Translation project managers are crucial to the success of all translation projects. Vital members of translation teams, they oversee every step of the translation process. It would be difficult to overstate the importance of project managers. At Word Connection, we certainly value our talented project managers who work so hard to maintain the superior standards that we strive to deliver.
What are translation project managers?
Project managers are the translation team members who are ultimately responsible for the delivery of high-quality results. The finest language project managers boast a special combination of linguistic, communication, management and technical skills. They largely work behind the scenes and are proactive multitaskers with wide-ranging responsibilities.
What skills do translation project managers require?
Each project manager will have their own unique experience and skills to bring to their work. But all outstanding project managers will be:
Exceptional communicators
Talented negotiators
Highly organised
Able to multitask
Flexible
Tech-savvy
Service orientated
Skilled at building relationships
What does a translation project manager do?
Translation project managers oversee and manage the entire lifecycle of translation projects, from initial client briefing to final delivery. They act as points of contact and coordinate communication between clients, translators, editors, and any other stakeholders in a project. Their role is to ensure that translation projects are completed on time, within budget, and to the required quality standards.
Relationship building
At Word Connection, we build strong relationships with our clients. Our project managers experience fast-paced and stressful days but always strive to create and maintain excellent relationships with our clients. We are a specialist, boutique agency and so our project managers must boast the flexibility to adapt to urgent requests. They are always kept on their toes.
Communication
Project managers must manage all communication between clients and the translation team, clarifying requirements, and addressing queries. They will also negotiate rates and deadlines. In addition, they communicate project updates to the client.
In some cases, our translation project managers will invoice and manage the project’s budget. Clear and open communication is vital to prevent misunderstandings. It helps us to build trust and sustain a strong relationship with our clients.
Planning and Scheduling
Our project managers must identify and define the scope of projects, create timelines, and allocate resources. They will select the right linguists to undertake the work in consideration of the deadline, the necessary know-how and the budget.
Each linguist brings different knowledge and expertise to a project. Project managers communicate with translators in their native language to ensure that they fully understand the work concerned. We find that this approach lends depth and nuance to client requests, especially when handling technical or complex undertakings.
Freelance translation project managers
In today's fast-paced business environment, our organisation experiences fluctuating project demands that can strain internal resources. Freelance translation project managers serve as valuable assets during these peak periods, offering flexible solutions to our team's workflow efficiency.
These experienced professionals can quickly integrate into existing teams, bringing fresh perspectives and diverse industry expertise while helping us adapt to peak demand times. Translation agencies can effectively handle increased workloads, meet tight deadlines, and maintain high-quality deliverables without overwhelming their permanent staff or compromising on leave. This adaptive approach to project management allows us to remain agile and competitive while managing costs effectively.
Risk management
Project managers must continually identify any potential risks that projects present and develop mitigation strategies. Those strategies may include:
Creating a schedule and sharing it with everyone involved to avoid delays and misunderstandings
Undertaking testing in advance of project commencement to avoid technical issues arising later.
Assessing the resources assigned to a project and adding further resources if required.
The language skills of a good Project Manager are key to understanding the nature of a project and what is needed to translate it accurately and appropriately. Project Managers are often the last native speaker to review documents or content before it is translated and may identify anomalies that even the client may not have noticed.
Managing deadlines
What would the life of a project manager be without deadlines? Managing deadlines is easily one of the most stressful aspects of the job. From setting deadlines to keeping them, a project manager is responsible for getting everyone over the finish line on time. Remaining organized is key. Our project managers’ technical knowledge is crucial here, since they must use the latest software and tools to help track and manage the work.
Quality assurance
Ultimately, a project manager is responsible for the quality of the work they deliver to the client. They must fully understand the project and coordinate a quality review to achieve the best results. A superior project manager will continue to oversee proofreading and reviews until they are confident that the best possible outputs have been achieved.
Our exceptional project managers
We would like to introduce you to our lead translation project managers. Here at Word-Connection, we highly value our translation project managers who are integral to our overall success. Without our hardworking, relationship-oriented team, we would not boast the lengthy list of happy clients that we work with daily.
Sarah – Lead Project Manager
Our French project manager, Sarah, works with our French-speaking clients who are seeking Japanese translationservices, or one of our other language pairs. She is fluent in French, English and Japanese.
Momoko - Japanese Lead Project Manager
Our Japanese project manager, Momoko, works closely with Carine and is focused on Japan. She also works with our translators based in Japan and helps clients with projects concerning the Japanese market. Momoko is fluent in Japanese, French and English.
Carine - Vendor Manager
Carine is our vendor manager and one of two project managers who specialise in Japanese translator selection and recruitment. She works with our Japanese translators and with clients focused on the Japanese market. Carine is fluent in Japanese, French and English.
In summary
Vital to the production of the highest quality work, project managers ensure that projects are completed by the right people, in timely fashion and with attention to every detail.
