The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2023 - 18

FIGURE 1 Sample of the database we used to track projects.
included were the ones
we found helpful at that
moment, but you can use any
headings you find useful to
achieve your goals. The point
is to gather data that can
make your case.
Our database allowed us to
know how many translations
and interpretations we
were doing, track who was
working on what, what
our deadlines were and
how consistently we were
meeting them, and how
many of those jobs were rush
requests. Other databases
specific to our needs, such
as a database tracking
COVID-related requests and
budget-related information,
also helped us track various
aspects of our projects.
STRATEGY 2:
Implementing and
Enforcing Efficient
Processes and Systems
Whatever system you choose
to use, consistency is key.
Our systems and processes
became non-negotiable. For
translations, requests had
to be submitted through our
webpage. The document had
to be attached at the time of
the request and be in a format
we could edit. Every time
someone sent us a request
by email, we replied asking
them to submit the request
through our website so we
could process it. We let them
know we would start working
on their document as soon as
we received it so they would
be aware that the timely
completion of their project
was now in their hands.
When we were asked to
download a Google Doc,
we asked clients to do the
same when we returned
their documents. We
only translated live on
Google Docs during critical
incidents. Beyond that, it
wasn't an acceptable format
to submit a request.
Get the Entire Team Involved
and to Agree on Procedures:
One person alone can't make
this work. It's a team effort.
We used a shared inbox to
handle requests. Since all team
members had access to it,
we were kept up to date. For
business continuity purposes,
any team member could
respond to questions about
a project in someone else's
absence. Inevitably, there were
school district staff members
who preferred working
with a particular translator,
so they would email them
individually. We made an
agreement that every time
this happened the translator
would email the person
back from our shared inbox
18 The ATA Chronicle | March/April 2023
explaining that the shared
inbox was the best place to
receive an answer since it
was monitored by the whole
team. We did the same with
the business communication
platform. If anyone sent an
individual message about a
document, we would create
a shared inbox that included
that person and respond
there. Again, we would let
the person know that it was
better to send messages to the
shared inbox so that any team
member could respond.
Change What Doesn't Work:
There's no need to reinvent
the wheel, but if something
doesn't work, change
it. One of the processes
we constantly worked to
improve was handling
communications
for after-hours requests.
To protect work-life
balance, team members
were reluctant to have the
business communication
platform on their
personal phones, but we
needed a reliable way
for the Department of
Communications and
Community Engagement
to have a team member
readily available.
Our first solution was
to create a group text, but
we noticed that some team
members didn't receive
the messages on time, so
we tried using an instant
messaging app instead.
We created a group that
included each member of the
communications team, with
the clear understanding that
this was for emergencies
only. We also had an on-call
schedule. The person on call
would respond first, but if
we noticed that they were
unavailable, another team
member would cover for them.
We also noticed that school
district staff were sending us
emails after hours, including
on weekends or during
holidays, so we started
using an out-of-office reply
to let them know that our
office had the same schedule
as the rest of the school
district. Lastly, we worked on
changing our request form
after noticing that Zoom
links and other essential
information were not being
added to the interpreting
requests, so we worked with
our webmaster to make that
a required field.
It doesn't matter if
an issue seems small.
Addressing it and changing
it early prevents small issues
from becoming big ones. As
the saying goes, " An ounce
of prevention is worth a
pound of cure. "
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The ATA Chronicle - March/April 2023

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