The coordinator of translation projects or Project Manager (PM) promotes a work environment in which reigns the uniformity of criteria. In this sense, the coordinator of the project is the nexus among all participants. His/her mission is to assure that the team is informed and motivated and that each one of the team members works correctly with the others in order to reach high levels of quality and so that the delivery of the project is on time and in good form. It isn’t any easy task and the coordinators must manage several skills.
First, how does a project manager get the ideal translation professionals? He/she must consider that most likely the team members don’t have any face-to-face contact with one another nor do they share the same physical workplace. This inherently is a challenge for the manager since he/she must manage independent professionals that have other obligations and priorities. Nevertheless, one must keep in mind that beyond cultural differences, the team members must feel as though they are part of a group, that their commentary is considered and that they really make a difference. Therefore, the coordinator must clearly understand the project’s objective, and keep the entire group informed about quality issues, time, costs, the scope of the project and the degree of client satisfaction. In practice, this can be done through periodical meetings or by Internet.
