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mimrancreative
Community Member

I am not getting any new job on Upwork

I've been working on Upwork for the past 3 months. But no significant success has been achieved so far. I have applied to at least 50 jobs, of which I have only received 2 clients replies. Even I work hard when sending proposals. Tell the client that I do your job well. But still, no one gets the response. If anyone here in the Upwork community can guide me well and properly. Tell me how I can become a successful freelancer on Upwork. Thanks.

This is my Upwork profile link please visit and gives me some tips. Upwork Profile 

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BojanS
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Imran,

 

I would recommend that you check out these articles from our Hiring Headquarters to help you create proposals that win jobs, and help you boost your career on Upwork: 

Good luck!

~ Bojan
Upwork

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22 REPLIES 22
BojanS
Community Manager
Community Manager

Hi Imran,

 

I would recommend that you check out these articles from our Hiring Headquarters to help you create proposals that win jobs, and help you boost your career on Upwork: 

Good luck!

~ Bojan
Upwork

Well thanks, Bojan S reply to my post.

blappin
Community Member

Hi, I am very new to upwork. I signed on a while back, but I was working full time elsewhere. My current status has changed and I plan to be actively working online as much as possible. I just need some assistance. Do I put in information for payment when I do a job for someone? 

 

Thank you, 

 

Brenda Lappin


Brenda L wrote:

Hi, I am very new to upwork. I signed on a while back, but I was working full time elsewhere. My current status has changed and I plan to be actively working online as much as possible. I just need some assistance. Do I put in information for payment when I do a job for someone? 

 

Thank you, 

 

Brenda Lappin


 Brenda, 

The only time you will get paid on Upwork, is if your client initiates an official Upwork contract either hourly (preferably tracked) or as a fixed price escrow funded job. If any client suggests other types of payment outside Upwork report them.

 

So - if a client wants to hire you ask them to set up the Upwork contract that you have both agreed to and you accept and get on with the job within the boundaries of the contract - hourly, fixed price,  pay, delivery date, etc. 

You should read all the help pages on Upwork starting here, and which will really help you through all the steps: https://community.upwork.com/t5/New-to-Upwork/Getting-Started-on-Upwork/m-p/264214#M2460

jr-translation
Community Member


Imran K wrote:

I've been working on Upwork for the past 3 months. But no significant success has been achieved so far. I have applied to at least 50 jobs, of which I have only received 2 clients replies. Even I work hard when sending proposals. Tell the client that I do your job well. But still, no one gets the response. If anyone here in the Upwork community can guide me well and properly. Tell me how I can become a successful freelancer on Upwork. Thanks.

This is my Upwork profile link please visit and gives me some tips. Upwork Profile 


Your English is not on the level of a native speaker therefore you should not offer to write in English.

How does a writer receive the "native" designation?


Barb B wrote:
How does a writer receive the "native" designation.?

__________________

You should be able to edit it to native/bilingual under "languages". 


 

tr1997
Community Member

Imran brother. Change your profile picture. Your writing is good. But it is your profile picture that is keeping you from getting jobs. Dress professionally, have a great smile and have some good background. I can't explain in detail. But profile picture has a lot to do with the achievement of jobs. 

Thank you very much, Talha R for giving me good tips on how I can improve my Upwork profile. And I would like to thank you for supporting me on this language-speaking topic.

millermelanie
Community Member

Hi Imran!

Your English is quite good and you communicate clearly; however, it is obvious that English is not your native language. You have verb tense errors and some other "tell signs" that give you away. I recommend that you offer to write in your first language. How are your translation skills? Perhaps you can translate into your native language. I'm not a translator, though, so I am not knowledgeable on that subject.  Others here can advise you on that.  Find your niche and good luck!


Melanie M wrote:

Hi Imran!

Your English is quite good and you communicate clearly; however, it is obvious that English is not your native language. You have verb tense errors and some other "tell signs" that give you away. I recommend that you offer to write in your first language. How are your translation skills? Perhaps you can translate into your native language. I'm not a translator, though, so I am not knowledgeable on that subject.  Others here can advise you on that.  Find your niche and good luck!


Melanie, there is a reason why translation is something one can and should study at university. I know maths and can make technical drawings but I would never offer to work as an architect.

Jennifer R now you're in the race. Everyone has their own opinion. I made this topic so that I could be guided and not be humiliated.


Imran K wrote:

Jennifer R now you're in the race. Everyone has their own opinion. I made this topic so that I could be guided and not be humiliated.


Imran, I replied to Melanies post. As a professional translator I am more than qualified to reply to her comment: How are your translation skills? Perhaps you can translate into your native language. I'm not a translator, though, so I am not knowledgeable on that subject.

My only direct advise to you was the same as Melanie's: Do not offer to write texts in English because you are not on the level of a native speaker.

Do you mind to share why you feel it is humiliating if I give the advise but no Melanie?

It is not advisable to tell someone directly that you are not good in this field, nor can you work in this field because you are not a native person or have no mother tongue.

The only thing left to do is translate any article, but I just do a search on the topic given by the client and write an article on it.

But I will still tell you that if you cannot show someone a good way, then do not offend anyone.

I think you have great qualifications and a good profile. You could also offer to do research in English, which doesn't need perfect native sounding grammar, just good facts and source material. I'm also wondering about how to get work, but I know my profile needs to be more complete.

Wendy W, would like to thank you very much for kindly telling me how I can improve myself in this field. I would definitely recommend a specialist to improve my English language.

 

Wendy W, you are several times better than Jennifer R, because you have correctly told me what my error is and how I can improve myself.

Jennifer R, that is exactly why I said he would need to seek advice from someone else on that subject. 

 


Melanie M wrote:

How are your translation skills? Perhaps you can translate into your native language. I'm not a translator, though, so I am not knowledgeable on that subject.  


Why oh why do people assume that someone who more or less speaks more than one language can go forth and translate?

Would you suggest that the owner of a scalpel should go ahead and perform surgery?

5c940dba
Community Member


Petra R wrote:

Melanie M wrote:

How are your translation skills? Perhaps you can translate into your native language. I'm not a translator, though, so I am not knowledgeable on that subject.  


Why oh why do people assume that someone who more or less speaks more than one language can go forth and translate?

Would you suggest that the owner of a scalpel should go ahead and perform surgery?


It's hardly the same. That's like saying if you're not a trained chef you shouldn't try to make yourself dinner. People make that assumption because in English outside of legal settings we use the words "translate" and "interpret" interchangably, but many languages don't have a distinction.

 

If I have instructions in a language I can't read, I hardly care if someone translates or interprets, or does so into perfect English as long the actions are accurate.


Wendy W wrote:

Petra R wrote:

Melanie M wrote:

How are your translation skills? Perhaps you can translate into your native language. I'm not a translator, though, so I am not knowledgeable on that subject.  


Why oh why do people assume that someone who more or less speaks more than one language can go forth and translate?

Would you suggest that the owner of a scalpel should go ahead and perform surgery?


It's hardly the same. That's like saying if you're not a trained chef you shouldn't try to make yourself dinner. People make that assumption because in English outside of legal settings we use the words "translate" and "interpret" interchangably, but many languages don't have a distinction.

 

If I have instructions in a language I can't read, I hardly care if someone translates or interprets, or does so into perfect English as long the actions are accurate.


Wendy,I am sure you are aware that Petra and I are professional translators with a long history. The point is that don't even have to be a trained chef to work in a restaurant. But you should not be preparing Fugu.

 

As to the meaning of "translate" and "interprete": They are clearly defind and I have not seen a language that does not make a difference. It is a general problem (like for most people "software developers" and "programers" are doing the same work):

to translate: transform written language from language A into language B

to interpret: translform spoken language from language A into language B

 

In this case it is the intransitiv verb. You are refering to the meaning of the transitiv verb which in the linguistics is referred to as "to localize".

 

Also, since you came with the example of instructions: A user manual is part of a certified product and a poor manual will prefent a product from being sold. A product can be certified for a region and has then the manual translated (very common in the EU). If the translation is poor=wrong and something goes wrong, the company producing and the shops selling it face serious trouble. Just because someone thought it is enough to run a text through google translate and then fix a few obvious mistakes.


Wendy W wrote:


> in English outside of legal settings we use the words "translate" and "interpret" interchangably

 

No, these words have a totally distinct meaning in English.

 

> If I have instructions in a language I can't read, I hardly care if someone translates or interprets, or does so into perfect English as long the actions are accurate.

 

That may work for your Chinese fridge manual.

 

 

 

 

-----------
"Where darkness shines like dazzling light"   —William Ashbless


Rene K wrote:

Wendy W wrote:


> in English outside of legal settings we use the words "translate" and "interpret" interchangably

 

No, these words have a totally distinct meaning in English.

 

> If I have instructions in a language I can't read, I hardly care if someone translates or interprets, or does so into perfect English as long the actions are accurate.

 

That may work for your Chinese fringe manual.

 

____________________

Unless the manual is correctly translated - it could be positively dangerous. 

 

That said, it seems in his profile that the OP is not offering translation (to English) as part of his skillset. I can see no reason why he should not write blogs in English even if it is not up to the exacting standards of some people whose native language is not English either. If the OP comes up with an interesting blog or a helpful blog in an English that is not perfect, I am not going to argue. 

 

The only time I would make suggestions for improvement, is if I were hired to do so.