Tips to Choose the Right Localization Project Manager


Localization Project Manager

You got the best translation management software, assembled an amazing team of skilled professionals, and have your localization budget and resources sorted.

In simple words, you are all set to go about your localization management project. 

 But wait, you’re still missing the most important piece in the puzzle. The project manager!

You may have the best resources in the world with the most talented team, but in the end, it all boils down to how effectively your project manager could manage the project and make efficient use of all that’s available.

So, you must hire the right person to do the job, which would help you achieve your localization goals.

How to find the right localization project manager?

Well, there are many things that you must be looking for in a perfect project manager. Here we have listed some points that one should consider to evaluate your project manager’s credibility.

Who is a Project Manager?

Your localization project manager is a person who strategizes your localization project, manages all translation and localization operations, brings the best out of teams, makes effective use of resources, and keeps things on track from the beginning till the end to achieve the desired outcome. Your project manager is accountable for all that is happening throughout the localization project. Moreover, he must ensure quality outcomes and release payment to all stakeholders on time. The project manager may have to report to senior management about the overall progress of the localization project.

How To Find the Perfect Project Manager for Your Localization Project?

If you are looking for the best localization project managers, there are a lot of things that you have to consider in every potential candidate for your project management. Here are the top six points to consider as a criterion to hire someone as your project manager.

Years of Experience 

The first things that you must look for in a project manager are his qualification and overall experience. Here you apply the 80/20 rule: experience accounts for 80 percent of eligibility criteria and qualification only 20 percent. How many years of experience a project manager has would also say a lot about his localization’s understanding and credibility to handle large-scope projects. Choose a project manager with good years of experience if you are a global enterprise or a language service provider working for international clients.

Area of Expertise 

Industries and niches that a project manager is more familiar with is also an important point to consider. For instance, if you want to be a medical service provider, you may need a project manager who has been working in the healthcare industry. Or, if you are a language service provider, hiring someone with diverse localization experience would be a good choice. It would allow him to better understand the industrial intricacies and make a smarter localization plan. So, it is also important to consider what is your project manager’s domain of interest, and in which niche he has more experience.

Understanding of the Latest Technology

Things are transforming in the localization industry swiftly. Thanks to the latest technology, such as localization project management platforms, and translation management software. These tools have made localization management easier and faster for good. Your project manager should be well-versed in all advanced translation tools and software. Ask your project manager if he has worked on the software that you are currently using for localization management. To cope with the modern localization demands, your project managers should be someone with a good technical understanding of localization.

Managerial Skills 

How well could your manager manage internal and external teams? How efficiently could he handle everyday translation tasks? And, how effectively could he manage the time? All of this says all about his credibility as a localization project manager. The project manager should possess excellent managerial skills because everything is totally dependent on how efficient they are in organizing day-to-day activities, more collaboratively, within schedules. A good project manager can help you make the most of all resources and strategies because of their effective organization and project handling. Moreover, effective management skills also lead to healthy organizational culture and better relationship management.

Problem Solving Abilities 

Project management is a complex job, and problem managers have to be proactive to effectively resolve all problems coming their way. A project manager is a problem solver, who actively works on all the challenges and tries to find more innovative ways to get away with everyday issues. With his critical thinking abilities, project management eliminates the problem-causing elements and mitigates the risk factors. So, efficient problem-solving is an important quality to consider. Project managers with passive natures don’t like to get out of their comfort zone and change their processes. They like traditional ways of doing things because there is less risk involved. Moreover, it will also require no activism.

Wrapping Up!

While hiring the project manager for your localization project, make sure he has all the technical and managerial abilities to handle your localization operations. With good experience in the industry, he must have expertise in using the latest tools, such as a localization project management platform, and translation management software. You’ve to be careful and hire someone who could perfectly fit the organizational role and take up your project’s responsibility.


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