Conversations with our Operations Manager

Zofia Nowak is our much-trusted Operations Manager, and she has worked at Sopoltrad for over five years. Currently, she is balancing her career with her family life with two little boys, having just returned from maternity leave. We are delighted to have her back!

Zofia has a Bachelor of Arts in Applied Linguistics, a Masters in Translation and Intercultural Communication, and has completed post-graduate studies in Conference Interpreting from the Jagiellonian University. After several years as a freelance translator, Zofia joined Sopoltrad as a project manager (#PM) and stayed for good, working her way through the company, helping to improve quality standards and teamwork.?

We caught up with Zofia when she returned from maternity leave to learn more about her and her role in Sopoltrad .

Can you tell us three things about yourself?

I'm friendly, optimistic, and always very grateful for what I have.

What are your primary responsibilities in your role? And what do you think is the most challenging part?

My role's most significant part consists of ensuring our day-to-day operations run smoothly. This can include making sure our projects are allocated quickly, supporting our PM team, studying project requirements to make sure the scope is clearly defined for our PMs and linguists, and of course, listening to our clients and what they need.

I would say the most challenging part is being able to find time to focus on strategic initiatives like adding new service areas or technologies. As we are a busy in-house production team, our client's projects have to take priority each day. It’s true that customers have become more sophisticated and demanding recently and that often even small projects take a lot longer.

What is your main objective this year as the Operations Manager?

We have quite a few new PMs on our team, super talented people who are really passionate about providing great customer service. My goal is to make sure that they all receive excellent training in best practices in translation and project management so that our clients have a seamless customer experience.

What is the best part about your job at Sopoltrad??

I enjoy speaking with my clients, problem-solving, and of course, supporting our MD, Maciek, and our PM team.

What skills do you think make you excel at your job?

I would definitely say I am a multi-tasker, a skill necessary in the language industry. I also have a good memory and an eye for detail.

What training do you partake in to continue improving your skills?

I have been involved in MTPE training and like to train my language skills daily by listening to foreign podcasts.

What has been the most challenging work project you have faced? Why?

It was a huge, multi-stage DTP and translation project where we had to translate into several languages. Working on it was challenging but very satisfying at the end of the day.

Why do you like working in the localization industry?

I enjoy the pace of work and the fact that every project is different and challenging.

How would you define success in your career?

For me, success means getting better and better in all aspects of my job, from solving complex project problems, handling client and vendor issues, taking care of internal relations with the employees, and mastering new tools.

What are you passionate about?

I have always been passionate about languages. I speak Polish, French, and English fluently and have a solid knowledge of Croatian, Spanish and Russian.?

I would like to continue learning new languages in the future. One which I would love to know one day is Italian.

Tell me about a time when you felt like a hero at work.

I feel like a hero after every busy day ??

What do you like to do in your free time? What are your hobbies?

Whenever I have some time without the kids, I enjoy a good book or a good movie. I also like to relax during pilates or yoga class.

What is your biggest dream in life?

Watch my sons smile and thrive every single day!

How was your first day starting at Sopoltrad?

The company was very different back in 2017. The first days and weeks were very challenging, with many new things to learn. The most important thing at that time was the support from my colleagues.

Tell us an interesting anecdote.

One of the funniest situations happened when we invited a lady to attend a job interview. Everything was organized, and finally, the woman asked if she could park her horse in our backyard!

What does an excellent work-life balance look like for you?

I love my family life, which allows me to reset after a busy day at work. This also works the other way around too! I can reset from family-related issues and focus on my professional plans at work. It comes very naturally to me.

We are happy to have Zofia Nowak back in the office. As she continues her role as Operations Manager at Sopoltrad . It is nice to get to know her deeper, in her professional and personal life as a woman in the #localization #industry.

You can reach out to Zofia or our team ([email protected]) for more information or questions. We are happy to help you and support you in future projects.?