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Key Responsibilities and Required Skills for Translation Technician

💰 $55,000 - $85,000

LocalizationTechnologyTranslationEngineeringProject Management

🎯 Role Definition

As a Translation Technician, you are the technical backbone of our global content strategy. You will be responsible for the setup, maintenance, and optimization of our entire localization technology ecosystem. This includes managing our Translation Management System (TMS), engineering complex file formats for translation, and troubleshooting technical issues that arise during the localization lifecycle. You will work closely with project managers, linguists, and developers to ensure our tools and processes are robust, scalable, and capable of delivering high-quality localized content to a global audience. This role is perfect for a tech-savvy problem-solver who is passionate about the intersection of language and technology.

📈 Career Progression

Typical Career Path

Entry Point From:

  • Localization Coordinator or Specialist
  • Technical Support Specialist with a passion for languages
  • Junior Translator or Linguist with strong technical skills

Advancement To:

  • Senior Localization Engineer or Technologist
  • Localization Program Manager
  • Localization Solutions Architect

Lateral Moves:

  • Localization Project Manager
  • Quality Assurance Manager (Localization)

Core Responsibilities

Primary Functions

  • Administer, configure, and maintain our core Translation Management System (TMS) and associated Computer-Assisted Translation (CAT) tools like Trados Studio, Phrase (Memsource), or MemoQ.
  • Perform complex file engineering and pre-processing tasks to prepare diverse content formats (e.g., XML, JSON, HTML, YAML, InDesign, software UI strings) for localization.
  • Troubleshoot and resolve technical issues related to file parsing, content extraction, and integration between content management systems (CMS) and the TMS.
  • Develop and maintain parsers and file filters for proprietary or complex file types to ensure maximum leverage from translation memories.
  • Manage, maintain, and optimize translation memories (TMs) and term bases (TBs), performing regular clean-up, alignment, and consolidation to ensure linguistic consistency and quality.
  • Provide Tier 2/3 technical support to project managers, translators, and internal stakeholders on all localization platform and tool-related issues.
  • Automate repetitive localization tasks using scripting languages (e.g., Python, PowerShell) and regular expressions to improve workflow efficiency and reduce manual effort.
  • Onboard and train new users, including linguists and project managers, on our localization platforms and best practices.
  • Collaborate with the development team to manage and troubleshoot API connections between the TMS and other business-critical systems (e.g., Git, AEM, Figma).
  • Execute post-processing and file reconstruction tasks, ensuring that translated files are delivered in their correct original format and pass all technical quality checks.
  • Create and manage localization project kits, ensuring all necessary assets (files, TMs, TBs, style guides) are correctly packaged for linguistic teams.
  • Evaluate and test new localization technologies, tools, and plugins to drive continuous improvement and innovation within the department.
  • Document all technical workflows, tool configurations, and troubleshooting guides to build a comprehensive knowledge base for the localization team.
  • Monitor system performance and data integrity within the TMS, proactively identifying potential issues before they impact production.
  • Assist in the implementation and configuration of Machine Translation (MT) engines and workflows, including training and quality evaluation.
  • Analyze and report on key performance indicators (KPIs) related to localization technology, such as TM leverage, tool uptime, and issue resolution time.

Secondary Functions

  • Support ad-hoc data requests and perform exploratory data analysis on localization quality and efficiency metrics.
  • Contribute to the organization's long-term localization data strategy and technology roadmap.
  • Collaborate with global business units and content creators to translate their data and content needs into technical engineering requirements.
  • Participate actively in sprint planning, daily stand-ups, and other agile ceremonies within the localization engineering team.
  • Generate and prepare analytics reports for cross-functional stakeholders to provide insights into localization ROI and process effectiveness.
  • Assist in vendor-side technical assessments and onboarding, ensuring external partners can integrate smoothly with our technology stack.

Required Skills & Competencies

Hard Skills (Technical)

  • TMS/CAT Tool Proficiency: Expert-level knowledge of at least one major TMS/CAT tool platform (e.g., Phrase, Trados Enterprise/Studio, XTM Cloud, Smartling, MemoQ).
  • File Engineering: Deep understanding of various file formats such as XML, XLIFF, JSON, HTML/CSS, properties, and resource files.
  • Scripting & Automation: Proficiency with scripting languages like Python or JavaScript for automating localization tasks.
  • Regular Expressions (Regex): Advanced ability to write complex regular expressions for text parsing, searching, and file filtering.
  • API Integration: Familiarity with REST APIs for connecting the TMS with other platforms like Git, CMS, or marketing automation tools.
  • Version Control Systems: Experience with Git and understanding of workflows for continuous localization.
  • Web Technologies: Solid understanding of web fundamentals (HTML, CSS, JavaScript) to troubleshoot issues in web content localization.
  • Database Management: Basic knowledge of SQL for querying localization data and managing term bases or TMs.

Soft Skills

  • Analytical Problem-Solving: Exceptional ability to diagnose, troubleshoot, and resolve complex technical issues under pressure.
  • Attention to Detail: Meticulous and precise in handling file preparation, tool configuration, and quality checks.
  • Cross-Functional Communication: Ability to clearly explain complex technical concepts to non-technical stakeholders like project managers and marketers.
  • Adaptability: Thrives in a fast-paced, dynamic environment with evolving technologies and priorities.
  • Process-Oriented Thinking: A strong desire to build, document, and improve scalable workflows.

Education & Experience

Educational Background

Minimum Education:

  • Bachelor's degree or equivalent professional experience in a relevant technical or linguistic field.

Preferred Education:

  • Bachelor’s or Master’s degree in Localization, Computational Linguistics, Translation & Technology, or Computer Science.

Relevant Fields of Study:

  • Computer Science
  • Linguistics / Computational Linguistics
  • Translation Studies
  • Information Technology

Experience Requirements

Typical Experience Range: 2-5 years of hands-on experience in a technical localization role.

Preferred:

  • Proven experience working as a Localization Engineer, Technology Specialist, or a similar role within a Language Service Provider (LSP) or a client-side corporate localization team.
  • A portfolio or documented examples of automation scripts or process improvements implemented in a previous role.
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