By Moez Sghaier
Updated August 18, 2024 3:23 p.m.
There are a few things that I have to do to ensure an English – French business translation project is delivered on time, namely:
· I negotiate the deadline with the client before accepting the project.
· I evaluate the project’s workload before accepting the deadline.
· I plan the execution of the project.
· I apply what has been planned with no compromise regarding the project’s quality.
· I take into account other considerations.
I negotiate the deadline with the client before accepting any English – French business translation project
There is no point accepting a deadline while I cannot deliver the project on time. In other terms as a professional translator, I have to be honest with the client regarding what’s possible and what’s not.
Building credibility can make a big difference between a professional translator and someone who pretends to be one. The right thing to do then is to try to convince the client that high quality and a reasonable deadline always go together.
I evaluate the English – French business translation project’s workload before accepting the deadline
Meanwhile, there are usually other projects going on. Good practice dictates that I have to anticipate those projects’ workload so the latter project can find its place among them.
To do so as a professional translator, I have to evaluate my workload before accepting a deadline.
As a professional translator, I strive to find a balance between working speed and accuracy. Also, research can sometimes take a big chunk of time especially when I am not that much familiar with the project’s topic.
I plan the execution of the English – French business translation project
Continuing with the same logic, as a professional translator I plan which part of the project to be done every day. This can happen by knowing first the number of words that can be translated every working day.
I then proceed to setting up a daily workload to finish the project on time. To be able to do that, I define my daily output and multiply it by the number of days remaining to the deadline.
I apply what has been planned with no compromise regarding the English – French business translation project’s quality
Following the planning set up and be disciplined enough to apply it is all what I need to continue working on the project. To do so, I show some degree of toughness especially during the first couple of days of the project.
Also, as a professional translator I have to be ready to speed up if necessary to stay on schedule even if I have to work extra hours even overnight.
Consequently, as a professional translator I show a big deal of self-discipline otherwise I won’t be successful in the translation services industry over the long run.
With that being said, as a professional translator I do not allow any compromise whatsoever when it comes to quality i.e. I ask for an extension of the deadline if case I cannot deliver on time. That makes the client stay motived enough to come back to me when future opportunities show up.
I take into account other considerations when delivering an English – French business translation project
Finally, some other considerations can enter into account while trying to deliver English – French business translation projects on time. The most significant of those are time difference, technology, and health.
Taking into consideration time difference is essential in delivering projects since the client is usually in a different time zone than me as the translator.
Also, even though technology does not cause serious issues nowadays with high speed internet, some hiccups do occur sometimes and could delay my deliveries especially when the connection issue is nation-wide and goes beyond my capabilities.
Last, some health issues as light as a headache or an upset stomach or just me not feeling good that day could occasionally cause some delay in project deliveries.
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