'VM to VM,' - Lessons I’ve learnt preparing for a VM role in localization.
The Vendor Manager role is vital in any LSP. It combines multiple competencies, soft and hard #skills.
Below I will briefly describe what I’ve found to be the ideal to start a #career as a VM.
A vital starting point is the area of your bachelor's studies. A perfect scenario would be to study something related to #linguistics or #translation, for example, applied linguistics, translation studies, or philology. But we cannot discourage other #professionals that come from different professional areas from developing a successful career in this role.
There are many #lectures and #exercises that may prepare you perfectly for any role in the linguistic or translation industry.
Like in every career path, sometimes, the theory will not reflect reality. As a #VM I feel that coming from a linguistic background makes it easier to find yourself in the #LSP world and understand the specificity of this environment - from the agency's as well as from the translator’s perspective. I joined Sopoltrad with a university background in #English and #German Studies and, later, in Translation Studies. As a result, my current position is a perfect continuation of my #educational path.
Learning another foreign #language literacy can be a good start to help you further in this industry. For example, English can be a must-have competency since it is the primary language in #business development, with around 1.5 billion people worldwide. It might be helpful to acquire linguistic knowledge in another leading language in the translation world, for example, #French, German, or Spanish. This will allow you to strengthen relations with other #vendors whose primary language is not English. In fact, being in a linguistic environment, the more languages you acquire, the better for you.
When it comes to soft skills, the most #crucial ones are interpersonal skills like open and honest communication, the ability to #negotiate, politeness, but also being demanding but in a kind way.
The VM role is about generating #relationships between the LSP team and outside vendors. Due to the intercultural environment in the industry, one must be fluent in handling different cultural situations and keep an open mind to solve problems and establish long-term #collaborations. It is crucial to winning new contacts and maintaining good relationships with everyone you work with.
There is another vital point worth mentioning: good #organizational skills. Since the VM role is very #multitasking, skills such as time and task management are required, especially in smaller LSPs where the VM is the sole department representative. In the morning, I start with a to-do list for the upcoming day, prioritizing the tasks by urgency and regularity. The regular ones are usually done after lunch. However, in my experience, my lists are no more than 6 tasks because this allows me to cross out many points from the list and prioritize. After I have completed them, I proceed to do other pending tasks.
All in all, VM role is full of different #duties which require multiple #competencies as well as soft and hard skills. This position is one of many within the LSP world. I feel lucky to have the #opportunity to use my #educational background in my career. Plus, my interpersonal skills fit the role perfectly.