In general, when it comes to working for a translation company, what I hear the most “Ah, then you're translating.”I think it might be. Translation PMIf I were to explain this reaction in detail, I think it would be lengthy, and I would feel like I wouldn't be able to understand it properly even if I explained it. Similarly, people who don't know the translation industry, or people who are in the translation industry but don't know much about translation PMs, often wonder about the job of a translation PM.
However, if you take a closer look, the translation PM Supporting the translation industry A pivotal roleIt's not an exaggeration to say that it's an important job, so I can see that it's an important job. Compared to the fact that it plays such a big role in the translation industry, the external presence of translation PMs is still lacking.
To resolve this question about translation PMs, Gicon Studio interviewed current translation PMs. What kind of job is a translation PM, and what are your thoughts?
Q.
Please introduce yourself briefly. How long have you been working as a translation PM?
Hello, Lexcode Translation Project Team Bang Dasom This is it. Time is really fast. Neither long nor short 5th year translation PMThis is it.
Q.
What made you become a translation PM? Were you interested in the original translation itself?
In fact, I didn't know there was a job called a translation PM until I joined a translation company ^^;; I went to college in Japan and studied Japanese since high school. Even when I was a student, my hobby was translating music lyrics and animation subtitles. As a result, naturally, even during the employment period Linguistic skillsI thought it would be nice to be able to save it, and it all started when I saw a job posting at the current company and applied.
Q.
Just like everything is new, PM probably worked as a translation PM for the first time. Are there any mistakes you made while working as a beginner or an episode where you found this job worthwhile?
I made a lot of mistakes. Hehe, as I said before, I had almost no basic knowledge about PM translation, so there were a lot of embarrassing mistakes when I think about it now, but I think it was very rewarding in the process of correcting those mistakes.
Two months after I joined the company, a game company Game translation projectsI was in charge of At the time, I was excited to think that it was the first solo project entrusted to me, and I think I had a strong desire to try it out. Everyone who translates games knows, but especially Game translation is a field where cattools shineI think so. However, at the time, I had almost no knowledge about cat tools, and I received basic training from the company. How to catch duplicates, segment rules, TB management, etc... a beginner who knew only the terms was handling a game translation project. I wonder if it was a project that bravely started, but problems began to arise.
First, even the names of the game characters weren't unified, and there was a phenomenon where many game codes and translations were mixed. Also, there was a situation where the translation was different even though the duplicates were not properly filtered out... I really thought I only needed to deliver the translated material, and I was in a state of limp with a week left before the delivery date, but it was a really scary situation even when I thought about it now.
It wasn't until then that I realized I hadn't grasped the project properly, and I started studying Buryaburya cat tools. I Googled, wrote and sent an email to Cattool in English... I discussed the parts that couldn't be solved right away with the translator, and corrected and aligned the sentences. I worked every morning until delivery, and I cried a lot, and I worked under tremendous pressure thinking that if my delivery was delayed, the game release date itself might change.
Fortunately, we were able to successfully complete it until the delivery date, and I remember preparing for possible revisions and apologizing over 10 times while communicating the above situation to the customer manager. Hehe, even after that, after a few QA tasks, the project was completed without any major issues, and the game was successfully launched. I think it's practical rather than education; thanks to this, I was able to quickly learn cat tools, and I've been proud of that game to people around me for a while.
Q.
A translation PM seems to have a slightly special relationship that is difficult to actually meet even though they work closest to the translator. Is there anything you care about in order to work well with translators? If so, I'm curious about the reason, related episodes, and my own know-how and tips.
conceivably mostly Communicate only by “text”This seems to be the most difficult point. Human visual communication, such as tone of voice, facial expressions, and gestures, accounts for a larger part than expected, but translators mainly communicate via email or messenger. There aren't many people, but there are also people who are extremely reluctant to talk on the phone.
For me, the most important thing in this kind of relationship Expressions of thanks and sorryI think they will definitely work together. There are many people who are more reluctant to say “thank you” or “I'm sorry” than expected, but translators are the most important thing for translation PMs Customer and colleagueAlso, we are important customers and colleagues for translators as well. In other words, they both need each other. A common mistake made by PMs is to form a relationship with the translator, but of course, there is a contractual relationship on paper, but if they treat it as a matter of course that they must do, or something that must be adjusted, a lot of things go wrong and become difficult.
I tend to say thank the translators as much as possible and say sorry for entrusting troublesome projects. All translators know that in order to work, they have to do troublesome work. If we build a trusting relationship like that, we can become good partners, and it seems that it will be easier to collaborate with each other after that.
Q.
I know that translation companies mainly communicate and work through email and phone calls, but it seems that nowadays, in addition to various cat tools, there are also places that handle translation projects through programs developed in-house within translation companies. Do you have a translation solution (tool) you use? If so, what are your impressions and pros and cons of using it?
I am TMS and cat tools developed directly by the company Use allI'm doing it.
The TMS developed by the company itself A structure where customers connect and generate quotes, and everything from processing to delivery takes place within the systemThis is it. TMS's meritsIf you say You don't have to insist on emailsIs the point Project management can be viewed at a glanceis a point, per project Customization is possibleThis seems to be the biggest point. Emails seem to have essential sentences such as various commercial phrases and signatures, etc., and there are things that take more time, but when using TMS, there are no restrictions on email, so I was able to simply deliver the content I really needed, so I was able to save time in many ways. Even from the customer's point of view, it's much better to use TMS, which they can access and download at any time, rather than searching the mailbox to find files that have been previously delivered It saves time and is convenienthas received a lot of feedback.
project managementVery much in terms of enemy efficient This is it. Previously, I personally used programs such as One Note, Google Sheets, and Notion that can be synchronized on multiple computers to record project information, create forms, and use them. However, I had to create a new form each time, and it was cumbersome to go back and forth between mailboxes and programs to find project history later. However, within TMS Manage delivery schedules and progress processes all at onceDare to do it because I can You don't need to open and use multiple programsIt had an advantage.
TMS's shortcomingsIf so, Web-based solutionsThat's the point. Sometimes in public institutions or large companies security issuesWith the exception of specific websites If you block a websiteYes, and in this case, you cannot connect to TMS, so you have to work with the customer again in the form of email.
Cattool's meritsSilver TB/TM management, facile QA tasksI think this is representative. Apparently, there are many similar terms and content used within a customer, but in this case, if TB/TM management is good unityIt is easy to maintain, and quality dissatisfaction can be minimized even when a different translator works than before.
Also, the QA function is better than expected, It can also easily catch numeric typos and other spacing errors that are difficult to compare in normal word files It's there. Not all QA is possible, but there is an advantage of being able to minimize errors by going through QA once after working with a cat tool and then going through QA again on the final file.
shortcomingsIf alphabet-basedIt's a tool made of, so it's still There are many errors in Asian languagesThat's the point. The QA function described above also doesn't work well in Asian languages, or it may not catch errors. Or they all catch it as an error. For example, when the number 1 is translated to one kanji, it is displayed as a missing number.
There are many other pros and cons, but I don't think I'll have enough time to explain them all here.hehe
Q.
I think the reason I try this solution or tool is because there is something that I feel uncomfortable about at work, but what is the most difficult part of the actual job?
Business-related The hardest part quality controlI think a translation PM doesn't translate or supervise by himself, but since they are people who plan and manage the entire project, I think they are always responsible for quality. Therefore, we are trying to reduce the range of quality errors as much as possible by using the above tools and solutions, and we want to proceed efficiently. Use cat tools to maintain uniformity, use TMS to select translators/supervisors, and create evaluation values for translation quality as statistical data See for future project progressYou can do it. Unless translation quality is a complete mistranslation, the customer Linguistic preferencesIt reflects a lot. Just as every speaker expresses the same meaning differently in Korean, the same goes for foreign languages. Therefore, it is important to maintain uniformity or evaluate and record the translator's style for a client.
Of course, claims still happen all the time. ^^;; When a claim occurs, we review the entire process, rework the translation, and put all our effort into preventing the recurrence of claims. So I think the most difficult thing is quality control.
Q.
What kind of work-life balance do you usually like? There are probably cases where translation is requested from overseas, so I don't think I can work only during fixed working hours, but what is it actually like?
Basically, I work from 9 am to 6 pm. There are cases where requests come from overseas, but since they work according to domestic hours, it is rare for them to respond early in the morning. It may vary from company to company, but our company Adhere to normal domestic working hoursI will.
I think it's hard to say that work-life balance is good. hehe;; We don't deliver goods, but since there is a delivery date, a lot of things happen during the project. In the process of coordinating and coordinating all of these, work hours often pass, and translators often contact us even after work because they work in different hours. Also, apart from those things, report work, other paperwork, etc. that need to be packed for each project... Maybe it's because I handle a lot of projects 24 hours is really not enough.
Q.
Some people who want to work in the translation industry may vaguely dream of becoming a translation PM. As an experienced person, what do you think a translation PM must have?
If I had to pick one thing Thinking skillsI think so. Problems always occur in the entire process of planning and managing a project. In addition to customer dissatisfaction with quality, problems may occur on the translation side, problems may occur during the process of creating a work file, or even from a quote. When this situation occurs, rather than being afraid of it Ability to understand, think, and discuss situationsThis is very important. It would be great if I could come up with a solution myself, but since no one can solve it from the beginning, I went through this process Problem-solving skillsIt is important to grow.
Q.
What channels do you usually get news about the industry? Is there such a thing as a meeting with industry colleagues?
I tend to receive industry news through various channels. Mainly because there is no such thing as a meeting of incumbents business magazine Through the back Translation industry newsI'm receiving it, and others Webzines provided by international translation companies I am subscribing to etc. If there is an incumbent meeting, I'd like to participate.
Q.
It is true that many people think of the translation industry as a specification industry. As an industry worker, what do you expect the translation market and translation industry to look like in the future?
I would rather An industry with endless potential for developmentI think so. If you think of the translation industry as an industry where people simply translate and document in the same way as before, you might think of it as a specification industry, but along with the development of information technology, the translation industry is also taking various forms. Even if machine translation reaches a level where it can replace human translation in the future, the translation industry will not disappear, and in the process of replacing such artificial intelligence and beyond People are indispensableThis is it.
Even now, many people involved in the translation industry are working to develop machine translation, and in the process, they are creating fields that cannot be replaced by machine translation and creating new businesses. Also, people working in the translation industry can't do anything with just the data accumulated in machine translators, and it is the translation industry who can process that data to find a meaningful value.
Ironically, The global translation market is growing every yearI'm doing it. There is a strong perception in Korea that it is a specification industry, but overseas, translation startups are still being actively acquired, and the scale is expanding. It also means that the development of artificial intelligence, which was predicted to become a specification industry, is already being absorbed and grown overseas. As artificial intelligence technology is becoming increasingly important in Korea, I think this trend can also contribute to the development of the translation industry in Korea.
Q.
Finally, how would you define “PM for translation” in one word?
I think this is the hardest question, but... figuratively speaking, a translation PM 'Navigator'I think I can say that. I think PM plays such a role as operating a large ship called Project, directing the direction to the steering wheel and making it possible to successfully complete the operation.
*This content has been transferred from Gicon Studio to Letterworks.
