Translation Coordinator

Pharmaceutical Company; South San Francisco (CA); On-site; USD 70,000 - 100,000; Full time

Job summary

Pharmaceutical Company in South San Francisco is seeking a Translation Project Coordinator to manage day-to-day translation operations for marketing and creative content. You will coordinate with the Localization Manager, vendors, content owners, and internal reviewers to ensure timely delivery and quality.

The role includes tracking metrics and driving continuous process improvement across cross-functional teams.

Qualifications

• Bachelor's degree or equivalent in Linguistics, Translation, Communications, or related field.
• Minimum 4 years' experience managing translation projects in a professional setting.
• Excellent written and verbal communication with internal stakeholders and vendors.
• Experience managing translation quality using translations memories, glossaries, and style guides.
• Familiarity with translation management systems (TMS).
• Knowledge of localization best practices for various content types.
• Proven ability to adapt to evolving project requirements and stakeholders' expectations.

Responsibilities

• Receive and process translation requests from internal content owners.
• Prepare source materials for translation following standardized processes.
• Coordinate with linguists, reviewers, and vendors to ensure timely delivery.
• Develop and maintain translation project schedules and allocate resources.
• Provide status updates and flag delays to stakeholders.
• Support regulatory review submissions and ensure compliance with guidelines.
• Collaborate with vendors to ensure accurate translations and assets.
• Develop linguistic assets like glossaries and style guides.
• Maintain project documentation and records of linguistic decisions.
• Track KPIs such as turnaround time and vendor performance.

Skills

Project management

Cross-functional collaboration

Analytical thinking

Problem-solving

Communication

Education

Bachelor's degree

Tools

JIRA

Adobe Suite

Translation Management System (TMS)

Job description

In this position, the candidate will facilitate the day-to-day operations of our translation projects, working closely with the Localization Manager and coordinating with translation vendors. Their responsibilities will include receiving and processing translation requests for Marketing and creative content, preparing files for translation, managing communications between linguists, the content owners, and internal reviewers, and ensuring timely project delivery. Additionally, the candidate will assist in tracking and reporting key performance metrics related to translation projects, collaborating with stakeholders to optimize processes and drive continuous improvement. They will work cross-functionally with a variety of stakeholders.

Key Responsibilities

• Receive and process translation requests from internal content owners.
• Prepare source and reference materials for translation following a standardized process, ensuring clarity and completeness.
• Manage questions and clarifications from linguists and the translation team, acting as a bridge between them and content owners.
• Interact with internal linguistic reviewers to gather feedback on the quality of translations provided by the vendor.
• Create and maintain translation project schedules, ensuring deadlines are met and resources are allocated efficiently for several complex projects at a time, and escalating resourcing and priority conflicts for management support.
• Update stakeholders on the status of translation projects, including progress and any potential delays.
• Coordinate the submission of translated materials for regulatory review and approval, ensuring compliance with relevant guidelines and regulations.
• Collaborate with vendors to ensure accurate and culturally appropriate translations.
• Collaborate with vendors and internal linguistic reviewers to develop and improve linguistic assets (glossaries and style guides).
• Maintain documentation and records related to translation projects and the linguistic decisions made.
• Continuously evaluate and make recommendations to improve translation processes to optimize efficiency and quality.
• Assist with tracking and reporting key performance metrics related to translation projects, including turnaround time, quality metrics, and vendor performance, to provide insights for process improvement and decision-making.
• Familiarity with translation industry standards, terminology, and best practices.
• Strong organizational skills with the ability to effectively prioritize tasks and manage multiple projects simultaneously.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to interact professionally with internal stakeholders and external vendors.
• Attention to detail and a commitment to ensuring accuracy and consistency in translated materials.
• Proficiency in project management tools and software for scheduling, tracking, and reporting translation projects.
• Ability to work collaboratively in a cross-functional team environment, fostering positive relationships and driving results.
• Analytical mindset with the ability to inform decision-making and process improvements.
• Problem-solving skills and the ability to proactively address challenges and mitigate risks throughout the translation process.

Qualifications & Experience

Required

• Bachelor's degree in a related field such as Linguistics, Translation, Communications, other equivalent credential, or equivalent work experience.
• A minimum of 4 years of experience managing translation projects in a professional setting, demonstrating proficiency in coordinating project timelines, resources, and deliverables.
• Excellent communication skills, both written and verbal, with the ability to interact professionally with internal stakeholders and external vendors.
• Familiarity with the management of translation quality using linguistic assets such as translation memories, glossaries/termbases, and style guides, ensuring consistency and adherence to brand guidelines.
• Experience in linguistic review processes, including the ability to gather feedback from internal linguistic reviewers and effectively communicate revisions to translation vendors.
• Familiarity with translation management systems (TMS).
• Knowledge of industry-standard file formats and localization best practices for various content types, including print and digital documents, multimedia, and web content.
• Demonstrated problem-solving abilities and the capacity to adapt to evolving project requirements and stakeholder expectations.

Preferred:

• Experience using JIRA or other project management software to effectively plan, track, and coordinate translation projects.
• Experience with Adobe Suite and multimedia content translation.
• Fluency in Spanish, Traditional or Simplified Chinese.
• Proficiency in additional languages.
• Understanding of creative content design best practices for bi-directional languages.