Straight from the Source – The Hardest Part of Our Jobs

For today’s Straight from the Source, we went around and asked our colleagues:

What is the hardest part of your job?

We hope you enjoy their answers! Also, feel free to share with everyone else the things that you struggle the most with from nine to five!

Steve, a new Business Unit Manager, says:

For me, fully understanding the localization industry is the hardest part. The technical part of this industry can be quite complex. The way I manage and overcome this is to ask questions. All the time.

I also think it is hard when you first begin a relationship with a client that already has a history with the company. There are expectations already in place, and because you want to only offer quality service, it is hard to understand how the client operates and any particularities in a short amount of time. But the same solution works here as well: don’t stop asking questions.

Jackson, an English-to-Chinese translator, says:

Well, everyday we have new tasks to do, but as a translator, the process is pretty much the same. The hardest part for me is when I have to handle marketing material. Some clients have very strict and specific requirements, which make it very important to pay attention to details. That, and always having to search for the most appropriate word to use during translations are the hardest parts.

The best way to handle these types of situations is to get support from team members.

Alex of Corporate Global Resources says:

The hardest thing about this job is managing all the emails! In this day and age, I’m sure a lot of people have this challenge. It’s hard to keep track of emails that have been individually sent to multiple coworkers. Also trying to ensure cooperation from the people we initiate or maintain correspondences with also gets tough sometimes. It takes a lot of time, but it’s completely necessary to stay on top of email.

The only way to overcome this is to stay determined and try to find different ways to be engaging without being bothersome.

Ellen, a PQA & ISO representative, says:

For me, the hardest part is becoming familiar with various sets of instructions and requirements from different clients in a short amount of time, especially with pilot projects. It is essential to first understand the project before checking each delivery over. I have to pay attention and remember very small details.

Taking notes and checking the account tips that each client provides is really helpful.

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