We handle a lot of great projects here at Creative. No two days are alike at our head office in London. There is a big element of unpredictability in the job of a project manager, but it is always very exciting to work with the best professionals in the industry and to contribute to many successful campaigns for international brands. If you’ve ever wondered what exactly we do, read on to find out what a typical “day in the life” looks like!

9 a.m.

As with most working people in London, the day starts with a commute. For me it’s a commute to Chiswick. I love London, despite its public transport delays and grey/rainy weather and once I arrive at Gunnersbury I enjoy the short walk on leafy Chiswick High Road until I get to the office. The day finally starts… but first, coffee. ☺️ The smell of caffeine galvanises me (lucky my boss is a bit of a coffee freak so we have a professional coffee machine and always the best beans from various independent local roasters). Umbrella folded and coffee in hand, I am finally ready to open my inbox – well, as ready as one can be! I was expecting a new request for a transcreation project, but instead I have two. Great! Time to reply to the clients and clarify any queries before getting in touch with linguists…

10 a.m.

One of our new interns starts today and she has just arrived at the office. As I introduce her to the team, I sort out where she will sit and show her around. I hope the sight of a busy office with so many people focused on different projects doesn’t scare her away! After sending our welcome email with links to all our training material, I go back to my new requests.

11 a.m.

One of my projects, which involves transcreation into ten languages, has already gone ahead and the files are being prepared to be sent out to a team of translators based in different countries around the world (of course, all in different time zones!). Will they all be able to take the job? I hope so, because the deadline is tight and the client is expecting the files in only three days… But I love challenges, so bring it on!

As I am trying to negotiate things and make everything fit the schedule, on the other side of the office two colleagues are leading a focus group on the phone with a client and several linguists. There seems to be an interesting discussion going on about the suitability of a brand name for the Spanish market, something to do with the word used having negative connotations in Spanish. Sounds fascinating, but I need to get back to my project and convince the Norwegian translator to take this job on!

1 p.m.

Finally all the translators are now working on my transcreation project and editors are lined up for the second stage… Time for a bite! It seems a few others are ready for a lunch break, so we head over to the cafeteria together. I am supposed to be on a diet, but that panini is calling me and I think it’s well deserved after the hard work launching that project this morning!

Believe it or not, our lunch breaks feature a lot of chatting and totally nerdy language jokes that probably only we find funny! Nevertheless, the new intern seems to like our quips (a good sign she gets them!) and we get ready for round two: the afternoon. ☺️

2 p.m.

As I return to my desk and check my inbox, I find a little surprise… It all seemed to be going smoothly, maybe too smoothly, but that’s over now: the source copy for my transcreation project has been changed and I now need to very quickly inform all the linguists to make sure they work on a new up-to-date file. And of course, at the same time the other request I received in the morning has also gone ahead and I am due to launch a new project before leaving the office today.

Meanwhile, one of my colleagues is back from an important meeting with a potential new client. I ask how it went and she says it was really successful. It seems we’re going to have many interesting new projects coming our way! ☺️

5:30 p.m.

It was a challenging day with a copy change in 10 languages, but with the help of one of my colleagues I managed to update the file for my first project and launch the second one, too. Here’s to good teamwork!

It’s true: our days can be hard work but we do have a lot of fun in the office. Every minute of each day revolves around providing an excellent service to our customers and ensuring the final translation products we deliver are always of the highest quality. Therefore, if you are in need of professional translation and transcreation services, give us a call on +44 (0)207 294 7710 or send us an email to info@creativetranslation.com and we will be happy to help!

Carla Rubino

Project Manager and Internship Coordinator