Working as a Translation Project Manager
This week we are joined by Marina Brunello, University of Leeds alumna (MA in Applied Translation Studies, class of 2016), who will share her experience of working as a Project Manager for a Leeds-based translation agency.
First of all, Marina, could you please briefly introduce yourself and tell us what you are currently doing?
I am Marina Brunello, an Italian girl living in the UK. I have just graduated from a Master’s degree at Leeds University and I am working as a Project Manager at Andiamo Language Service, a translation company based in Leeds.
What is a typical day at the office for you?
There isn’t really a typical day in the office. Every day can be different depending on the requests that we receive. My job is very much varied; I mainly check my emails, set up translation, subtitling or voice-over projects, check translations, revise Italian translations, etc. I also communicate with our freelance translators for quite a while during the day, which I quite enjoy – it is like having loads of colleagues in other countries.
How do you believe that the MA in Applied Translation Studies (University of Leeds) helped you find a job, and excel at what you do?
I believe that studying in Leeds has given me a set of skills that I didn’t have before and it has also helped me having more confidence and improving the abilities that I already possessed. The overview of different CAT tools and the project management simulations have been key in making me understand how to be competitive and how to work dynamically in the translation industry.
What are the traits you appreciate most in a freelancer? What makes a good (and bad) freelancer from the point of view of PMs?
I personally don’t think that there is a good or bad freelancer, even the best translator in the world can have a bad day and miss an error or be late to deliver a translation. However, I really appreciate when translators are communicative and on time. With this I mean that it is very important for me to receive acknowledgments and to know if somebody is available for a job or not. This may sound very boring, but when a project has a tight deadline and none of your freelance translators are replying, things can get quite stressful.
What do you think MA programmes should focus on, in order to get students acquainted to the translation industry?
I think that the programme for the MA in Leeds already covers the majority of what you need to know about the translation industry because it gives you an insight of the actual market, providing transferrable skills at the same time.
What tangible advice and tips do you have for someone who would be interested in a career as a PM?
I would say that to be a PM, you need to be an organised person which is very good at multitasking and has good customer service manners. Some previous work experience combined with translation and IT skills is the best combination for this job. Also, you need to be fairly active on social medias such as LinkedIn or Twitter – that always helps.
What sort of texts do you like to translate?
I really enjoy translating creative texts and I do enjoy transcreation. In particular, I like translating and revising touristic brochures and websites. Adapting expressions and idioms into another languages is interesting for me.
What is your favourite untranslatable expression/word in one of the languages you speak?
One of my favourite words in Russian is листопад (listopad), meaning ‘the falling of the leaves’. This word is made of the verb padat’ (падать, or fall), and the noun list’ (лист, leaf) that for some reason has no commonly used English or Italian equivalent. Unlike defoliation (very formal) and leaf-fall (not very common), this word is very much used in Russian and transmit something more than a autumnal scenery.
Thank you, Marina, for sharing your insight regarding the industry with us! If you want to see what Marina is up to, you can follow her on Twitter (@brunello_marina) or check out her blog: http://adifferentwriting.weebly.com/.
