic is for the discussion of the poll question "If a job I were interested in required me to provide references, I would:".

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Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida  Identity Verified
Portugal
Local time: 13:12
Member (2007)
English to Portuguese
+ ...
Other Jan 23

If I’m really interested, I’d apply saying that I can’t supply references as I’m covered by NDAs and I’d attach my CV with my Proz profile…

Ines Radionovas-Lagoutte, PhD
Christine Andersen
Sara Daitch
Gyöngyi Tanácsi
Alexandra Speirs
Philippe Etienne
Hildegard Brauer
 
Christine Andersen
Christine Andersen  Identity Verified
Denmark
Local time: 14:12
Member (2003)
Danish to English
+ ...
Refer to my WWAs, and I am a Chartered Linguist Jan 23

I do not ask clients to give references to potential competitors.

Some have been so kind as to give me a WWA on my Proz.com profile, and I am a Chartered Linguist. That means that two clients sent references to the CIoL - and not to other clients - when I applied for chartered status.

Otherwise I refer to NDAs and point out that the prospective client would not want me to tell their competitors I was working for them. (They may guess, because it's a small world, but tha... See more
I do not ask clients to give references to potential competitors.

Some have been so kind as to give me a WWA on my Proz.com profile, and I am a Chartered Linguist. That means that two clients sent references to the CIoL - and not to other clients - when I applied for chartered status.

Otherwise I refer to NDAs and point out that the prospective client would not want me to tell their competitors I was working for them. (They may guess, because it's a small world, but that is another matter.)

The alternative is to offer to translate a couple of hundred words for them, so they can see how I handle their texts. This does not take much longer in practice than administration of communications about references, which I woluld have to do for free anyway.

[Edited at 2026-01-23 11:25 GMT] ▲ Collapse
 
Gregor Trebec
Gregor Trebec
Slovenia
Local time: 14:12
English to Slovenian
+ ...
i would... Jan 23

I have quoted such jobs anyway and described my past projects. If they trust such reference good...

Maria Laura Curzi
 
Samuel Murray
Samuel Murray  Identity Verified
Netherlands
Local time: 14:12
Member (2006)
English to Afrikaans
+ ...
Provide references Jan 23

ProZ.com Staff wrote:
If a job I were interested in required me to provide references, I would...

For freelance translators, providing references is a fairly standard part of applying for a job. One should always have two or three references ready to supply as soon as anyone asks. I regard asking for references as akin to asking for a résumé. If a client asks you for a résumé and you're unsure whether to supply one, then you don't quite understand how this works.

Added: the references that I supply are from fellow translators, not clients.

[Edited at 2026-01-23 15:31 GMT]

Gregor Trebec
Philip Lees
 
Zea_Mays
Zea_Mays  Identity Verified
Italy
Local time: 14:12
English to German
+ ...
only agency references Jan 23

I only ask for and provide references from/to agencies, never from/to private direct clients or even colleagues (=competitors).

Maria Laura Curzi
Josephine Cassar
 


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Poll: If a job I were interested in required me to provide references, I would:






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