This month we are catching up with Serena Calogero, a Project Manager at EHLION! Serena recounts her first few days in the company, her day-to-day life in the company, and more!
Thank you for catching up with us! How long have you been working at EHLION Language Consultancy?
I’m excited to spend a few minutes with our readers! I joined EHLION in January 2020 as a Project Manager
What were your first few days like in the company?
When I joined EHLION I immediately felt very welcomed, in a comfortable environment, and surrounded by a lovely team. This surely helped me to get on the right track with my new role and enhanced my motivation and curiosity.
How did you get into the language industry? What attracted you to it and how did your educational background prepare you for this career?
I fell in love with languages and translation at a very young age, when watching Olga Fernando, the most famous Italian Interpreter. I was – and I still am – amazed by her talent. When I first saw her on TV I immediately started studying more than one foreign language at the time, including English, French, German and Russian.
This incredible passion allowed me to overcome every academic obstacle and achieve my first degree in Interpreting and Communication at the International University of Languages and Media (IULM) in Milan with distinction.
After my undergraduate studies, I decided to move to London to pursue my passion by successfully obtaining a Master of Arts in Translation and Interpreting at the University of Westminster.
Throughout my studies, I have been committed to a daily exercise focused on translation, combined with the intense and professional practice of diverse interpreting techniques. Moreover, I developed my knowledge of English, Italian and French literature, culture, and history. This theoretical and methodological approach gave me the drive to set up my critical skills, as well as a strong linguistic competence to find solutions to problems of translation and interpreting.
After having worked as a freelancer for some years I felt the curiosity to broaden my knowledge about the art of translation and its multiple facets, taking the next step in the industry as a Project Manager.
Is there a project that you would consider as memorable?
I recently worked on a large translation project for one of our clients which included 26 languages and multiple services: Translation with Revision, Desktop Publishing, and final QA check.
Because of its volume and tight deadline, this project was quite intense and required great organization, time management, and negotiation skills to make sure the best resources were selected to meet the client’s expectations. Despite this, it will remain memorable because I learned a lot and the client was extremely happy with the result
What is the best part about working in this team?
I believe anyone would feel as comfortable as I do when working with the EHLION team!
It feels great to be part of an international team where every day I get the chance to share my professional life and ideas. Working with diverse people also brings creativity, innovation, and different points of view, which are also the core of our strong sense of belonging.
I find it a unique experience working with a team that is not only extremely committed to the company’s mission but also open and engaged in continuous improvement and development of new strategies and solutions.
I just love being part of the EHLION team as it gives me a feeling of motivation and reward!
What helps you to keep your role interesting and how do you stay up to date with current trends?
Since I joined EHLION I have learned that the best way to keep my role exciting is to be proactive and set goals both in the short and long term. This helps me to tackle my projects in the best possible way and to always keep myself busy. Whenever my schedule permits, for example, I engage myself with other tasks, such as resource qualification, follow-up with clients, and CAT Tool testing to always optimize my productivity.
As a Project Manager, moreover, I get the chance to juggle multiple projects with different specifications, including target audience, the field of expertise, deadline, and medium. Every project is different on its own and allows me to find solutions to new challenges that will be a lifesaver for more complex assignments.
To exceed my skills and always be up to date within the translation industry, I enjoy taking part in webinars and training on any aspects that translators and Project Manages can benefit from. These include management and soft skills, technical and organization skills, customer service, and the use of CAT Tools. The translation industry is constantly growing, and I find webinars among the best tools to succeed in it.
