Project Management
Do you need to coordinate a large-scale multilingual project with several translators, editors and proofreaders?
I will use all my expertise and knowledge to offer you complete and customised management solutions. I will work with a team of carefully selected linguists who exclusively work into their mother-tongue and are highly qualified and experienced in their specialist fields.
Project management is about communication, team coordination, teamwork, problem solving, scheduling, planning, project tracking and reporting. The diagram below describes the different stages of my translation process and the quality control procedures involved.
1. REQUEST FOR QUOTATION
The client places an order with his/her specific requirements and detailed information about the source document such as: source language, target language, approximate number of words, field/topic, document format and target audience.
After defining the client’s needs and reviewing the document, I will give him/her a precise quote for each language pair and set a completion date upon mutual agreement. Once the quote is accepted, I will send the client a project confirmation form.
2. TEAM CONSOLIDATION & PROJECT PLANNING
I will check the availability of my team of translators and will plan the project from conception to delivery.
This consists of determining the role and responsibilities for each person involved in the translation process, budgeting, establishing work calendars and key dates, preparing materials and documentation (client-specific terminology, subject-specific glossary, list of acronyms etc.), doing some preliminary research and defining linguistic and stylistic guidelines. All these steps will help to maintain smooth communication, to ensure consistency throughout the process and to make certain that the deadlines are met and that the project remains within budget.
3. TRANSLATION
The translation stage is the key element of the cycle. During this phase the translators, the project manager and the client should work in close communication.
Once the source document and all reference materials and instructions have been sent to my team, I will make sure to answer queries, to ask the client for clarifications if necessary (specific short names and abbreviations, unclear context etc.), to distribute information among my team members and to check the work progress. I will establish a strong collaborating relationship with the translation team to ensure the accuracy and coherence of their work.
4. EDITING & PROOFING
Upon completion of the translation, the target text will be edited and, at a later stage, proofed by the translator and/or a second reviewer. Here, the translation is compared against the original document to check for incorrect translations or omissions. The translator and the editor communicate through a review sheet. The editor makes comments, suggestions and corrections that the translator will analyse and accept or refuse. It is therefore a crucial part of the quality control process.
During this stage, communication is once again indispensable. I will always make sure that the translators get feedback of their work.
5. DELIVERY TO THE CLIENT
When all translations are proofed and ready, the project is delivered to the client in the requested format.
6. GLOSSARY UPDATE OR COMPILING
Once the translations are approved by the client, I will compile a glossary or update an existing one so that the terminology specific to this client is systematically integrated into future translation projects. Consistency and quality across documents are therefore improved and guaranteed.
7. FEEDBACK
The project is not completed until I have received feedback from my client.
I will be pleased to discuss your needs and to give you further information about the way I process your documentation. Getting started is easy - just contact me today!
