Tomedes Blog

This is an all too familiar and dreadful experience for many professional language translation providers. It can be as bad as having no work at all for a long stretch of time. But if one doesn’t face this situation well then the repercussions can turn out to be worse than not having any work at all. Mismanagement of too many deadlines can result in botched up translations which would disappoint old clients and discourage new ones from working with you in future. So how do you handle an overload of translation jobs and come out with flying colors? The key is good management. Let’s elaborate on that –

Getting overloaded with work maybe a first sign that you have not managed your work-flow well. You might have taken/promised more work than you can deliver, or you might have just used up more time in one or more projects than you initially assumed it would take. Good management includes an ability to make accurate forecasts about time and other resources consumed. So first of all get a good idea about your strengths and weakness against the requirements of various projects. It would help you develop an effective translation management strategy.

Then there are situations where you just can’t help it as work lands on your lap which you just can’t refuse for some reasons. In such a situation you have to attack the workload in a well-planned and methodical manner. Some or all of the following tips might be helpful, depending upon your circumstances –

Make more time by cutting down unimportant tasks whether they are time-consuming or not. Even apparently small time-wasting activities can add up to a big whole. Furthermore, postpone tasks that can be done later, preferably after the tough stretch if work is over. Treat the stretch of multiple deadlines the way a reasonably good student would treat examinations. Get the drift? It would be a little stressful, but include periods when you can get adequate relaxation.

Other effective ideas would include stuff of common sense like –