XTRF™: You spent a lot of time deciding on what management system to choose for your translation company. Why did you pick XTRF™ Professional?

W. Szelichowska: We looked at a number of systems claiming to "significantly facilitate the work of the translation company", including some eastern European programs for simple project registration. However, none of those solutions fully met our requirements.

Sometimes management systems presentations make a great first impression, but in practice they do not always turn out as helpful as they initially appear. However, the interactive XTRF™ Professional presentation immediately attracted our attention. The simple, user-friendly interface makes the work easy from the word go. Automated manager actions, such as choosing the providers according to particular criteria or using the pay rates available in providers' profiles, are simply invaluable.

XTRF™: You have been using XTRF™ Professional since autumn 2008. Has it improved the quality of your working practices?

W. Szelichowska: With the implementation of the system we decided to improve our transactional processes, which has had a very positive impact on internal operations. We started to save lots of time thanks to such features as the compatibility with the FTP server, automated document creation (including invoices, job protocols and purchase orders) and the Translator and Customer Zones which make cooperation much easier. The number of typical errors has also decreased significantly.

XTRF™: During a system implementation the provider's help is often necessary to make the process smooth and simple. Were you happy with the technical support you received from the XTRF™ team?

W. Szelichowska: Despite having no previous experience implementing any similar systems, we decided to carry out most of the implementation tasks ourselves. However, the support of the XTRF^TM Translation Management Systems team was very effective. In our company the whole implementation process was smooth and trouble-free. The technical support we received allowed us to sleep easy. We always obtained quick, professional answers to all questions.

 

XTRF™: How does the system facilitate work on large-scale projects, for example those with many language combinations or different sub-task deadlines?

W. Szelichowska: The system definitely makes the work on large-scale projects much easier. Project managers get full access to the projects and have control over deadlines. Even though we get multi-language projects relatively infrequently, we can see that the system has got great potential to efficiently support this type of project.

XTRF™: Can you describe the process of report preparation in Metaphor before and after the implementation of XTRF™ Professional?

W. Szelichowska: We used to create our reports in Microsoft Excel, which was a time-consuming activity. Now that we are using the report module, it enables us to quickly collate data regarding projects, providers, clients and language combinations etc. The data analysis enables us to determine our most profitable and valuable clients and providers. Additionally, our Company Director can now receive regular (e.g. monthly) performance reports.

XTRF™: How quickly did your team get used to working with XTRF™ Professional? Would you go back to working without this system? Why?

W. Szelichowska: It didn't take us long to get used to the system. It is very easy and intuitive; it almost makes you think in a certain way to make your work easier. I don't think anybody would find working with this system difficult. We could never go back to working without XTRF™ Professional as it would significantly decrease the efficiency of our company.

XTRF™: Would you recommend this system to other translation companies? Why?

W. Szelichowska: I believe so. XTRF™ Professional has been created specifically for translation companies looking to increase their efficiency. Companies deciding to implement this system need to be aware of the changes they will have to make in their businesses. However, the XTRF™ specialist team will make the whole process of adaptation nice and easy. The system has numerous features and solutions which guarantee stability of work, which is so important for the smooth operation of a translation company.

Metaphor Translation Company, from Kostanaj, Kazakhstan, was founded in 2005. From the start the company has specialised in the IT and telecoms sector and now boasts a successful track-record completing projects for large international clients. Over the years the company has gained significant experience and knowledge of IT technology and is nowadays capable of working on complex and demanding projects. Metaphor's goals include high quality, professionalism and striving for excellence - only with a full understanding of these concepts can we achieve our aims.

For more information about Metaphor Translation Company, visit: http://metafora.su/