Project Management for Translations
Our project manager Laura recently packed her bags for the Serbian capital of Belgrade to attend a three-day project management conference organised by the European Language Industry Association (ELIA). This was by no means our first time at an ELIA event, with our Director Ana and our Head of Production Kasia having previously travelled to Berlin, Barcelona, Malta, Prague, Bucharest, Rome and Riga, to engage with fellow localisation professionals and gain new insights. In this article, Laura shares her experience and her key takeaways from this industry event.
Our team member Laura, third from right, engaging in one of the many interactive project management sessions (photo credit: Daniel Seabra)
Kicking things off with website translation, we examined two key approaches to translating website text, notably by working with an editable Word file of copy-pasted text or alternatively translating directly within a content management system (CMS) such as WordPress. Importance was drawn to the invisible text often featured within websites. Whilst not visible to users, such hidden text can be read by search engines and is therefore important in terms of search engine optimisation (SEO).
Formatting Changes – A Natural Consequence of Translation
Talks also centred around the changes in formatting that occur as a natural consequence of translation. These changes are primarily due to text length variations. Put simply, some languages are wordier than others, which can mean text boxes and buttons may need to be resized. Another key aspect to bear in mind is that some languages such as English and French read from left to right (LTR), whilst other scripts go from right to left (RTL), as is the case with Hebrew or Arabic. If you are translating a website from a LTR language into an RTL language, the formatting will likely require a complete rehaul. This is why, at First Edition Translations, we always recommend an on-screen validation after a website has been translated. This is where the native linguist will review the translations in-context, ensuring no text has shifted out of place and suggesting any solutions where relevant. Such reviews help guarantee user friendliness and eliminate potential issues upfront.
Consultant and leadership & HR expert Olga Svoboda highlighted how project managers – specialists in juggling workloads – can take their work to the next level.
Influence of Translation Project Managers
Our attention later turned to the major influence project managers have at an operational level, for example on workflows, the choice of suppliers, the language assets used, and the delivery timeline. As project managers, we know both our clients and suppliers very well and know what works best for them. This wealth of knowledge – and above all this human chemistry – is a huge help to us in our day-to-day work and is something you simply cannot automate. Indeed, our First Edition team attaches great importance to building meaningful human connections.
Working in groups, we then shared ideas on how translation companies can enhance teamwork and empower their project managers to make the right decisions. Our CEO Jerry Froggett, who was also at the event, talked about how the positive error culture in place at First Edition Translations provides team members with a safe space to effectively resolve issues and explore ideas collaboratively.
First Edition Translations CEO Jerry Froggett at the one of the networking evening events (photo credit: Daniel Seabra)
All in all, the ELIA event gave us much food for thought and inspiration for continuously improving our services. Here at First Edition Translations, we invest heavily in our team’s skillset and our multilingual project managers regularly attend training and industry events to keep their finger on the pulse. In our eyes, this is what makes for a happy team that delivers top-quality service and is a tell-tale sign of the good translation provider. If you want to know what our stellar team of project managers, linguists and typesetters can do for you, you can reach us at enquiries@firstedit.co.uk.