If you asked me what I like the most about translation, I would speak of the way translation feels like a journey. Words travel from one country to the other, through cultures and ideas and, like every journey, this has to be safe and the destination has to be reached.
Even though travelling on your own may seem challenging and surprises is something you are into, when it comes to translation for your business, especially when multiple destinations have to be reached simultaneously, having a professional Guide, who knows their way around and can foresee traps and obstacles, is the ultimate key to safety and success.
The Guide in this journey is the Translation PM. They usually have a translation academic background but, most importantly, they have the knowhow and the established workflows that ensure that each translation project will reach its destination, transferring both the meaning and the feeling of the source into the translated product.
-Don’t stress about it
The Translation PM is the person who matches your schedule and deadlines with the translators’ capacity. Following established and tested procedures, they calculate the time needed for each step, so that the process runs smoothly throughout the project cycle, and the deadlines are respected.
-No need to hide and seek
The Translation PM will search, contact, evaluate, and categorize translators and revisers, depending on their qualifications and experience, ready to provide their service upon request. A team is ready and waiting for the next translation project.
-Don’t get lost in translation
The Translation PM has the knowhow regarding the different steps that the content should go through, in order for the translated deliverables to be flawless and ready to be used. Translation, revision, and editing by native specialized professionals, ensure top quality and the Translation PM is there, coordinating the team for you.
-Play it safe
Trusting your content to a Translation PM means that you can benefit from their Translation Memory and Glossaries. Good glossaries generally contain key terminological information in the source language, as well as accepted translations of each term in the target language(s). And that means consistency and money saved, especially if you need translations often.
-Single point of contact (SPOC)
Maybe your text is too large to be handled by one translator and still have it on time. The PM has the resources to distribute your content in a way that top quality is ensured, and your deadline is met.
Maybe you don’t have the time to deal with all the administrative issues and communication involved in dealing with multiple providers. The PM is your single point of contact, taking care of all the administration and communication, and delivering your content in all the requested languages.
You speak only to the PM and, with their already established network of translators, they are the ones to communicate your needs and preferences and ensure that these are respected throughout the process and reflected in all the final deliverables.
Having a trusted translation PM is like having a virtual team of professionals, ready to assist. They know your business and your preferences, and they have the knowhow and the tools to guide you with safety. They are your link to the best professional translators, the means for your ideas to reach out to the rest of the world.
Author: Elena Rista.