What does a normal day in your shoes look like? 

Tanya Bredow: I start my day by catching up on email. Usually, the mornings are filled with any back and forth I need to have with my colleagues in Kraków since their day is wrapping up. The rest of my day is filled with reaching out to customers and prospects, discussing projects and challenges with the production team, researching potential prospects, preparing business reviews and planning on-site client visits. We have recently migrated to Salesforce and added some new research tools. So lately much of my time has been spent becoming familiar with these tools and migrating information to our new CRM.

What kind of competencies should an Account Manager in the translation industry have?

TB: Some competencies like active listening skills, good communication and organization are helpful in any sales role. For an AM in the translation industry, I think it’s also important to have a really good understanding of the workflows and challenges of localization from a production standpoint. And patience… the sales cycle can be very long.

What is the role of an Account Manager in ensuring a strong partnership with clients?

TB: The AM is the primary relationship holder so it’s very important that they remain engaged and connected with their clients on a regular basis in order to foster those relationships. When you have a strong relationship with open dialogue, it’s easier to identify pain points and frustrations early on so you can work towards timely solutions.

What is one piece of advice you can give to clients?

TB: For global companies, it is critical to create their content with translation in mind rather than it being an after-thought. There are many things that should be considered when you know that your content will be translated. Whether it’s avoiding phrases that will lose meaning in other languages or setting up the source document to allow for language expansion, many choices can be made that will simplify and expedite the translation process.

What aspects of your work do you like doing the most? 

TB: I love doing on-site visits. It gives me the chance to see the factories and the equipment being manufactured. It also gives me an opportunity to develop a deeper understanding of that company’s story and culture. With so much of our communication happening by email these days, nothing takes the place of a good face-to-face visit with the client.

What are the daily challenges you experience in your job?

TB: Getting prospective clients to engage, whether by phone or email. Everyone is so busy these days and often times potential clients will put translation discussions on hold until they have an issue that becomes urgent.

Have a look at further blog posts from our “Life as…” series:

• Life as a DTP Specialist
• Life as a Freelance Translator
• Life as a Resource Specialist