Concern about inappropriate Kudoz participation 投稿者: expressisverbis
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Hello!
I would like to bring attention to a recurring issue that may impact the quality of Kudoz's answers/glossary/translation.
I recently posted a legal terminology question, seeking clarification on whether a direct translation or a country-specific equivalent would be more appropriate.
However, a member responded with the equivalent (which I had already mentioned in my question posted) and with an additional equivalent in Brazilian Portuguese, which I had not requested he... See more Hello!
I would like to bring attention to a recurring issue that may impact the quality of Kudoz's answers/glossary/translation.
I recently posted a legal terminology question, seeking clarification on whether a direct translation or a country-specific equivalent would be more appropriate.
However, a member responded with the equivalent (which I had already mentioned in my question posted) and with an additional equivalent in Brazilian Portuguese, which I had not requested help for this variant.
This is not the first time I have noticed this pattern.
It seems the same member frequently provides terminology answers across multiple language pairs, sometimes in fields where deep expertise is essential.
Given the importance of linguistic and cultural accuracy, in particular in very specialized fields like legal translation, I believe answers should be provided by those with genuine expertise and native proficiency in the respective language combinations.
I am very concerned that such behavior might be incentivized by ranking systems rather than a true commitment to quality.
If this member is representing an agency (due to the long list of language combinations in the profile) rather than contributing as an individual professional, it would be important to clarify whether such participation aligns with the forum’s guidelines.
I would appreciate it if the moderation team could review this matter to ensure that the forum maintains high standards of accuracy and relevance.
Thank you.
[Edited at 2025-03-10 12:20 GMT] ▲ Collapse
| | | | expressisverbis
ポルトガル
Local time: 05:21
2015に入会
英語 から ポルトガル語
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TOPIC STARTER | Support ticket sent to the staff | Mar 10 |
I have sent a support ticket to the staff reporting this situation and asking them to review or update the terms or rules regarding Kudoz.
I don't know if they'll do anything, but they should for the sake of the site and for the sake of all translators like us.
Otherwise, this kind of abuse and lack of professionalism will not only be seen in one member, but in many more.
| | | | expressisverbis
ポルトガル
Local time: 05:21
2015に入会
英語 から ポルトガル語
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Staff acknowledged my concern and replied: | Mar 10 |
"Thank you for reaching out to the ProZ.com support center and for sharing your concerns.
We take the integrity of KudoZ participation seriously, and I appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention. The user's activity will be reviewed, and if necessary, appropriate actions will be taken in accordance with our platform guidelines.
Maintaining the quality and professionalism of KudoZ is important to us, and we will assess whether any adjustments are needed to ensu... See more "Thank you for reaching out to the ProZ.com support center and for sharing your concerns.
We take the integrity of KudoZ participation seriously, and I appreciate you bringing this matter to our attention. The user's activity will be reviewed, and if necessary, appropriate actions will be taken in accordance with our platform guidelines.
Maintaining the quality and professionalism of KudoZ is important to us, and we will assess whether any adjustments are needed to ensure fair and meaningful participation. Your feedback regarding ranking systems and quality standards is also valuable, and I will forward your observations to the relevant team for further consideration." ▲ Collapse
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Well, I guess I know who you talk about, it has thousands of replies in multiple languages, including PT and ES.
Too many times, the answers provided by this user seemed made with AI to me. I commented that several times on Spanish replies, but nobody really cared.
But isn't the only user providing answers made with AI.
There's another user, whose profile doesn't list Spanish proficiency, but list high proficiency on AI tools and prompts engineering. This user has less t... See more Well, I guess I know who you talk about, it has thousands of replies in multiple languages, including PT and ES.
Too many times, the answers provided by this user seemed made with AI to me. I commented that several times on Spanish replies, but nobody really cared.
But isn't the only user providing answers made with AI.
There's another user, whose profile doesn't list Spanish proficiency, but list high proficiency on AI tools and prompts engineering. This user has less than 50 Kudoz answers in many languages (Spanish, French, Russian, German, Czech, Italian, Arabic) without any proficiency/knowledge credited on this user profile.
Replies usually are copy-paste of the AI text (never links/references from the AI tool) with the highest confidence, without any moderator telling anything.
How come there's no rule in Kudoz about using AI to provide answers? ▲ Collapse
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| A girl from India. | Mar 11 |
Sometimes she is from the UK, sometimes from the USA. She recently started participating in Serbian (Bosnian, Croatian) KudoZ forum with mostly stupid answers. When I told her in Serbian Cyrillic script not to do that, she gave me a sassy answer as a MALE. Serbian, like Italian or Spanish, has a different word for different gender for the same term. But AI cannot tell apart a female from a male person. I even saw on WIWO she did Apache to Turkish translation which is very weird and she is one of... See more Sometimes she is from the UK, sometimes from the USA. She recently started participating in Serbian (Bosnian, Croatian) KudoZ forum with mostly stupid answers. When I told her in Serbian Cyrillic script not to do that, she gave me a sassy answer as a MALE. Serbian, like Italian or Spanish, has a different word for different gender for the same term. But AI cannot tell apart a female from a male person. I even saw on WIWO she did Apache to Turkish translation which is very weird and she is one of the top KudoZ leaders. But this is a clear cheating. Why does ProZ allow this? ▲ Collapse
| | | | | ProZ support for AI | Mar 11 |
Maria Laura Curzi wrote:
How come there's no rule in Kudoz about using AI to provide answers?
Because ProZ staff support the use of AI to generate KudoZ answers.
It's only a year since, after a fairly massive campaign on these forums, lasting more than six months, ChatGPT was finally stopped from answering KudoZ questions itself. Over that period, ChatGPT was a registered user of the ProZ site, with a fake profile, and it offered answers to more than 200 KudoZ enquiries.
Interested parties can find the conclusion to this story here:
https://www.proz.com/forum/prozcom_suggestions/363811-please_remove_chatgpt_option_from_kudoz_staff_removed-page14.html
It's clear from that discussion that ProZ staff see no reason why AI should not be allowed to participate in KudoZ, and they didn't give in without a fight.
The ChatGPT profile, which is completely bogus, and which ChatGPT itself has repudiated, is still active on this site.
https://www.proz.com/profile/670924
Does that answer your question?
| | | | expressisverbis
ポルトガル
Local time: 05:21
2015に入会
英語 から ポルトガル語
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Philip Lees wrote:
Because ProZ staff support the use of AI to generate KudoZ answers.
Does that answer your question?
While AI tools might still be used by some users, the real issue here is the abuse and the lack of expertise from that particular participant.
Even if ProZ staff didn't support the use of AI to generate KudoZ answers, this user would likely still find ways to exploit the system, whether by using other online tools, outsourcing answers, or simply posting without proper knowledge.
To me, this behaviour suggests that the ranking system rewards quantity over quality, which is a serious problem for a professional terminology forum, and Proz must act.
That completely undermines the credibility of the forum, and that's why I got tired and decided to open this thread.
If the staff doesn't act, this site risks becoming a low-quality resource, where non-experts flood discussions just to climb the ranks.
That’s bad for professionals who rely on correct terminology and bad for the site’s reputation.
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Philip Lees wrote:
The ChatGPT profile, which is completely bogus, and which ChatGPT itself has repudiated, is still active on this site.
https://www.proz.com/profile/670924
Does that answer your question?
Wow - thanks Philip - this changes everything.
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expressisverbis wrote:
While AI tools might still be used by some users, the real issue here is the abuse and the lack of expertise from that particular participant.
You're right, Sandra. Sorry for hijacking your thread. I didn't realise it at the time. I was distracted by the other references to AI.
To me, this behaviour suggests that the ranking system rewards quantity over quality, which is a serious problem for a professional terminology forum, and Proz must act.
Does it, though? Are ranking points awarded for all KudoZ answers, or only for those that are chosen by the asker?
Answering my own question, it seems that points are only given for selected answers. However, in user profiles, the number of questions answered refers to all answers, not just those that were awarded points.
| | | | expressisverbis
ポルトガル
Local time: 05:21
2015に入会
英語 から ポルトガル語
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Keeping the use of AI here is a problem to address, but | Mar 11 |
No real professional would rely on AI to generate terminology answers without verifying them.
That’s just reckless and shows that this member is not interested in quality, only in boosting her rank.
This isn’t about AI itself, but it’s about how she’s abusing it to game the system or whatever reason.
The staff needs to recognise that and take action before more opportunists do the same.
If she keeps posting low-quality or AI-generated answers, she will have my "... See more No real professional would rely on AI to generate terminology answers without verifying them.
That’s just reckless and shows that this member is not interested in quality, only in boosting her rank.
This isn’t about AI itself, but it’s about how she’s abusing it to game the system or whatever reason.
The staff needs to recognise that and take action before more opportunists do the same.
If she keeps posting low-quality or AI-generated answers, she will have my "disagree".
It's a solid way to fight back! Every time I disagree with her wrong answers, I will be sending a clear message: terminology isn’t a game, and I don't tolerate low-quality suggestions!
And I don't give a damn if any member comes to her defence. This is a professional space, not a popularity contest! ▲ Collapse
| | | | expressisverbis
ポルトガル
Local time: 05:21
2015に入会
英語 から ポルトガル語
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | Both issues are related! | Mar 11 |
Philip Lees wrote:
expressisverbis wrote:
While AI tools might still be used by some users, the real issue here is the abuse and the lack of expertise from that particular participant.
You're right, Sandra. Sorry for hijacking your thread. I didn't realise it at the time. I was distracted by the other references to AI.
To me, this behaviour suggests that the ranking system rewards quantity over quality, which is a serious problem for a professional terminology forum, and Proz must act.
Does it, though? Are ranking points awarded for all KudoZ answers, or only for those that are chosen by the asker?
Answering my own question, it seems that points are only given for selected answers. However, in user profiles, the number of questions answered refers to all answers, not just those that were awarded points.
No problem! Both issues are related!
I was quite surprised by what Slobodan said above: "she is one of the top KudoZ leaders".
That's why I mentioned that the real issue is the abuse and the lack of expertise from that particular participant.
It's true that by allowing AI to generate Kudoz answers, that member and/or others will do the same thing.
But her behaviour is blatant and disrespectful! Her nerve to keep acting this way is unbelievable...
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Over the years, there have been other cases of translators who are as multilingual as they are omniscient, but in general they tend to disappear quickly, thanks to the reactions they ‘produce’. In this case (I think I know who we're talking about), however, the presence remains...
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expressisverbis
ポルトガル
Local time: 05:21
2015に入会
英語 から ポルトガル語
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Maria Teresa Borges de Almeida wrote:
Over the years, there have been other cases of translators who are as multilingual as they are omniscient, but in general they tend to disappear quickly, thanks to the reactions they ‘produce’. In this case (I think I know who we're talking about), however, the presence remains...
The fact that this user’s presence persists led me to post this thread in the hope that Proz takes immediate actions.
Your comment about "disappearing quickly" says it all: in a professional setting, actions have consequences, and users who misuse the website typically don’t last long.
I hope the staff takes these concerns seriously and addresses the issue.
If and when I get any more information from the staff, I'll come here again.
[Edited at 2025-03-11 11:38 GMT]
| | | | | Unreliable glossary | Mar 11 |
expressisverbis wrote:
Philip Lees wrote:
Because ProZ staff support the use of AI to generate KudoZ answers.
Does that answer your question?
While AI tools might still be used by some users, the real issue here is the abuse and the lack of expertise from that particular participant.
To me, this behaviour suggests that the ranking system rewards quantity over quality, which is a serious problem for a professional terminology forum, and Proz must act.
That completely undermines the credibility of the forum, and that's why I got tired and decided to open this thread.
If the staff doesn't act, this site risks becoming a low-quality resource, where non-experts flood discussions just to climb the ranks.
That’s bad for professionals who rely on correct terminology and bad for the site’s reputation.
Fully agree with you, Sandra!
Encouraging the use of AI leads to some users abusing on AI to give inaccurate answers just to get the reward points. So they can show off some “linguistic knowledge” in their profiles. Like the other user I mentioned, whose profile says I also participate in ProZ's KudoZ Q&A, where I recently earned KudoZ points for Spanish to Japanese translation, demonstrating my cross-linguistic capabilities. That without mentioning any Spanish knowledge/proficiency at all.
Polluting the Kudoz system with AI's inaccurate answers will lead eventually to a Proz's inaccurate glossary. Polluting a glossary with AI's inaccurate entries will lead eventually to an unreliable and useless glossary, it's the shoot in the feet metaphor, appearing again in relation to AI.
So, isn't just Proz site reputation, but it's usefulness to its **professional** translators users.
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Philip Lees wrote:
Maria Laura Curzi wrote:
How come there's no rule in Kudoz about using AI to provide answers?
Because ProZ staff support the use of AI to generate KudoZ answers.
It's only a year since, after a fairly massive campaign on these forums, lasting more than six months, ChatGPT was finally stopped from answering KudoZ questions itself. Over that period, ChatGPT was a registered user of the ProZ site, with a fake profile, and it offered answers to more than 200 KudoZ enquiries.
Interested parties can find the conclusion to this story here:
https://www.proz.com/forum/prozcom_suggestions/363811-please_remove_chatgpt_option_from_kudoz_staff_removed-page14.html
It's clear from that discussion that ProZ staff see no reason why AI should not be allowed to participate in KudoZ, and they didn't give in without a fight.
The ChatGPT profile, which is completely bogus, and which ChatGPT itself has repudiated, is still active on this site.
https://www.proz.com/profile/670924
Does that answer your question?
OMG, I didn't know this. I started to use the forum/Kudoz on last year's fourth quarter, after passing my College final exam.
I'm reading the whole thread now, it's deeply disheartening. I though Proz was a place to encourage translation knowledge, but it seems I perhaps though wrong.
I see Kudoz not only as a way to helping colleagues with terminology queries, but also as a learning fountain too. Even if no answers are provided, many discussions are so eye-opening about language/contexts nuances.
But, if anyone without any linguistic knowledge is allowed to participate because can copy-paste any inaccurate AI text, how long until the learning fountain gets dry?
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