Moments of Madness...

... or how to handle "large" projects successfully

Of course it is difficult to first of all determine what a "large" project actually is. Large means something different to a freelance translator working alone than to a major agency with huge translation and project management resources.

At eurocom, we have defined a large project as one that requires the translation of more than 50,000 words per language, or more than 30,000 words if the project is particularly complex: either from a content, DTP or review point of view, or, the subject of this article, if the deadline is so tight we need to use several translators and proof-readers, and possibly project managers, to get the job done.

It is quite common for us to receive projects of up to 70,000 words which require translation typically within 4-5 days, often over weekends or bank holidays. Due to our EN 15038 certification, the process always includes translation as well as proof-reading by a second translator, and internal QA checks by our project managers (PMs). To enable us to carry out all these steps we follow a thorough planning guideline:

Prepare the project

Set up an internal meeting

PMs dedicated to the project, Management and Vendor Management get together to discuss technical feasibility, timeframes, staff resources, the general framework for the project, the client’s requirements and select the right translators for the job.

During this meeting all questions to the client are recorded and in turn discussed in the kick-off meeting. 

Hold a project kick-off meeting

We cannot stress enough how important it is to get together with the client before the project starts to clarify expectations, timeframe as well as any open questions.

Time and time again, this step is missed out because of time constraints, when in reality skipping this step will almost certainly mean spending a lot of time clearing up issues at the end of a project.

It is also vital everything discussed and agreed on is written down and the meeting minutes are distributed to everyone involved to reach a common understanding.

Set up and carry out the project

Define a folder structure

If you have not already got a defined folder structure, these projects definitely require you to work on one.  Information needs to be accessed quickly and everyone involved needs to know which documents are stored where.   

Come to an agreement with vendors

Based on our experience, we recommend clarifying important milestones with the translators before the project starts. This ranges from TM settings to special pricing agreements to naming dedicated points of contact on the vendor’s side. We recommend a telephone conference rather than simply sending emails back and forth.

The points discussed should be recorded in a written agreement between vendor and LSP.

Use a project plan

For the discussed kind of projects, a dedicated project plan (in whatever format is easiest and quickest to keep up to date) is invaluable. It helps to keep an overview of batches, deadlines, to dos for the forthcoming day, week, etc., but in moments of madness (which tend to happen during these large urgent projects) it is a great tool for getting back on track and prioritising what needs to be done.

It also helps in case a back-up PM needs to take over due to unplanned absence.

Ask for status updates

Regular updates from the vendors but also to and from the client are encouraged to keep information flowing and to help anticipate any obstacles that could threaten quality, deadline, etc.

Practise query management

Translator queries present enormous potential for enhancing quality and even lowering translation costs. Thanks to our systematic approach and our new query management solution, smartQuery, it is easy to spot all open queries, responses, comments, etc. or to search the query database. Existing queries are searched immediately when a new query is entered. No information gets lost. Precious time is saved since PMs do not have to ask customers again and again. Queries relevant for a team in multiple languages can be pushed to all members via e-mail.

Instal a good technical workflow

Large projects require good technical support from a tools perspective. For further information on how eurocom handles these, refer to our latest Case Study in cooperation with SDL.

Don’t forget about controlling

In order to control time and cost, PMs need to be even more cost-conscious than usual and involve management as soon as there is a hunch that things are not running as smoothly as they should.

And finally…

Think about the lessons learnt

Get together after every large or “out of the ordinary” project to assess the lessons learnt. Whilst everyone is always glad when these projects are completed, it is vital to take the time and talk about how they went. As we all strive to improve, there is always something each party involved can take away from it. So the next time we all can perform even better! 

Translator queries – how do we manage these at eurocom

Moving from effort to a knowledge source

Almost every translation job causes questions. Ambiguities in the text, for example in technical terms or instructions, cause our translators to investigate the exact meaning. At eurocom, we appreciate this kind of feedback a lot, especially because it can significantly contribute to the quality of the translation. As project managers we therefore strive to answer these questions as fast and as best as possible by passing them on to the client. 

Managing these queries can be very complex especially in large projects, because usually several translators and target languages have to be coordinated. So the same questions come up again and again, but as a professional LSP we simply have to ensure that we ask the client only once. Therefore, at eurocom we introduced Excel lists which contained all queries that arose during the translation of any given project. Theses Excel lists definitely were better than just relying on the memory of the particular project manager. The limits of Excel lists, however, became evident almost right away: How do you keep track of queries across multiple projects? Several months? Years? How do we know after months which Excel list contains the answer to a particular query? How do you control the access to Excel spreadsheets? And, basically, how can queries be used as term candidates and will suggestions for text improvements be forwarded to the technical writers? Is it possible to solve translator queries collaboratively and, most suitably, web-based - similar to bug tracking systems in software development? These and many other questions were our constant focus. Now, a special software delivers the answers.

Software as Support

For several months now we have been using smartQuery by Kaleidoscope. The system is set up as a role-based online portal. In other words, depending on the assigned role certain rights are granted. A project manager, e.g., has more duties and thus rights than a translator. Everyone can access the system simultaneously, so all the required information is always available.

For us, the core of smartQuery is the task list. Here, each user always sees the pending queries she or he has 

to answer. In addition, the tracking function lists all the queries which can be filtered and searched by certain criteria. Due to the status and user filtering features everyone involved in the process can check the "task list" of open queries, answers, comments, etc. And finally, you can search the entire database, even after very specific issues. In order to simplify the workflow, the system has an e-mail notification with digest function.

We have linked smartQuery to our process management system LTC Worx. This link ensures that all queries are systematically assigned to projects, customers, languages, files, etc. Vice versa, all queries of a certain project can be viewed and edited immediately. SDL MultiTerm and Kaleidoscopes quickTerm cover all terminology related aspects of all the numerous queries.

Conclusion: The dreaded Excel lists have finally served their term. Now, everyone is always up-to-date. Access is easy. Nothing is lost. On the contrary, queries flow back into the terminology and can even help to improve the source texts.