What you need to know about translation project managers
A Translation project manager is one of the most valuable members of a translation team. And no wonder – they oversee nearly every step of the translation process.
Meet our lead translation project managers
Here at Word-Connection, we value our translation project managers as integral to our overall success. Without our hardworking, relationship-oriented team, we would not have the long list of happy clients that we work with daily.
We’re pleased to feature a few of our team :
Sarah
Lead Project Manager
Our French project manager, Sarah works with our French-speaking clients seeking Japanese translation services, 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 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
Our Vendor Manager, Carine is one of our two project managers who specialise on 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.
What is a translation project manager?
As the person who manages translation projects, the project manager is ultimately responsible for delivering high-quality results. A good project manager is a unique mix of communication, management and tech skills. They may work behind the scenes, but they are key to the agency’s success. A proactive multitasker, a project manager has a wide range of responsibilities.
Common skillset
While each project manager brings a unique background and skillset, all great project managers are:
Strong communicators
Negotiators
Organized
Multi-taskers
Flexible
Tech-savvy
Service-oriented
Relationship-builders
What does a translation PM do?
So, what do these key players in the translation industry actually do every day? Here at Word-Connection, our project managers juggle different projects, languages and client requests all day long.
Although no workday is exactly the same, our project managers all say that these items are constants on their to-do lists.
Build relationships
Most importantly, we build strong relationships with our clients. Making clients happy is the heartbeat that keeps our project managers going through fast-paced, sometimes stressful days. As a boutique translation agency, our project managers have the flexibility to adapt to last-minute projects and requests. It keeps us all on our toes, but we wouldn’t have it any other way!
Communicate with clients
A great project manager is a great communicator. They negotiate rates, deadlines and communicate project updates to the client. In some cases, they also invoice and manage the project’s budget. Most of all, clear, open communication helps us build trust and sustain a strong relationship with clients.
Choice of linguist
When a project comes in, our project managers carefully select their team. First of all, they need to estimate how much time the project will take. Then, they consider the client’s deadline and budget to select the appropriate linguists. Each linguist brings a different expertise to a project. It’s up to the project manager to choose the linguist who will be the best fit for the client. For our Japanese translations, our project managers communicate with translators in their native language (Japanese) to ensure that they fully understand the project. We’ve found that this adds depth to client requests, especially for technical or complicated projects.
Manage project deadlines
What would the life of a project manager be without deadlines! This is easily one of the most stressful parts of the job. From setting deadlines to keeping them, the project manager is responsible for getting everyone over the finish line on time. Staying organized is key. Our project managers’ tech savvy comes in here, since they use the latest software and tools to help track and manage our projects.
Ensure Quality
Ultimately, the project manager is responsible for the quality of the project they deliver to the client. They understand the project, and coordinate quality review to achieve the highest-quality result. A great project manager coordinates proofreading and review time and again until they are confident that the client will be pleased with the results.
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