Combining translation and transcreation with a project management role

Many freelancers know just how flexible project-based work can be and often when you start on one project, you see an opportunity to help out in other areas of the client project or even utilise an additional skillset. Being multilingual is often a huge benefit for any freelancer- and the client they work with but when you can amplify your skills as a project manager and fall into a long-term agreement with the same client, it’s a priceless service to offer.

Bringing his wealth of experience from working as a project manager full-time before going freelance, Rafael Pomadere quickly learned that the client he was working for needed a much more niche skillset- and one he could supply too. Having worked in the Client Services sector as a freelance Project Manager since 2017, there isn’t much Rafael doesn’t know about running a tight project.

From transcreation, translation and managing a wide range of projects, Rafael has been an active member on YunoJuno handling a variety of briefs over the years. Whilst translating content from his native French language into English, Rafael discovered a sub-skill called transcreation. Unlike translation which can be fluent speakers translating content into another language, transcreation projects need native speaking people to interpret the wording and translate it to suit the culture, audiences and nuances into the new language.

There are plenty of other freelance roles such as Copywriters that could easily suit a transcreation project but, in Rafael’s own words

Without a referral or known clients it's tough making a name for yourself as a freelancer in translation as there are many companies that will offer the same services for much cheaper.

Rafael’s own experience saw him start his freelance career as a project manager whilst studying for a Masters something he personally felt attributed to taking on transcreation roles

If you can, take the opportunity to learn transcreation on the job and bring additional skills such as a Masters degree or multiple languages.

With organisation and time-management being two key skills to project management, Rafael is quick to mention the pace of most projects he works on “all the projects I work on are usually intense and fast-paced” which can often become a challenge for newbie freelancers.

Consistency is key when it comes to starting new projects with all his clients, as Rafael shares

I’m usually booked on projects with clients I’m very familiar with, which makes client expectation easy to handle. It is, however, crucial to get a clear brief from the outset to avoid any surprises further down the line.

When asked about some of the best advice Rafael has received so far in his varied freelance career, he shared this invaluable insight

It might be tempting to take up all the jobs you come across but knowing your real value and being able to turn down the cheaper jobs takes confidence and experience over time. It's important to know your own value and bring extra qualifications to the role “a Masters degree means the clients are getting real value from you already.

Maintaining a work/life balance is really important to Rafael, so he considers this before accepting new projects instead of saying yes to everything. He also recognises that one of the main challenges for freelancers looking to branch into transcreation is clients not valuing the time

Clients recognising the real value in transcreation projects is a big challenge. Being confident to push back or give yourself realistic time frames comes with the territory.

If you're looking to work with an experienced transcreator and project manager, book Rafael here.