Translation project management under ISO 17100

Project management is one of the central parts of the ISO 17100 standard. Even a good translation can fail if the project is poorly coordinated, if instructions are missing, if deadlines are not controlled or if there is no traceability of the decisions made during the process.

That is why the standard assigns a specific role to the project manager within professional translation services.

The project manager does not necessarily translate the documents, but coordinates resources, controls the workflow and verifies that the project is carried out in accordance with the specifications agreed with the client.

In complex, multilingual or specialised projects, this role is essential to maintain consistency, meet deadlines and avoid organisational errors.

What a translation project manager does

The project manager coordinates all stages of the translation service, from receipt of the files to final delivery.

The role includes technical, organisational and control tasks.

Among other responsibilities, the project manager has to analyse the project, check specifications, assign translators and revisers, monitor deadlines, coordinate technical resources, manage incidents, resolve queries, verify deliveries, maintain communication with the client and document changes and decisions.

ISO 17100 considers the project manager responsible for ensuring that the project complies with the agreement established and that all parties involved have the information they need.

Management and quality are linked

In professional translation, many problems are not purely linguistic.

They can arise from incomplete instructions, incorrect versions of the source file, contradictory terminology, lack of context, unrealistic deadlines, poor coordination between languages, formatting errors, revisions not integrated or client changes that have not been documented.

Pre-production and translation project management are precisely intended to reduce this type of incident.

For that reason, quality under ISO 17100 does not depend only on the translator. It also depends on how the project is organised.

Assigning translators and revisers

The project manager has to select suitable professionals for each project.

Knowing the language combination is not enough. Subject specialisation, experience, availability, necessary tools, client requirements, language variant and purpose of the text must also be assessed.

In a medical and pharmaceutical translation, for example, the project manager must make sure that the translator and the reviser understand clinical terminology and regulatory documentation.

The same applies to legal, financial or technical projects.

The standard also requires revision to be carried out by a person other than the translator.

Communication during the project

Project management involves maintaining clear communication between all parties involved.

The project manager may need to ask the client for clarification, resolve terminology queries, pass on linguistic instructions, coordinate several languages, reorganise resources, communicate deadline changes, integrate reviser comments and validate final files.

In multilingual projects, this coordination is especially important because small changes in the source content can affect several languages and formats at the same time.

Deadline control

The deadline is part of the translation service and must be managed realistically.

A professional translation agency should not accept any delivery date without assessing volume, complexity, languages, revision, desktop publishing, availability of resources, time-zone differences and final verification.

In some cases, a deadline that is too short forces the work to be divided among several translators or production to be reorganised.

The project manager must control that the project progresses according to the agreed schedule without compromising the level of revision planned.

Document management and traceability

ISO 17100 stresses the importance of recording project information.

The agency has to retain data relating to the client, languages, files, instructions, quotations, deadlines, team composition, changes, comments, deliveries, incidents and invoicing.

This makes it possible to maintain traceability and reconstruct the project history if a question arises later.

It also helps to manage recurring projects and maintain consistency in future assignments.

Management of technical resources

The project manager has to check that the project has the appropriate technical resources.

These may include translation memories, glossaries, terminology databases, CAT tools, review platforms, desktop publishing software, quality assurance systems, CMS exports and localisation tools.

Translation technologies help maintain consistency and efficiency, but they require technical coordination and control.

Multilingual project management

Coordination becomes more complex when several languages are involved.

A multilingual project may require different translators and revisers, consistency control across markets, cultural adaptation, shared terminology control, synchronised deliveries, local validations and integration of different formats.

In international projects, the project manager acts as the central coordination point.

What happens at the end of the project

Management does not end when the translation is delivered.

ISO 17100 also covers final verification, handling of feedback, possible corrections, closing administration, secure archiving and data protection.

If the client detects a problem or requests reasonable changes, the project manager must coordinate the relevant revision and update.

Post-production forms part of the complete process.

Project management and urgent translations

In an urgent translation, project management is even more important.

When deadlines are short, the risk of inconsistencies, omissions, formatting errors, outdated versions, lack of revision and terminology problems increases.

The project manager’s role is to reorganise resources without losing control of the process.

LinguaVox and translation project management

LinguaVox coordinates multilingual translation projects through specialist project managers who supervise linguistic resources, terminology, technical tools, deadlines and deliveries.

Project management is especially relevant in technical, medical, pharmaceutical, legal, corporate and web documentation.

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Frequently asked questions about project management and ISO 17100

What does a translation project manager do?

The project manager coordinates the project, assigns translators and revisers, controls deadlines, manages instructions, supervises technical resources and verifies that the service meets the agreed specifications.

Does project management affect translation quality?

Yes. Many errors are caused by organisational problems, missing instructions, poor coordination or lack of control, not only by linguistic mistakes.

What does ISO 17100 control in project management?

The standard covers coordination, traceability, resource assignment, communication, revision, document control, incident handling and final verification.

Is project management important in small translations?

Yes, even if the level of complexity is lower. Even a short project needs clear instructions, correct assignment and appropriate revision.

What happens if the client changes the source document during the project?

The change must be recorded and communicated to the parties involved. If it affects volume, deadline or scope, the project manager must reorganise the project and update the agreed conditions.

Does project management include translation tools?

Yes. It can include translation memories, glossaries, CAT platforms, quality assurance systems and document management or localisation tools.