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A Day In The Life Of A Localization Project Manager

A Day In The Life Of A Localization Project Manager

As we continue our day in the life of series, we look at what’s involved with being a Localization Project Manager. Our last blog post covered what it’s like being a translator at Jonckers, you can find out what it’s like by reading our Day In The Life Of A Translator blog post.

Localization Project Managers are key to our success here at Jonckers, so we thought we’d give you the opportunity to meet Milan Barton who’s one of our Czech based Project Managers.

So what does a typical day for a project manager look like?

Name: Milan Barton
Languages: Czech (native), English
Location: Brno, Czech Republic

Project Managers are the backbone of any project, be it an e-learning program, a financial services platform or a translation job. This is because they are the ones who are coordinating the project from the start to the end. They play a major part in the successful delivery of any project.

There are translators who are good at what they do and are excellent at what they produce, but the presence of an effective Project Manager is key to the overall service and delivery that goes beyond translation alone.

Here are some quick-fire questions we asked Milan about being a translator for Jonckers.

What do you like most about your role?

As a project manager, I am responsible for managing work through the application of knowledge, skills, tools and techniques to project activities to meet the project requirements.

I have to keep up with all the latest trends and I like working with new technologies to improve my working practices. What I like best about my job is interacting with colleagues on all different levels and across all functional areas. I enjoy the appreciation I receive from the people I work with.

Over the last year, Jonckers has been developing WordsOnline and I have been using it in my day to day PM tasks.

This has significantly improved my throughput and means I can manage more projects than usual!

Our advanced AI technology takes away a lot of the mundane tasks of the jobs and helps me to focus on client relationship management and strategic planning. It gives PMs the overview they need to keep control and ownership and leaves us to focus on our core skill sets. Which I really enjoy!

Where do you see the industry going in the future?

I think that the most significant change is a gradual transition from human translation to MT (MTPE).

Machine translation engines are getting better year on year and are part of the default tools that LSPs now use to aid consistency, quality and speed. This will no doubt keep developing as AI gets smarter.

What does a typical working day look like for you?

I get up at 6:00 am, have a quick breakfast and go to the gym. I come to work at around 8:30 am. I start going through my inbox reading and replying to all emails and start to prioritise my tasks.

At the same time, I scan through my projects in WordsOnline, to see their progress and make sure all is on track. If required, I will ensure all team members are included to action any urgent tasks, such as reassigning of resources, quality enhancements, translation queries etc.

When the project is underway, I continually monitor the translation team to keep everything on track and to address any project-related issues. Additionally, near the end of a project, I work closely with our QA team to ensure all client-specific instructions are met. When the files are thoroughly checked, I deliver them to the client.

I tend to leave the office at 5:30 pm.

How We Utilise Project Managers

Naturally, the job is as sophisticated as it sounds and a typical day would change from project manager to project manager, a project manager could be juggling between 5-25 (or more) projects at any given time, and as overwhelming as it can get, it is their job to manage.

Before a project starts, managers coordinate with the clients to determine the best possible outcome. They coordinate with various departments, see the projects at hand and assign them to the right translators along with specific guidelines for each (if specified).

Project managers are the people who keep an eye on the schedule of a project and ensure it has not gone off-track. They also work with the local translators or in-country reviewers to ensure that the local flavour and client’s preferences are maintained.

Apart from that, there are other, stringent quality checks to be done before the translated work is finally sent to the client for approval

What Makes A Good Translation Project Manager?

A good project manager also pays special attention to the client feedback and makes improvements upon it, making the process as seamless and smooth as possible for everyone involved. Ultimately, each project manager wants the client to be happy and exceed their expectations.

     

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