Lionbridge Review: Why I'm Glad I Failed as an Internet Assessor

Gig Economy

All About Lionbridge

Lionbridge Technologies was founded in 1996 and defines itself as a leading provider of globalization solutions. The headquarters are in Waltham, MA, United States.

Services offered include:

• Global testing
• On-demand translation
• Content development
• Software localization
• Interpreter services

In its 2014 Annual Report, Lionbridge stated that it has a database of more than 100,000 independent workers in 100+ countries providing crowdsourcing services including translation, online marketing, global content management, and testing solutions.

Lionbridge reported a total revenue of $490.6 million in 2014. Their main clients that year were Microsoft (21% of revenue) and Google (12%). Lionbridge generated approximately $20.5 million in cash flow from operations during 2014.

Lionbridge is a publicly listed company trading on the Nasdaq Global Market under the symbol “LIOX”.

An Update

I wrote this article in 2015 after attempting the selection test with Lionbridge once. This is the account of my failed attempt and I hope you find it useful. Please note that I never worked with Lionbridge because I decided not to try the test again. However, there are quite a few things I learned in the process and that's why I decided to share my experience.

Online Jobs and the Internet Assessor Role

Lionbridge will make different types of online jobs available for crowdsourcing. You need to check the website for available vacancies in your region (jobs are location-dependent).

Lionbridge will make vacancies available from time to time depending on client demand. One of the most popular roles advertised is that of Internet Assessor.

The reason why I joined Lionbridge was to get some more freelance writing work. As there were no other opportunities available but an Internet Assessor vacancy, I applied for it.

The Application Process

Considering this company has been operating for 20 years I had expected a sleeker recruitment process and user interface. The worker's database is hosted on a SAP platform: it looks dated and could do with a bit of sprucing up. Aesthetic considerations aside, creating a profile is like uploading your CV on a traditional job search engine site: you need to list your qualifications, past experience, and skills, and upload your updated CV.

The lead time to review applications is two weeks.

A few days after submitting your application you receive an email with your confirmed hourly rate (company confidential) and documents you need to digitally sign to agree to start contract work.

You need to sign a nondisclosure agreement. The company will take action against you if you leak information.

You then need to wait another 8-10 days to receive the information about the exam you need to pass to become an assessor.

The Exam (and Why I Failed)

All information about the exam is company confidential. There are three exams you need to pass, one of which is a multiple-choice questionnaire based on the exam guidelines you are given beforehand (at the time of writing, the guidelines were 157 pages long and the recommendation is for you to set aside a few hours to study them in detail).

I started reading the guidelines and had to stop halfway through. I was having doubts about whether this type of role suited me – detailed work is not my forte. Against better wisdom, I attempted the multiple-choice questionnaire (open book) testing you on your knowledge of the guidelines. I obviously failed, but I wanted to fail as I realized that being an assessor would bore me to tears.

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However, I am sure other people would find the role quite fascinating as it gives you an excellent insight into how good websites are supposed to provide information and meet users' needs.

The Black Market for Exam Papers

While researching information for this article I found out that there is a black market for exam papers results. While I did not look into this further, I saw websites gathering email addresses with the view to email documents to candidates at a price to help them pass the selection process.

Pros and Cons

Pros

• Flexible work
• Work between 10 and 20 hours a week

Cons

• First payment after 60 days
• Low to medium hourly rate of pay
• Some jobs can be tedious so you need a lot of discipline and self-motivation
• Workers in internet forums said that response by email from the support team and team leaders is slow

The Verdict

The application process is too time-consuming in my view. Having looked at ratings of the company in the public domain, it seems that there is a 50/50 split between happy and disgruntled workers.

As of 2016, no other roles have become available. No writing jobs, no translation jobs, just mechanical jobs paying pennies/cents.

While I decided I was not interested in pursuing this avenue further, I am interested in knowing more from people who have successfully completed tasks and ideally are making a good living working this way.

I'm happy to hear about your experiences! Feel free to add your comment.

Please also check my other articles on working from home: Clickworker review and Unbabel review.

This article is accurate and true to the best of the author’s knowledge. Content is for informational or entertainment purposes only and does not substitute for personal counsel or professional advice in business, financial, legal, or technical matters.

© 2015 Paola Bassanese

Comments

Chris on September 04, 2020:

G**gle created a great platform and Lionbridge does not manage or interpret it well - at all. Management is filled with subjective opinions on your tasks and there was also poor communication with management. Expect your emails not to be answered for 3 days. If you are a dedicated and detail-oriented person, also expect to be extremely frustrated with the arbitrary and constantly changing guidelines. I'm someone that would be perfect for this type of job but because of the way lionbridge manages this position, it's been a pretty bad experience - with some days being "okay". I guess lionbridge is it very honest with the client and the client thinks that lionbridge is doing a great job... SMH

Siddharth LOHANI on May 11, 2020:

I made a mistake while filling the TnC form.

entered an incomplete address.

raised a mail saying correct it from your end

Do you think will they help me?

Mehran on February 12, 2020:

Thank you for your inputs.

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on January 13, 2020:

Hello Neil

I am very grateful that you took the time to share your experience here. I am glad for those people who have had success with this company (and are very vocal about defending it in public forums!) but I think the scoring and recruitment process should be improved. In the end it's all about finding what is right for you so I wish you all the success you deserve in your career!

Paola

Neil on January 11, 2020:

Hello Paola.

I should have looked for your site before I started with Lionbridge it would have helped me to make an informed decision about applying for the position of Internet Assessor. I applied for a language specific post. I have just completed part 3 of the exam and within 15 minutes on Sunday morning was informed that I had been unsuccessful after having passed parts 1 and 2. This indicates that there is no assessment or moderation of the exam by Lionbridge. However, what I find difficult to comprehend is why there is a time limit on preparing for the exam. Why not issue the 167 page guideline earlier? Secondly why is there no feedback on results. Surely being a recruitment process one would think that Lionbridge would see it as developing potential employees and elevating the standard. Nonetheless having read the comments about the pay issues I am glad that I failed and will not waste any more time chasing after the wind.

Thank you once again for the opportunity to comment.

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on November 20, 2019:

You are right, it's difficult to gauge what the expectations are without getting feedback. Cheers!

TheMrs on November 20, 2019:

I have taken the exam 4 times. 1st time failed the 1st part. 2nd time, 2nd part, 3rd time 3rd part. I was curious so i kept retaking it to see what the next part actually entailed. But without feedback on what i did wrong, taking 3 sections of exam when ive past the other 2 parts multiple times is mundane. And by the time i get to the last part, im over it and done and think wine sounds like a much better idea...

Emily on November 15, 2019:

I just applied to an ads evaluator position with the company and signed the waivers, guess we shall see what happens when I study for it. Thanks for your review

Melly23 on November 08, 2019:

I am in the process of applying to Lionbridge. I will let you know how it goes. I found your article very helpful. Thank you.

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on October 23, 2019:

It is very puzzling Melissa. Maybe the company should say upfront that they are only recruiting a very limited number of people each month. Who knows?

Melissa on October 22, 2019:

I took the first part of the test for the rater position today using the material they provided me. I even printed out all 167 pages to study. I used their material they provided during the open book portion of the test, and received an e-mail stating I failed. How the heck do you fail something using the material THEY provided? I don't feel this company is professional standards for their hiring process. No one to speak to, they e-mails are vague, and you really do not know if you truly passed or not. I think hey base it on how long you take to test. As referenced above, I used their material provided for the true/false part. They their material isn't accurate if I am using it and failing to pass. Makes no sense to me.

Katarina on October 07, 2019:

After passing all steps, tests included, I received same answer as Ocelot93.....no position available.

Waist of time!

ocelot93 on October 03, 2019:

...DON'T WASTE YOUR TIME!!! After extensively studying for the position, and completing all of the required preemployment tasks, I was told that there was no position available at the time.

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on May 24, 2019:

Of course they will do their best to make sure the collaborators' bank details are kept safe. Any large company will have invested in data security.

Bob on May 23, 2019:

Greetings, I am just worried about the bank info you share with them, they don't steal money from you or anything right?

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on April 21, 2019:

Hi Gary

Yes, the company is basically a monolyth and it's probably too focussed on processes instead of operating more efficiently.

Gary on April 18, 2019:

Their rating tools are inconsistent and they don’t seem to know how to fix the problems. They are efficient with vague emails noting inconsistencies on the part of the employee with frequent warnings about termination. LB is too big for its britches.

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on October 02, 2018:

Hi Jess,

I am delighted you are enjoying your job! Things evolve over time and I'm sure the company has taken into account people's feedback.

Jess on October 01, 2018:

Sorry to hear about your experience! I have worked as a rater for 3 years now and have to say i really enjoy it. Pay is better than many part time jobs and you can't beat the flexibility. I find the work itself fascinating as there is actually a huge variety in what you do.

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on August 07, 2018:

Hi Shah

I'm afraid I don't know how to help you. It seems there must have been an admin error. As I have no relationship with LB I can't offer advice.

Thanks for your comment,

Paola

Shah on August 07, 2018:

Hi Paola, I applied for Internet assessor job (local language) at LB. I went through the whole process, I accepted the agreement And I got mail confirming the date on which I will be having an access to exam portal..

But just a day before the date, LB sent me an email saying that your application is unsuccessful and we are not in position to provide individual feedback.

So firstly they accepted it without any objection and then denied before I could appear for exam.

I am disappointed with the mail.

Could you please help me regarding this issue ?

Thank you for any help you can offer:)

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on August 01, 2018:

Thank you all for your input and insights, very much appreciated!

Marcos on July 22, 2018:

This article is a way to start understand what`s a crowd-sourcing job, but the comments can teach you more than the article. So, great job Paola!

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on July 20, 2018:

Hi Amy

Very useful insight. I haven't tried working for them since I wrote the article, but from the experience I had and the research I did for my article I think this company suffers from being a "pioneer" in this industry. In other words, they now have legacy systems that have become obsolete, and policies that have aged accordingly. This is just my opinion.

Paola

Amy on July 19, 2018:

I worked for them around 2011, and the thing that bothered me about them was that help was hard to get and they wouldn't clearly state what your stats were supposed to be, so after they told me to adjust a weekly timecard downward I stopped bothering with them. Apparently I was taking too much time trying to get things right but I couldn't get an answer on what they expected per hour.

I hope they've gotten more communicative with their contractors. According to these comments they might have changed, but I can't trust a place that won't tell you what they want and try to screw you out of time you honestly did. If they worry about people lying I hope they put a task timer in and save themselves the guessing.

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on July 18, 2018:

Thank you all for your comments - glad that some of you are having better luck than me! For those of you who failed the exam, my commiserations. I am not sure if you can retake the exam, it's better to contact Lionbridge directly.

Afsal on July 16, 2018:

i failed in exam of internet assessor.can i get retake ??

Lei meitei on June 29, 2018:

I'm sorry you had a bad experience with them but it's been pretty fun for me. I failed the first time then decided not to try again, but then I gave it a try and passed.

You get an email instantly right after you pass/fail the exam. They will email you the details within a day or two, in my case it was 3 because of the weekend and public holiday.

If anyone wants to try I say go for it. I know people that failed the first time but now have been working for them for years and still positive about LB including myself. So, it's definitely worth a try.

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on March 13, 2018:

I think there may be too many candidates for only a small number of tasks.

Najam ul Hassan on February 27, 2018:

I am from Pakistan and about a month ago I heard from lionbridge management that I have been selected as internet assessor, however since then I could not find any tasks available on my evaluation platform. What could be the reason?

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on February 19, 2018:

Good question Trish. Maybe one of the readers can help? Because I failed the exam I think I got locked out of the exam portal straight away, if I remember correctly.

Trish on February 18, 2018:

How long does it take to hear back after you've taken the test?

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on February 18, 2018:

Hi @amy202 thank you for your feedback. It must be so stressful not knowing what is going on. At the end of the day, we all simply want to do some work.

Amy202 on February 15, 2018:

Nice article Paola. It is stressful even after getting the job @ramaloose, I'm presently in the same situation as you are. Have not gotten any tasks more than a week and I've gotten no explanation for that. Tried reaching them through email and same generic response. You are lucky yours was resolved. I don't even know if I'm going to be let go from here

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on February 08, 2018:

@ramaloose I hear you, it must be so frustrating. I remember getting quite annoyed at the time I wasted on the site, that’s why I wanted to share my experience here. I completely understand that a lucky few have positive things to say and I am happy for them.

ramaloose on February 08, 2018:

I have had nothing but trouble with LionBridge. I was locked out for several weeks. I emailed several times and finally was resolved. Now, every time I log into work, there are no available tasks. When emailed to address this the response is: Please note that there will be times when you will experience task outages in the system, when this happens we do recommend that you check for tasks on a regular basis. We have found that our best raters are those who can log in very frequently throughout the week. I have spent so much time on this and no time getting paid to do my job.

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on February 07, 2018:

@jimmyeatsworld I had forgotten about getting locked out of the website - I think the website runs on an outdated proprietary platform, but I could be wrong. The company itself has been around for ages so it might rely on several legacy systems.

jimmyeatsworld on January 30, 2018:

Today I was in the middle of the application process. It takes a little time but nothing I'd complain about. My only problem was that when I got to the exam part, It took me a little longer (my fault) after I had to walk away from my laptop for about 15 minutes to do something. A page popped up asking me if I'd like to continue. I clicked the "continue" button and another page popped up saying "Error yada yada" something or other, and I have not been able to log back on since. I'm disappointed because I was really interested in this job and I'm afraid by the time I find a way to logon, the job will be long gone. If anyone knows anyway to remedy this problem I'm all ears and would greatly appreciate it!

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on December 24, 2017:

@charm143 Thank you for your comment, I am delighted to hear you are having a good experience with the website. Happy holidays, Paola

Charm143 on December 21, 2017:

I understand you have to title this blog post in a way that captures the reader, but it is a bit misleading.

I've been working for this company for 3 years and I enjoy it very much. The pay is far from "low" (this part time job alone pays for my house and at least 2 other bills). And you don't have to wait 60 days for initial payment, actually, within the last year, pay has changed to bi-weekly instead of once/month.

The test is challenging but not impossible. You have about a week to take it and more than enough study material. You just have to take your time the first day or 2 and READ, also, it's "open-book" and isn't timed, refer back to the material for each question if you have to. Once you pass the exam you can begin working and getting paid.

You receive feedback every single month and live training, there is no reason why anyone can't succeed. It's a great opportunity for a stay-at-home mom, college student, or anyone looking for a second source of income.

**Editing to say that I just noticed you are in London, I'm not sure how much of a pay difference there is, I am in the US.

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on November 07, 2017:

Hi Kay, thank you for your insightful comment and for sharing your experience.

Kay on November 07, 2017:

There's a few things I would like to say about this article.

First, I do have to agree with the people saying that you really have to right to bash a job that you didn't get. I do think this is a bit silly.

Second, I'm not too sure where you're getting "60 days before the first paycheck". You get paid on time, period. The only reason you will not be paid on time is if you are caught lying about your hours, and in that case, your pay will be temporarily suspended.

Finally, this job is NOT a scam, as many people are saying. You do the work, you get paid. That's not a scam. They do have a tendency to fire people with little to no warning, but they do give feedback to the people who put forth effort. They've came to me twice in the time that I've work there (over a year) and said "hey, you need to pick up the pace" or "hey, you need to quit moving so fast and take your time to ensure quality". But are they making you work and then not paying you? No.

Some insight from an employee:

This really isn't a bad job. As long as you do the work correctly and you don't lie about your hours, you're going to keep the job. The only flaw I see is the communication with management; they are slow to reply to emails (generally takes 3-7 days), and they never have anyone answering the phones. If you do get a hold of someone, you'll just be told to email them. The application process is a bit lengthy; from the day I put in my application to the day I got my email saying I passed my qualification exams and I was good to start, it took about a month. However, through this job, you get to work when you choose (as long as you work at least 10 hours a week) and you're making a good amount over minimum wage. If you came across this article while making your decision to apply, PLEASE don't let the article and some of the comments turn you away.

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on October 09, 2017:

@Clarissa Sorry to hear that, I can understand this must be very frustrating. I hope you get some paid tasks very soon!

Clarissa on October 08, 2017:

I signed up for part time and was happy to have a part time job from home. Unfortunately I have been spending days and days with a huge amount of hours in doing an evaluation test that never ends and does not look like to end ever. I feel cheated, I thought I would have received paid tasks and not one week test

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on September 30, 2017:

@jennifer Thank you for your comment. I hope you get the Ads Assessor job, fingers crossed!

Jennifer on September 29, 2017:

I currently work with Lionbridge and I am getting so frustrated with everyone. I am a mobile search reviewer but I want to apply for the Ads Assessor because it is a better paying role and no one can tell me how. All I keep getting is some positions can't work on more than one project at a time, but that's not what I am trying to do!

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on September 04, 2017:

Thank you for sharing your experience!

Callie Parker on August 28, 2017:

I have been working for Lionbridge since January 2017 and it's an excellent company. I started as a contracted employee, and I am now fully employed with benefits and a 401k. I am slated to make Senior Rater soon, with a substantial pay raise. Bottom line.. Where else can you make $14 an hour, call the shots and work when you want and where you want?

Author is SPOT on. on August 22, 2017:

The author of this article is right on. The application process is not the best. I have currently been given 7 days to read through a manual and take a three part test. As I am reading through the manual I am not even certain I like this kind of work. This is just an opinion based article and I found it helpful.

Daniel on July 26, 2017:

I'm taking the test tomorrow, but this article is wacky. You didn't even pass, but yet feel the need to make yourself feel better about it. I think the best type of job for you is just talking about stuff, like this. Leave the real work to those that can.

Jon Styer on July 20, 2017:

I've been working for Lionbridge for almost 5 years, now as a senior rater. Best part time job ever. Work whenever you feel like it, for however long you want, anywhere there is internet access. With the extra $100k I've made over the last 5 years I can definitely say my life has been much improved by the whole experience!

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on July 11, 2017:

@daffodil Thank you for your comment, I am so glad you are enjoying the work. When I wrote this article I only attempted the test once and decided not to try again but I am so happy that it worked out for you!

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on July 11, 2017:

@melisa: Good point! Thank you for your comment, at the time of writing I focused simply on sharing my experience in doing the test and didn't think beyond that. I can do some more research and write about websites for freelancers/working from home. Please bear with me!

Daffodil on July 08, 2017:

I like this job, I am between exiting to work on this....will update late

Melisa on July 05, 2017:

Hello Paola,

Thanks for the article. Howeever, I would have like example of other works we can do. I was about to apply with them than I won't.

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on May 30, 2017:

@monstah Glad to hear you are having a positive experience! Thank you for sharing it with us

Monstah on May 29, 2017:

I actually just started working for Lionbridge 3 weeks ago. It took a month to hear back after applying but once I did, I was working roughly 3 weeks later. I work as an Ads Assessor and I actually love the work SO FAR. The pay is about 30% higher than minimum wage around here and so far there has been more than enough work available to get the 10-20 hours. The work is simple, but at the same time involves a lot of critical thinking and is very face paced. This isn't one of those search engine evaluator jobs you can milk for hours. Again, I'm only a few weeks in, but so far I think this might be the only job I ever had that I didn't hate. I have three kids and being able to earn money to support them without leaving the house is pretty sweet. They make us pay our own taxes, which sucks for a lot of people, but the EITC will still take care of all that for poor people with kids like myself. The only thing I don't like is the fact that one day I'll probably get fired or the program will end. I can't find much information about the ads program I'm in online, so maybe the other jobs sucks and have different standards/low task availability, but the ad rating program is muchmuchmuch better than working at a fastfood joint or grocery store.

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on April 08, 2017:

Reply to Ninyano: if putting people down makes you feel better about yourself, that's your prerogative.

The comments on here so far have simply expressed different viewpoints from different types of experiences, either positive or negative. It's a shame that constructive criticism is a dying art. You are not really contributing anything of value with your insights into what you presume is a lack of my abilities and intelligence. But hey it's a free world. Thank you anyway for reading the article and taking the time for commenting. The more comments, the better my article will rank on Google.

Ninyano on April 06, 2017:

Just because you don't have the ability either to apply written instructions or the ability to apply those instructions without assistance, doesn't give you the ability to evaluate the position. That's ok also. The world needs people to pick weeds and people to use templates who say they have a website. Although, the former may be also beyond your ability.

Paola Bassanese (author) from Ireland on March 15, 2017: