A translation pool is a group of translators handling the translation tasks in an organization in a systematic and procedural fashion. The translation pool is usually under the control of the Business Support Manager or, in some cases, the Document Control Officer.
The work flow in a translation pool usually comes for the document author or owner to the document control officer who is usually fully aware of the tasks in the pool and their deadlines.
The document control officer forwards the document to the translation pool to get estimation for the translation time and informs the requestor of this time. On agreement with the requestor on the completion date the translation pool places the document in the queue to be translated.
There are various elements that affect the productivity of a translation pool; productivity means both compliance to deadlines and submission of high-quality final product.
Apart from the capabilities of the translation pool members there are many other factors that enhance and improve the productivity of this pool. Some of these factors are listed below:
1. Appropriate Translation Resources: These include dictionaries, relevant references such as encyclopedias and others. If the translation work is seasonal, a library will be a good option to make the translation staff informed in the field of the organization’s business.
2. Concordance between Translators: the person in charge of the translation pool shall make the best efforts to promote concordance and cooperation between members of the translation pool. A relation based on concordance and cooperation will ensure consistency of translation because the translators will exchange knowledge among them to produce more homogenous documents though translated by different persons.
3. Training and Certification: Business support manager or document control officer shall help translator obtain proper training and certifications as these will improve a translator’s productivity through enhancing capabilities and morale.
4. Cooperative Relationship with Documents’ Authors: The interaction between the translation pool and the originator of a document is a vital determinant of the quality of translation. The business support manager or the document control officer shall ensure and promote good relationship between the two parties as the translators need to consult the document originator about the exact meaning of some phrases and words and they may seek explanations from him.
5. Due Consideration: In some organizations, translation is considered the least important part of the project and for this reason most of the project time is dedicated to other activities and translation is given insufficient period in the timeline. This is a major cause of translators’ disappointment and low productivity. For this reason, translation should be given due consideration in terms of both financial valuation and time allowed for completion.
The above five points are certainly not all what is needed to enhance a translation pool productivity. I am just trying to start a conversation and it is your turn to comment and add your viewpoint which will be of great value for me.