Translation and localization are key aspects of a global business strategy. Any business looking to reach and establish a client base worldwide will either have an internal localization manager or outsource that position. What exactly does a localization manager do, and why is their job crucial for global success? What keeps them motivated every day, and what are their greatest challenges? These are questions we asked two exceptional localization managers: Jimdo’s Eike-Marie Eiting and HubSpot’s Gaya D. Saghatelyan. What Is a Localization Manager? What Does a Localization Manager Do? How to Ace It as a Localization Manager Work With a Localization Tool You can Trust Putting the Cherry on Top of the Localization Cake What Is a Localization Manager? As the name suggests, as a localization manager, you manage. You manage suppliers, budgets, expectations, and you manage a variety of workflows that all come together to satisfy stakeholders and product managers with content ready for the global markets. The tricky part of the job is to bridge the gap between content that is merely translated and content that is localized to be clearly understood by the target market as native content. Localized content engages and triggers sales and customer retention. To make all of this happen, the localization manager is, by nature, a highly cross-functional person. What Does a Localization Manager Do? Following the framework and timelines established by the product manager and the marketing or sales department, the localization manager will create a workflow. This can include: Determining deliverables and delivery dates, Recruiting and contracting with the respective translators, Consulting with a localization specialist regarding internationalization and local specifics, Preparing glossaries and briefs for the translators, Conferring with product managers about potential cultural taboos and no-gos, Overcoming those issues by creating specific guidelines for specific product regions. The localization manager is also a people manager, re-adjusting and re-aligning overall flows, escalating and preventing crisis situations, such as major delays or legal issues, all while keeping their cool under pressure. She or he is in the pole position for resolving conflicts and dealing with frustration from all sides. Being connected to many teams, people, and languages is exactly what Eike-Marie Eiting, Localization Manager at Jimdo, one of Germany’s leading web-hosting services, likes most about her job as a localization manager. It’s a highly rewarding experience, but one that isn’t without its hiccups: “The biggest challenge is raising awareness of the needs of the localization team within the company. Often, we aren’t very good at writing briefings because we don’t have a clear picture of how much people outside our own bubble know (less than we think), so sometimes the job feels like chasing information and working on annoying monkey tasks. On good days, I’ll see how I can make an impact by improving flow, tooling, or simply communication and how this will help my localization team, our stakeholders, and even our customers. I mention our customers because they truly feel welcomed when we show them that we speak their language, knowing the bits and tweaks that are rooted deeply in local culture”, explains Eike-Marie. How to Ace It as a Localization Manager To successfully coordinate any localization project from start to finish, an accomplished localization manager must not only stay ahead of trends but also ahead of the curve. They implement buffers where possible to allow for small delays in the production of the localized content without major consequences for their deadlines. When hiring or contracting translators or LSPs, he or she ensures that they are up to the task, applying the latest software and technology solutions to oversee, track, review, and finalize the localized content. Applying knowledge, skills, and often, wit, they will juggle the various tasks with ease, confidence, and in a calm fashion. The goal is to help their team perform as professionals in a stress-free working environment while enjoying the process. Gaya D. Saghatelyan, Localization Manager at HubSpot, a cloud-based CRM, stresses collaboration with diverse stakeholders as the greatest advantage of her profession. From marketing to customer success, from UX research to product, she partners with diverse teams every day, learns about their world, and enables them to take their ideas and make them truly global: “Knowing that our tool and our ideas are helping small and medium businesses around the world be successful at what they do is what motivates me every day. The hardest part of my job is on the other hand not having a 100% correct solution 100% of the time because we work in a constantly evolving environment and often don’t have a tested path for where we’re going – although this is a challenge, it’s also very rewarding to see how different solutions play out.” Work With a Localization Tool You can Trust Implementing a translation management system (with or without CAT-tool integration through APIs) is a key requirement to excel in localization management. Why? It helps the localization manager deliver guidelines, context, glossaries, and other documentation to the translators supports easy communication through chat rooms and offers features designed to quickly resolve questions or spontaneous issues. (Wouldn’t you love to get rid of threads with 123 e-mails of back and forth clarification requests as well?) The translation management system, if browser-based, offers real-time tracking and overviews of the job status and progress, from any connected device. It enables workflow planning, including alerts early on about potential delays. This gives the localization manager the ability to anticipate potential issues and escalate necessary solutions as needed, helping to eliminate costly delays and errors (of the kind that drive management and sales crazy). Better throughput, better overview, happier stakeholders – that’s the ultimate goal of any successful technology implementation. Whenever you decide to integrate an app, a tool, software, or other technological solution, it should save you time, streamline your tasks, ensure better communication, and help you to focus on personal interaction – no matter if that is with clients, superiors, suppliers, or the youngster that prepares those yummy Moccacinos for you. Any tool that does not do exactly that for the localization manager will have to go. Period. Putting the Cherry on Top of the Localization Cake Producing localized content that sounds natural and engages and conveys the brand and product message on every level while attracting customers on a global scale, is exactly what distinguishes the accomplished localization manager from his peers. In order to get there, the localization manager will partner up with other skilled professionals with complementary skills and knowledge. This can include: Market analysis and peer reviews, Selecting and managing translators and reviewers, Working with Language Service Providers(LSPs) with a proven track record of successfully completed projects. The successful localization manager will neither hesitate to learn something new nor will they in any way obstruct the established workflow and timelines. After all, the localization manager has a keen eye, knows how to spot the right talent, and prevents issues further down the line. This jack of all trades is linguistically versatile, fluent in all things technology, realistic, and thanks to his deep comprehension of the task at hand, knows how to motivate all players – today, the localization manager is the hero of any localization effort. And will be again tomorrow.