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If you are interested in becoming a vendor manager for a language service provider (LSP), you must possess a wide array of communication and problem-solving skills. As the liaison between an LSP agency and its freelance translators, a vendor manager communicates between the two, handling the outsourced linguistic work of the agency.

For graduates of MCLS programs at 5XÉçÇø like our online M.A. in Translation, becoming a vendor manager is an exciting and gratifying career path. Communicating, organizing and teaching are all areas one may be passionate about in this career.

If you’re interested in learning more about what a localization vendor manager position would look like at a language service provider agency, we are here to give you a glimpse as to what your future could look like and what skills you must have.

What Are the Responsibilities of a Language Vendor Manager?

With the education you have obtained in this field, you have probably been told that this position requires the ability to multitask and hold a variety of responsibilities. This is true because the position handles communication between both outside and inside components of the agency.

The reason for this is because much of the vendor manager’s work involves , negotiating prices and rates with them, and making sure they fulfill their obligations. They may also assist new freelance translators through onboarding, as well as performing quality and risk analyses.

The emphasis on being able to communicate is essential in a language vendor management role because as the liaison you are also responsible for making the freelancers or providers feel connected and engaged with the company.

Vendor managers are typically employed by a company to manage specific vendor activities between the in-house team (inside) and the providers (outside), who are typically the freelancers or subcontractors. They work with both new and existing vendors to maintain those relationships and must be able to communicate clearly to do so.

Additional responsibilities of language vendor management may include:

• Finding freelancers
• Negotiating contracts
• Onboarding
• Analyzing and communicating
• Regularly testing quality of translations
• Performing supplier care

What Does an LSP Provide?

As a language service provider, the company’s responsibilities are to provide language translation and interpretation services, localization, as well as other additional language services. The purpose of providing localization is to promote the services of the company as if they were created for a specific market, no matter what language, culture or location.

Vendor management in localization is the outsourcing, testing, utilizing, helping and solving issues of the providers that a company interacts with. Working for a language service provider as a vendor manager essentially means that they help the company deal with any issues they have internally.

Multitasking as a Vendor Manager in Localization

Because vendor managers have the responsibility of searching for freelance candidates, they heavily rely on online resources to find qualified people. Most LSP agencies promote positions through their own websites so that people apply within, but for some, this is not the case. Agencies may post open positions on other websites and reach more applications through there, such as or (specific to the translation community).

If you are reaching out to a freelance applicant, something you may want to do is to highlight some of their previous language vendor management experience or something specific about them. Starting an online interaction off with something personal that makes them feel more valued may help them feel more comfortable throughout the conversation.

Both options have their perks, but it is helpful to know what to look for when searching for qualified applicants with truthful experience.

Some questions you may want to consider when making decisions between freelancer providers may include:

• What is the freelancer’s area(s) of expertise?
• What level of experience has the freelancer attained?
• What language(s) does the freelance translator know?
• What price/rate does the freelancer charge for their services?
• What is the freelancer’s level of capacity and how much time can they commit to you?

The Importance of Communication and Other Skills

It’s also important to know that as a vendor manager, you may be required to test the freelance applicants in their translation skills. This is difficult because they aren’t working directly with you and performing a job online could lead to misleading results.

This is another reason communication is important – you don’t want to hire someone you’ve never met who isn’t qualified for the job. A localization vendor manager should set clear expectations of the position for any qualifying candidates by explaining the testing process upfront.

Language vendor managers should maintain close relationships with the freelance providers over time. As an aspect of relationship management that vendor managers should possess, it’s important to keep those informed by communicating well.

This could include sending them surveys about their experience working with the agency, presentations of recent projects the agency was involved with, or even newsletters to give a better understanding of the LSP.

Contact Us to Learn More About Language Vendor Management

If you’re considering language vendor management, our M.A. in Translation is perfect for you. A career in this field is both multifaceted and fulfilling, and we can help you succeed in your role.

Contact our department today to learn more.