Meet our Staff (III). Cristina Romero, Project Manager at our Spanish branch

This interview is the third in our series of interviews with Jensen Localization staff members. Here you will get a closer look into our Project Manager Cristina Romero’s background and daily tasks at JL in the Spanish office.

What is your origin?

I was born in the Canaries, specifically in Gran Canaria island.

What did you study?

I studied Translation and Interpreting in the Canaries and then I did a Master on Translation for the Publishing World in Malaga.

Did you always want to become a PM or did it happen be coincidence?

I had always dreamt about being a vet. I even studied science at high school, but it turned out I was good at languages and my English teacher encouraged me to attend a test at the University of Translation when I was 18. I decided to give it a try and finally declined Veterinary to start my degree in Translation and Interpreting.

How long have you been working for Jensen Localization?

2 years

Did you start working for JL right after finishing school or did you gain experience from other jobs?

I first worked at a Translation/Interpreting company in Dublin for a year (as an interpreter and then as a PM), then moved back to Spain where I worked as a language coordinator/online teacher and finally I landed in Jensen.

What are the pros and cons about being a PM?

On one hand, being a PM is an exciting job, you never have time to stop, there is always something to do, it´s nice to speak English with clients and translators, there is always a new challenge when a new project comes in. On the other hand, it´s sometimes frustrating not to be able to satisfy all clients and even receive bad feedback on your job when you´ve done everything in your hand to make it work. Sometimes we find clients and translators who are difficult to deal with.

What tasks do you usually do?

Deal with clients, negotiate deadlines, deal with translator´s queries, prepare the files for translators, assist them when they need it, prepare the files back for the client, make sure the system is updated with projects information…

What do you do in your spare time? Any hobbies?

I go to the gym, attend dancing lessons, read. I love going to the cinema, to the beach, eat out with friends.

How many languages do you know?

Spanish (mother tongue), English, French and Italian.

What is the most important element to you when working with new clients?

When working with clients we have to be quick, effective and polite. We have to be proactive, offer our best solutions, negotiate and be diplomatic.

What advice would you give a new PM working in the same business as you?

I would recommend him/her to learn how to manage time effectively, and also to handle stress. I would recommend to deal with clients in a diplomatic way, never taking things personally. I would recommend his/her to do his/her best within the available time.

Being a PM how important is it to work in teams and communicate with other staff members?

It´s very important to work in teams, we have a lot to learn from the other PMs. Communication between PMs is basic to offer a good service to the client. We all need to be on the same page as we are working for common clients and with a common objective.

Do you communicate with the staff from the other JL department?

Yes, we talk almost daily.

Do you think machine translation will ever replace JL’s services?

I think machine translation will grow up, but it´s hard for me to believe it will replace our services as machines lack context, which is a basic for translation.

What types of projects do you prefer working with?

My ideal project would imply an interesting task within the marketing field with a good deadline, but as ideal projects don´t exist, I am just happy to work with any project allowing me to deliver quality in time.

Despite being the last one to join the PM team, Cristina’s experience has enabled her to get used to our procedures quickly. In our next interview we will talk with one of our in-house translators.