Company and location
The Big Word, Leeds

Industry sector
Language services

Background
Degree in Physics.
Holiday job in France to improve his French language skills.
Studied in Paris for a Masters degree in maths and computing, including placement with French IT company.
Worked for three years in Paris.

What do you do?
I work for a company that offers language services to clients throughout the world. Translating more than 114 languages, the company handles a new piece of business every 8.5 minutes during a normal working day! My job is to ensure the integrity of the company’s computer system and associated software. I also work closely with designers and translators to implement database services for our clients.

Describe some typical projects you’ve worked on
We host a website for a major motor manufacturer. They wanted their offices around the world to be able to send us text for translation and to view their company information. I was involved in writing the programs to enable that, and also helped to create the databases that store all the company information. Another client – a large finance company – asked us to design and manage a system to cope with daily translations of text for their website. They send English text to us electronically, and we translate it into French and German. We return it to them within two hours – ready to post up each morning. We designed a system that automatically receives the text, sends it to the relevant translator, flags it up when completed and returns it to the client.

How do languages help in your job?
We have to make sure that the information on the websites is relevant in a foreign language – we call this localization. I receive the text from the translators and work with a designer how it will fit in with graphic layout and so on. Because I speak French I can quickly see if the layout is going to work. I also speak to clients in France in French; their technical people aren’t always fluent in English. Also, I’m familiar with the French technical vocabulary – which makes it easier for them.

You worked in France?
Yes, for three years. It really put me in touch with French culture – how French people live and spend their time and what’s important to them. It was a fantastic learning experience. At the same time I enhanced my professional skills and experience – solving technical problems in computer aided design systems.

What skills do you need?
Accuracy and attention to detail.
The ability to plan ahead.
Ability to communicate at different levels
Good problem-solving skills.

Any tips?
If you really want to hone your language skills you need to spend time in the country of your choice. It can be tough at first – but it’s amazing how quickly you improve. It’s also a great chance to see how other people live.

Source: Paul Kingston Associates / Connexions