Whether you’re just starting out in the world of freelance translating or have been at it for decades, we’ve worked with enough of you to know that it’s not as easy as it seems to start working with a new company.
It may sound like we’re tooting our own horn writing an article about what makes a translation agency good to work with, but because we’ve been in the industry so long, we’ve had the time it takes to hone our practices, streamlining them so that translators have all the information they need, when they need it, at the click of a button (often, literally). Let us share our insight with you.
Well-designed project management software
Whether it’s project management software you have to adapt to or invoicing norms, file formats for delivery or even various CAT tools, each company does things differently. If you’re juggling a few, things quickly get confusing. Now, we’re not saying we don’t use the CAT tools or that we’re not particular about how you deliver your projects. What we are saying is that we know you’re spinning 100 different plates, so we try to take the pressure off. We believe that by presenting you with the information you need when you need it, we give you more brain space to focus on what actually matters – translation!
How? Our project management system, which takes care of everything for you, all in one place. You don’t have to scroll back through your email to find the project order or download endless PDFs to find the one you need – just log in, and you’ll be presented with the month’s jobs, ordered by date due and colour-coded, so you know if they’re due that day. Ready to deliver? Take a quick look at a form reminding you to run spellcheck and the format we want the file in so that you don’t have to go looking for our norms every time. See? What you need, when you need it – until you get into the swing of it and do it all automatically, of course.
Instruction manuals
A bit worried about starting a new project because we’ve asked you to use a CAT tool you haven’t touched in a while? We’ve got instruction manuals prepared for all the tools we use, so if we haven’t sent the right one over yet, just give us a shout! We’re here to make your life easier, after all, so we’ve developed the materials we need to do just that.
Approachable PMs
Human PMs are a must. Highly trained? Yes. Specialised? Yes. Nit-pickers with incredible attention to detail? Of course. But also people. We know the world of freelance translating can be lonely – you’re shooting emails backwards and forwards 50 times a day, and sometimes you feel like a cog in a machine or a number in a factory. Then you have an exchange with one of our project managers, and we hope it makes you feel seen and heard because we give it our full attention.
Have a question? We’ll move mountains to try to answer it. Not sure how something works? Drop us a line. Have a problem? We’ll try to sort it, sharpish.
So what do we think makes a translation agency good to work with? We’ve heard it’s organisation, communication, and approachability, but if you have thoughts on the matter, let us know! There’s nothing we love more than evolving and growing together, and if we can make everyone’s lives easier in the process, all the better!
