The Journey of a Translation Project Manager: From Novice to Leader

In the project management of the translation industry, the project manager plays an essential role. The core responsibilities of a project manager in a translation company are as follows:

1. Negotiate quotations with sales or clients, and maintain active and effective communication with sales or clients.

2. Follow up on feedback regarding project progress, control project quality, manage project costs, and ensure timely delivery of the project.

3. Have a major in English or hold an English-related certificate.

To connect with clients, English is required, and to control the overall situation, this has sparked my great interest. However, once you step into the industry, it's like diving into the deep sea.

What is a project manager? In a nutshell: A project manager is someone who adopts the most reasonable solutions and drives the team to implement them into specific features or products to meet user needs.

To be competent in the position of a project manager, one needs to understand the entire project management process. The first thing I chose to understand was the typesetting process. By thinking more, practicing more, learning more, asking more, and integrating the typesetting tips encountered in work, I was able to apply them effectively. Later, I became proficient in the typesetting rules of Word, Excel, PPT, learned to use the ABBYY conversion tool, could independently typeset documents, and learned to operate and use software like Visio. This greatly improved my work efficiency. When I first came into contact with patent translation business, I was interested in all aspects of patents. Every time I got a typeset document back, I would carefully review it. Only by understanding the typesetting rules and requirements can I better facilitate the confirmation of the final draft and communicate fully with various departments. Currently, I can typeset and directly deliver patent translations in Japanese, German, and Chinese.

Then, it's about observing and listening to how sales communicate with clients and project managers, clarifying the needs of each client and the requirements of each project. When clients are not clear about the project requirements, the project manager should take the initiative to use their professional knowledge and skills to provide clients with effective advice and options. Communication is an art; the project manager acts as a link between various departments within the company, connecting sales, clients, typesetting, translators, and proofreaders. Properly phrased communication can greatly improve work efficiency. Correct communication is about integrating the entire project process and cooperation model, coordinating with colleagues, and ensuring everyone is in step, moving towards the set project goals. A successful project manager should make comprehensive use of the people, things, and materials within the team, ensuring everyone's talents are utilized and resources are fully used. In work, be honest with feedback, ask questions proactively, and don't pretend to understand when you don't. When providing feedback, be clear, logical, and concise, summarizing the content into several key points, using a list or a general-specific structure.

Finally, it's important to strengthen communication with the translation department. The translation department is the core of the translation process and is related to the quality of the manuscript. When a project manager receives a project and is ready to assign tasks, the first thing to pay attention to is selecting the right translators. It's crucial to know which translators' translations can be trusted, which ones need supervision, and which ones carry a higher risk. Proper personnel allocation is an art that depends on the project manager's work experience and self-judgment. Additionally, every time a proofread manuscript is returned, it needs to undergo quality control (QA). Focus on the revised parts, understand what has been changed, actively seek feedback and suggestions from the proofreaders, and actively feedback to the translators, learning and progressing together with them. Each QA project is like discovering a new continent, becoming familiar with an expression, mastering a few words, and learning about a related field, which is very beneficial.

Of course, it's also important to summarize more in the project. Many project managers think they've achieved success after a project is delivered, without analyzing or summarizing, which often brings the failures and bad habits from the previous project into the next one. Sometimes, the success or failure of a project is not as important as the lessons learned from it. Growing with the project is the greatest gain. Otherwise, how can you keep up with the pace of the times if you stand still?

As a project manager, to see higher and go further, having these abilities is far from enough. Leadership skills are also needed. How can a project manager improve their leadership skills?

1. Guide team members to solve problems on their own.

???Individual strength does not mean you are a smart manager. Don't fight alone and put out fires everywhere. If so, team members won't learn lessons, won't get trained and grow, and the problems that have occurred may reappear later, forming a vicious cycle.

2. Have a sense of ownership.

???The project manager is responsible for the project's lifecycle, promoting the team to implement their plans. This requires a strong sense of ownership and continuous advancement of the project. An excellent project manager works with processes and methods, not being mired in trivial matters. Understanding the value of your work is a prerequisite for doing a good job. If you think of yourself as a general helper, your mindset is wrong, and how can you think of improving?

3. Improve personal professionalism and become a trustworthy professional.

???Enhance your personal expertise, lead the team to find goals, assist team members in planning paths, and benefit both others and yourself.

???Become a trustworthy person. When the interests of multiple parties conflict, a trustworthy project manager can encourage the relevant parties to make the right choices.