ISSN: 1579-9794

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WALKER, CALLUM. TRANSLATION PROJECT MANAGEMENT.

OXFORD, ROUTLEDGE, 2023, 262 PP., ISBN 9780367677732

Part of the new Routledge series Introductions to Translation and

Interpreting, which aims to deliver textbooks for staple courses in translation

programmes and offer new perspectives, Callum Walker’s coursebook

provides an overview of all aspects of translation project management and is

peppered with insights into professional practice.

It is no secret that good project management is the key to success in

the language services industry, and professional skills are being taught in

more and more translation and interpreting courses. Many alumni of both

undergraduate and graduate translation degrees will start their careers as in-

house project managers, but translation-specific project management skills

are also essential for freelancers and in-house staff alike. As such, this book

should be added to the reading list of any university translation module with a

professional focus and is also valuable reference material for translation

project managers and freelance translators.

Until now, the recommended reading lists for university modules

covering aspects of translation project management have been somewhat

limited. This is because, despite the few existing volumes that cover the topic

to a greater or lesser degree (see, for instance, Angelone et al., 2020; Dunne

& Dunne, 2011; Matis, 2014; Mitchell-Schuitevoerder, 2020; Risku, 2016;

Russi & Schneider, 2011), the most relevant information appears in a range

of book chapters, articles and blogs. Students have therefore had to read

through a jumbled set of snapshots in order to identify the essential, core

elements of professional translation practices. It is the need for a more

coherent yet accessible overall picture that Callum Walker addresses with this

new book. Few are better positioned to write this timely publication: Walker

has real-life experience on which to base his arguments as a seasoned

freelance translator and academic.

The book is divided into two parts: the first on the translation project

lifecycle and the second on translation project constraints. The former focuses

on project workflows and the latter invites the reader to consider the key

challenges facing project managers in the language services industry and how

best to tackle them.

Part 1 (Chapters 2, 3 and 4) follows the chronological stages of pre-

production, production, and post-production of a typical translation project.

After an introductory chapter that situates the book within its academic and

professional context, Chapter 2 tackles the preparation of translation projects

prior to their handover to linguists, and covers preparing quotations, assessing

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project feasibility and analysing files. Walker also includes elements of risk

management in this chapter, which will help readers identify potential issues

before a project unfolds.

In Chapter 3, the author addresses the key stages in the preparation of

a different language version of a particular text, namely, the translation per se

and its subsequent revision, review and proofreading before its verification

and release. Particularly well considered in this chapter is the attention

awarded to the definitions of each of these stages and the real-life examples

from French and Russian source texts offered by the author (pp. 59-70). The

same source text sentence is used to illustrate the difference between revision

(bilingual cross-checking of source and target text) and review (monolingual

examination of the target language) (pp. 70 & 73). This is an important addition

since these are two terms that are often used interchangeably and with

different meanings within the industry. The discussion of pre-editing and (light

and full) post-editing (pp. 60-67) is also a welcome inclusion.

In Chapter 4, Walker covers the post-production stage of project

managing a translation job, namely: seeking feedback, preparing invoices,

managing files and agreeing on any lessons learned. The sections on

Administrative Documentation and Task Documentation (pp.99-104) give a

brief overview of how a project manager will wrap up a project, organising and

recording the files and resources used. Storing and maintaining translation

memories and term bases is important for any potential future projects with

the same client. Recording administrative documentation, on the other hand,

is important to comply with any financial regulations and ensures

“accountability and traceability” (p. 99) should an audit be required in the

future.

In Part 2 of the book (Chapters 5-10), the author offers a more

theoretical analysis of constraints and explains why they matter when

managing translation projects through some excellent discussion points.

Whilst the main framework referred to throughout this book is the international

standard for translation services ISO 17100:2015 (International Organization

for Standardization, 2015), here we are offered insights into two general

project management frameworks: the Project Management Body of

Knowledge (PMBOK) and Projects in Controlled Environments (PRINCE2).

The constraints explored in PRINCE2 provide the logical structure for part two

of the book, with one chapter dedicated to each: timescales, costs, scope,

quality, benefits, and risk. The PMBOK framework complements PRINCE2 in

that it describes how project management techniques tend to be implemented

in practice and provides insights into the different processes involved in

managing a project. This section includes the right doses of theory,

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professional standards and key frameworks, as well as elements from

business studies and economics.

Finally, in the ‘post-mortem’ offered in Chapter 11, Walker finishes the

book on a positive note with suggestions for future research that will no doubt

be explored in years to come.

Overall, this book is truly commendable in its structure, approach and

amplitude. However, there are some aspects that could be revisited in future

editions of the book.

The service provision component of the European Masters in

Translation framework (EMT Board, 2022), an essential ingredient for success

in translation project management, is an element worth exploring further. As

Walker notes, “liaising with both clients and vendors is one of the main roles

of a project manager before, during and after a project” (p. 241), and striking

good relationships with all parties can also be particularly challenging at times.

Of particular value is the section on client and vendor feedback and

satisfaction (pp. 83-90), but more emphasis could be placed on project

managers establishing strong relationships with vendors and clients from pre-

production. Since these relationships can be so pivotal in determining the

success of a project, this topic/theme/point warrants its own subsection in

Chapter 2, and real-life examples would prove useful.

Many readers will be freelance translators managing their own

translation projects or outsourcing work to others, so an overview of basic

accounting would constitute a welcome addition to Chapter 4 on Post-

production, perhaps alongside the content on invoicing (pp. 91-97).

Freelancers will need to manage their own accounts and prepare annual tax

returns, and project managers at smaller agencies will also be involved in

bookkeeping, so a more comprehensive explanation of taxes such as VAT

and the information required on international invoices would be helpful.

At the end of each chapter, the author offers suggestions for further

reading as well as a list of references. At the start of the book (p. XVIII), there

is information on the Routledge Translation Studies Portal, which contains

additional learning materials, including a glossary, case studies and the

bibliography. In addition to the materials that are available online, the print

version of this book would benefit from including the final bibliography and a

list of acronyms in hard copy.

To conclude, this introductory coursebook successfully covers the key

aspects of translation project management in a digestible manner. Walker’s

book is a must-read for practitioners keen to consolidate their professional

experiences and for instructors aiming to deliver structured training on this

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topic. This is a systematic, thorough, accessible and well-timed book that will

not disappoint readers.

REFERENCES

Angelone, E., Ehrensberger-Dow, M. & Massey, G. (Eds.). (2020). The

Bloomsbury Companion to Language Industry Studies. Bloomsbury

Academic.

Benmessaoud, S. (2008). A Step by Step Guide to Translation Project

Management. https://www.translationdirectory.com

British Standards Institution. (2017). Translation Services – Requirements for

Translation Services (ISO Standard No. 17100:2015).

https://knowledge.bsigroup.com/products/translation-services-

requirements-for-translation-services?version=standard

Dunne, K. & Dunne, E. (Eds). (2011). Translation and Localization Project

Management: The Art of the Possible. John Benjamins.

EMT Board. (2022). European Master’s in Translation - EMT Competence

Framework. European Commission.

https://commission.europa.eu/news/updated-version-emt-

competence-framework-now-available-2022-10-21_en

International Organization for Standardization. (2015). Translation Services –

Requirements for Translation Services (ISO Standard No.

17100:2015). https://www.iso.org/obp/ui/#iso:std:iso:17100

Matis, N. (2014). How to manage your translation projects.

https://www.translation-project-management.com/en

Mitchell-Schuitevoerder, R. (2020). A Project-Based Approach to Translation

Technology. Routledge. https://doi.org/10.4324/9780367138851

Plaza-Lara, C. (2022). Competences of Translation Project Managers from

the Academic Perspective: Analysis of EMT Programmes. The

Interpreter and Translator Trainer 16 (2), 203-223.

https://doi.org/10.1080/1750399X.2021.1987085

Rico Pérez, C. (2002). Translation and Project Management”. Translation

Journal 6(4). www.translationjournal.net/journal/22project.htm

Roberts, D. (2023, April 17). The Link between Academia and the Profession

of Translation and Interpreting with Sergey Tyulenev, Joseph Lambert,

and Callum Walker [Audio podcast episode]. In Meet the Translator.

https://www.dotrobertstranslation.com/meet-the-

translator/episode/7cadb0c3/the-link-between-academia-and-the-

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profession-of-translation-and-interpreting-with-sergey-tyulenev-

joseph-lambert-and-callum-walker

Risku, H. (2016). Translationsmanagement: Interkulturelle

Fachkommunikation im Informationszeitalter. Narr.

Russi, D. & Schneider, R. (2016). A guide to translation project management.

COMET Program.

[OLIVIA COCKBURN]