Laura Vargas has been a translation project manager for 4 years and speaks 6 languages. Here, she talks about her job at Milega.
Hi Laura ! Which qualities do you think are fundamental for a project manager ?
“I think project managers should be organised and meticulous. They should know how to work under pressure and perform several tasks at the same time. Their strength should be communication, both with the clients and the translators, and they should know how to lead a team, and evaluate the quality of translations.
In the sector of translation project management, I think that it is important to have previous experience as a translator, in order to understand the needs of the client and think about the relevant issues for each project, but also think about the translators. You need to be able to put yourself in their place.”
Can you explain how a translation project unfolds?
“A translation project has several stages. The first stage consists of negotiating with the client. We evaluate their needs in order to establish a quote which defines the project deadline and the rate. Once the quote has been accepted and the project has been confirmed, we contact a team of experienced translators who are specialists in the relevant area and translate into their mother tongue.”
“The second stage consists of the translator translating the files that were sent to him or her, then the proof reader reads them over. The project manager then checks that they are perfect. And the third stage is when the project manager delivers the files to the client, and remains in contact with him or her, in order to clarify any doubts or feedback that may arise.”
What is the biggest difficulty you have come up against ? And what was the solution?
“The biggest difficulty that springs to my mind concerns a legal translation into American English. At 5:00pm, a law firm asked us for an urgent translation, which they needed back as soon as possible. Because of a misunderstanding with the translator, I told the client that we would deliver the translation in three hours (at 8:00pm).”
“We had a problem when the translator told us that he was not available, and we had just told the client the opposite. I had to rush to call the client to tell him that we were not able to provide him with a quality translation in the timeframe that we had confirmed because our translator specialising in contract law had come up against an unforeseen issue, and was not available until the next day. As a result, our contact at the law firm let the end client know.”
“We agreed on a deadline for the next day, first thing in the morning. Luckily, our translator lives in the USA, where it was only 10:00am, so he could send back the translation at the end of the night, New York time. Thanks to the time difference, we were able to send it to the client at 7 am, the next day».
“Which lessons did I get out of the experience? I learned that you need to reach an agreement with the translator before confirming his or her availability to the client. I also remember that communication was key in us reaching an agreement in order to stagger the deadline by a few hours.”
What do you like the most about the job?
“The thing I like the most is that I’m never bored. There is always an e-mail I need to answer, files I need to analyse, proofreading waiting for me… Project management does not go hand in hand with monotony: you can talk to the clients, check the quality of a translation, put together a team of translators and negotiate delivery deadlines… all at the same time.”
An unusual memory you have from your time as a project manager?
“After sending a localized translation (always completed by a native, certified translator that specialises in the industry) in Latin American Spanish, the client came back to us and told us that the translation was bad quality and that he would not pay for the service. He would not give us more details. When I insisted on understanding why he wasn’t satisfied, it turned out that he had given the translation to his nephew to read, who had studied in Spain for 4 months on an Erasmus exchange programme and therefore had become an informed linguist!.”
“The nephew thought that one of the terms in the translation should not be used and that the translation was therefore incorrect. Translation is a profession in itself, and even if there is always an element of subjectivity involved, you need to respect the work done by professionals!”
Translation project? Don’t hesitate to contact us! Our project managers are here to help you! Contact us!
