Any translation or localisation project can be done without a project manager, but this might come at a price you are not willing to pay. So, why is the work of a translation project manager so important?
It is usually assumed that the success of a translation project is attributed solely to the effort of translators. While translators undeniably play an essential role in the quality of any translation work, most professionally led translation projects involve not two, but a whole range of profiles, i.e. a client (who commissions the translation), a translator, a reviewer/proofreader, a desktop publisher and possibly an engineer. However, for efficient communication and coordination, one person needs to be responsible for prompt reactions and clear communication in order to tackle problems as soon as they emerge and prevent them from escalating any further.
Project management is essentially a risk mitigation role with advanced techniques for coordination, collaboration, planning and organisation throughout the translation cycle.
Project management is essentially a risk mitigation role with advanced techniques for coordination, collaboration, planning and organisation throughout the translation cycle.
Why is project management essential?
Let’s have a look at the important aspects of a successfully completed project that are supported by a project manager.
- A translation project manager’s job is to consider the client’s needs, find translators, reviewers and proofreaders who are most suitable for the project, and assemble a project-specific team. A good project manager knows the specific requirements of a particular client, so they can select the best native translators and subject-matter experts, allocate tasks based on the skills required and communicate proactively to keep an eye on the workflow and stay within the given timeframe.
- A project manager is the main contact person for the client and the translation team and should promptly be available to all parties involved in case any critical issues arise, to ensure that last-minute requests or unforeseen changes in the document are quickly addressed. If the translation team has technical problems or dilemmas, the project manager helps the team describe the problems to the client. With prompt responding and a clear communication, the project manager also ensures that the final deadlines are always met.
- A project manager maintains anonymity between the translator and reviewer. This often overlooked but important aspect of a translation project ensures that translators and reviewers do not interact with each other and influence each other’s work, especially when back translation is involved. Mutual anonymity allows reviewers to comment openly on the translators’ work, which adds to project’s quality.
- Project manager manages the deadlines and schedules your project. Sticking to schedules is extremely important for the success of a project, which should always be completed on time or even before the deadline, if possible. He or she distributes the tasks of the translation team in such a way that the tasks do not overlap and everything is done systematically, without any mistakes. A project manager has the authority to adjust the scope of a translation project based on the client’s needs, but they must ensure that the project is completed on time and with the best quality.
- Project manager double-checks the quality of the translation. A project manager, who turns uncertainty into certainty, makes sure the translation is checked for hidden errors and reviewed against the client’s requirements. After the project is completed, they also assign a person to evaluate the quality of work, i.e. the performance of individual translators, reviewers and proofreaders, and to prepare a post assessment with notes for the client and possible lessons that could be drawn from it for client’s future projects. A project manager also makes sure multilingual glossaries and translation memories are constantly upgraded in order to help you make optimal cost and time savings.
All these factors are the reason why a translation project manager is essential for the success of any translation (or localisation) project. As there are a lot of steps in the translation process that can create errors, project managers help recognize and solve any potentially serious problems before they arise or escalate.
A project manager, who turns uncertainty into certainty, makes sure the translation is checked for any hidden errors and reviewed against the client’s requirements.