Coordinating a group of freelancers can be both exciting and very complicated. As a translation agency, we work with many talented freelancers around the world. And we could never do it with the peace of mind and security that we do without some tools that we believe are essential.
In this article, we will reveal some of our secrets to better manage working with freelancers. Have we piqued your curiosity? Then read on!
Working with Freelancers: Why Manage a Freelance Team
If your brand needs translations or perhaps content for your website or social media pages, you may need to manage a team of freelancers. We confirm it: it can be very complex to coordinate the work of many freelancers. You have to communicate with each of them, often answer questions that arise during the development of projects, and also keep track of the projects themselves, recording, for example, the number of words or hours worked. In short, it is a real profession in itself, in fact, it is no coincidence that the figure of the Project Manager exists.
If, despite the challenge that awaits you, you want to try your hand at it firsthand, we will guide you to discover the tools that could help you win it.
Tools for Managing a Translation Team
Let's get to the heart of the matter: how do you work with different freelancers? What are the best tools to manage a team of freelancers?
Let's start by saying that a distinction can be made based on the volume of work and the number of languages involved, which obviously also determines the number of resources which it is necessary to interact with. In any case, the general rule is to always be organized, in order to coordinate requests and deadlines without going crazy.
For sporadic projects with small teams, up to about 10 languages, it is possible to rely on free tools such as Asana or even a simple, well-structured Excel sheet. You will be able to record orders, deliveries, invoices, and keep track of any questions or notes from each linguist.
It becomes more complicated for larger projects that also involve a greater number of translators: in this case, it is necessary to rely on paid tools, such as Plunet, XTRF, or Protemus, which allow you to record all the information relating to freelancers such as prices, contacts, specializations, availability. Furthermore, you can create a different project for each need and send it to freelancers without having to send hundreds of emails. In each assignment, the total price of the project, the file to be translated, any reference files, instructions, and delivery date are recorded. Also, a very important aspect of these tools is the possibility for resources to report the completion of the project. In this way, you receive an automatic notification that the translation is ready: this is an essential function when there are many projects in progress. Finally, when invoicing, just add the project to the list of projects to be invoiced, without further checks.
CAT Tools for Managing Translation Teams
No less important in this perspective are CAT tools, which are obviously not felines but computer-assisted translation tools. They allow you to record terminology, speed up work, and store translations. They are essential for having a professional quality translation. There are many of them, they vary in cost, functionality, and access methods. Some of these are Phrase, Trados, Xtm, Crowdin, Lokalise, Transifex, Across. How to choose the right CAT tool? First, it is important that the translators who collaborate with us know how to use it and that they are comfortable doing so; it must allow the saving of translation memories, which is essential for having everything archived in case of future needs; it must have a glossary, so that you can decide how to translate certain keywords; it must allow you to open different types of files; finally, it must have a tool to allow a final quality check. For us, all these features are summarized in Phrase and that is why it is our main CAT tool.
What LingoSpell Can Do for You
We know there are many things to keep in mind to best manage a multilingual freelance team. As we said, it is a real job in itself: that of the Project Manager. It is a time-consuming task that must be carried out with care and dedication to be completed without a hitch. It is also a task that can be outsourced very easily, without changing the internal dynamics of the company.
If you want a hand with the management of your translation teams, contact us, we can simplify your work immediately!