Have you ever wondered how a localization company works? What the day-to-day of each role looks like? Join us at a ”behind-the-scenes”, where three members of the Haymillian team showcase the challenges related to their profession and the necessary skills to address these challenges successfully.
Last week we had a sit down with Vasso Meletiadou, Project Manager at Haymillian, to talk about her job and what it takes to be a successful Localization Project Manager.
How did you get into the localization field?
I hold a bachelor’s degree in Translation and a Master’s Degree in Translation Studies and Intercultural Communication. As such, it was only natural for me to pursue a career in this field. Before and during my Master’s, I freelanced as a subtitler and after completing my studies, I got an internship that helped me get on track and pursue a career in localization.
Tell us what an average day at work looks like.
A Project Manager’s Day can be unpredictable because we always strive to meet the client’s needs which can differ from one day to the other. However, I would say that the day starts by creating a list of the tasks that need to be completed. I typically spend my morning replying to clients’ and project team’s emails and taking care of anything urgent that might have happened overnight. I work with clients and vendors that are based all over the world, so my inbox can be quite full in the morning. After replying to urgent requests, I go through my task list and try to tick as many tasks off as possible. Depending on the nature of the projects I am working on, I might need to assign jobs to studios or translators and give them instructions and guidance. If I have a delivery to do, I try to focus on it to make sure that the files are delivered on time.
What do you like most about your job? What do you like the least?
Audiovisual translation and media localization are the fields that I have always been interested in. The fact that the projects we work on are so diverse is what I like most about my job. There is a lot of work going on behind the scenes and when a project is completed the sentiment is very rewarding.
The thing that I like the least is some admin work that requires less creativity but is necessary to be done.
What are the main challenges a Project Manager faces?
Time management is a big challenge for a Project Manager. As I mentioned above, there are days that can be quite unpredictable and one urgent request can easily get you off track.
What three skills should a Project Manager possess to be successful in the role?
Good organization skills, good time management skills, and excellent communication skills. I would say that the last one is the most important.
How has your role helped you grow professionally? And personally?
On a professional level, I have had the chance to work on many different projects and gain experience that allows me to now navigate through the challenges of the job with more confidence. On a personal level, I have had the chance to meet some great people in the companies I have worked for, become more aware of my personal strengths and develop them further.
What projects do you most enjoy working on?
I love dubbing projects because they are diverse and require great teamwork. They also require some technical knowledge in terms of audio and video engineering, which I find quite interesting and challenging even though it is not directly linked to my linguistic background.
What advice would you give to an aspiring Project Manager?
I would advise them to find what type of projects (media localization, transcreation, technical translation) they are most interested in and pursue a position in companies that specialize in them.
