Localiser to translation agency manager
A localiser already meets 46% of what the translation agency manager role asks for. The move turns on 17 required skills not yet in the profile.
61.7/ 100
1 How much of what a translation agency manager is expected to do is already part of a localiser’s work. Directional: the figure for the reverse move differs, because moving into a speciality is not the same problem as moving out of one. 2 Every skill the translation agency manager role is recorded as needing, required and optional together. What these numbers mean.
Why this move works
A translation agency manager role treats 14 of its required skills as things a localiser already does. You would walk in with these on day one.
- apply grammar and spelling rules
- comprehend the material to be translated
- consult information sources
- develop a translation strategy
- follow translation quality standards
- grammar
What stands in the way is 17 required skills the profile does not yet cover. Table 3 groups them; Table 4 says which to take first.
Table 2 · What you already bring
Of the 24 skills that carry over, these are the ones fewest other occupations ask for. A translation agency manager role needs them, and most people applying for one will not have them already. This is the part of a localiser background worth leading with.
- already held comprehend the material to be translated communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held adapt text culturally communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held review translation works communication, collaboration and creativity
- already held postediting social sciences, journalism and information
- already held transcreation business, administration and law
- already held develop a translation strategy information skills
All 24 carried skills, including the 14 the translation agency manager role treats as required.
Table 3 · What you may need to learn
The 27 missing skills fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, numbered in the order worth working in. Areas carrying the most required skills come first, and inside each one the required skills sit above the optional ones. Nothing here is a verdict on you: it is a list of what this particular job asks for that your current one does not.
- still to learn follow an ethical code of conduct for translation activities required
- still to learn negotiate settlements required
- still to learn translate different types of texts required
- still to learn build business relationships required
- still to learn liaise with colleagues required
- still to learn negotiate service with providers required
- still to learn use consulting techniques required
- still to learn write work-related reports required
- optional, not held create subtitles optional
- optional, not held perform sworn translations optional
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- still to learn project management required
- still to learn customer relationship management required
- still to learn quality standards required
- still to learn assume responsibility for the management of a business required
- still to learn lead a team required
- still to learn manage budgets required
- still to learn assess quality of services required
- still to learn maintain updated professional knowledge required
- optional, not held identify new words optional
- optional, not held conduct scholarly research optional
- optional, not held decode handwritten texts optional
- optional, not held develop technical glossaries optional
- still to learn office software required
- optional, not held court interpreting optional
- optional, not held musical genres optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
Table 4 · Where to start
The 3 entries a translation agency manager role is least likely to hire without. The ordering is computed from the skill data, not from what pays.
- 01 follow an ethical code of conduct for translation activities practise this
- 02 negotiate settlements practise this
- 03 project management study this
Each entry opens a course search for that skill. Career Overlap earns nothing from these links.
Appendix · The rest of the record
All 24 skills that carry over
- already held apply grammar and spelling rules skill
- already held comprehend the material to be translated skill
- already held consult information sources skill
- already held develop a translation strategy skill
- already held follow translation quality standards skill
- already held grammar knowledge
- already held master language rules skill
- already held observe confidentiality skill
- already held preserve original text skill
- already held proofread text skill
- already held provide written content skill
- already held review translation works skill
- already held speak different languages skill
- already held spelling knowledge
- already held adapt text culturally skill
- already held analyse text before translation skill
- already held improve translated texts skill
- already held linguistics knowledge
- already held postediting knowledge
- already held semantics knowledge
- already held transcreation knowledge
- already held translate language concepts skill
- already held unseen translation knowledge
- already held use computer-aided translation skill
10 supplementary skills, helpful but not required
- optional, not held create subtitles optional
- optional, not held identify new words optional
- optional, not held perform sworn translations optional
- optional, not held coach employees optional
- optional, not held conduct scholarly research optional
- optional, not held court interpreting optional
- optional, not held decode handwritten texts optional
- optional, not held develop technical glossaries optional
- optional, not held musical genres optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
26 held skills the translation agency manager role does not ask for
- not needed by the target role adapt developed game to the market skill
- not needed by the target role analyse cultural trends skill
- not needed by the target role anthropology knowledge
- not needed by the target role attend gaming tests skill
- not needed by the target role communicate with local residents skill
- not needed by the target role content marketing strategy knowledge
- not needed by the target role contextualise artistic work skill
- not needed by the target role develop terminology databases skill
- not needed by the target role develop the product catalogue skill
- not needed by the target role employ assessment techniques to anticipate translation efforts skill
- not needed by the target role employ translation techniques skill
- not needed by the target role evaluate translation technologies skill
- not needed by the target role liaise with advertising agencies skill
- not needed by the target role literature knowledge
- not needed by the target role perform product testing skill
- not needed by the target role read pre-drafted texts skill
- not needed by the target role revise translation works skill
- not needed by the target role study cultures skill
- not needed by the target role terminology knowledge
- not needed by the target role translate tags skill
- not needed by the target role translate texts skill
- not needed by the target role types of literature genres knowledge
- not needed by the target role update language skills skill
- not needed by the target role use dictionaries skill
- not needed by the target role use localisation tools skill
- not needed by the target role use translation memory software skill
7 gaps that are knowledge rather than practice
Knowledge gaps usually close through study. Practical skill gaps usually need something you can point at.
- still to learn project management required
- still to learn customer relationship management required
- still to learn office software required
- still to learn quality standards required
- optional, not held court interpreting optional
- optional, not held musical genres optional
- optional, not held technical terminology optional
Common questions about this move
Can a localiser become a translation agency manager?
Yes, and it is a substantial move. A localiser already covers 46% of what a translation agency manager is expected to do: 24 skills carry over, 14 of which the translation agency manager role treats as required.
What skills does a localiser need to become a translation agency manager?
17 required skills are missing, plus 10 optional ones. They fall into 6 areas of the ESCO skill hierarchy, led by communication, collaboration and creativity. The single most important is follow an ethical code of conduct for translation activities.
How hard is the move from localiser to translation agency manager?
Its learning distance is 61.7 out of 100, which is the substantial band. That accounts for both how much is missing and how specialised those skills are.
How this record was compiled
Both occupations are taken from ESCO, which lists the skills and knowledge each occupation is expected to have and marks every one required or optional. Nothing here is a prediction about hiring, and nothing here knows that a particular employer wants a particular certificate. Treat Table 3 as a starting point for your own research rather than a syllabus. The full method states what these figures can and cannot tell you.