Ikko Funamizu

Experience

• 

  Vivre International Inc.

  Apr 1991 - Mar 1994

  Reservation Agent

  Handled reservation of overseas tour packages from travel agencies and individual customers.

• 

  JTB Europe Travel Center Ltd.

  Apr 1994 - May 1999

  Operation Coordinator

  Handled quotations and operations of ground arrangements (hotels, restaurants, cars, etc.) for tour packages and individual trips to Europe.

• 

  フリーランス

  Jun 1999 - Mar 2001

  Freelance Translator

  Worked as a translator and a reviewer for IT localization projects (from English to Japanese). Mainly worked onsite at localization vendors. Participated in various localization projects including those for database applications, security applications, system management applications, an office application suite, and ERP.

• 

  SDL

  Mar 2001 - Nov 2020

  Head of Japan Language Office, a production department handling into-Japanese translation. Managed the department which handled high volume and had 60 members at the peak. Responsible for overall language delivery of the department and accountable for its results.- Management of Departmental KPIs (utilization, productivity, cost, etc.)Monitored and analyzed the data, reported to the higher management, and drove actions for optimization.- Overall BudgetingPlanned departmental cost and headcount.- Execution of Global and Local InitiativesDrove initiatives for tool/process implementation, and operational improvement in the department.- Translation Project AssignmentAssigned projects to teams based on verticals, required skills, availability, etc.- Vendor ManagementPlanned selection and ramp-up of vendors with a vendor management team to address needs. Monitored usage and quality of vendors.- Quality ManagementManaged departmental quality evaluation activities to ensure translation quality.- Process ManagementCreated and maintained departmental processes. Ensured company-wide processes were adhered in the department.- Handling of Production IssuesInvolved in solving language quality and service delivery issues and coming up with root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions.- Cost Management, Estimation and AnalysisManaged external cost and monitored the overall cost status. Estimated production costs for potential projects. Performed cost analysis for low-margin accounts.- Hiring ActivitiesPlanned recruiting, performed screening and interview of candidates, and decided whether to hire and employment offers.- People ManagementSupported each direct report in solving challenges and growing through regular 1on1 meetings. Set objectives and performed performance review. Planned salary raise and promotion of all members in the department.- Contact Point for General Production Inquiries and Organizational Matters Show less Managed one of the teams in a translation department handling into-Japanese translation. Responsible for overall language delivery of the team with nearly 10 members who handled translation production for major accounts.- Management of Work and UtilizationMonitored work status of team members and assigned jobs to keep them utilized.- Project AssignmentAssigned projects to members based on skills, availability, etc. Adjust assignments to address changes in requirements and/or staff.- Execution of Local InitiativesDrove actions for process implementation and operational improvement in the team/department. In charge of ISO 9001 audit readiness, resulting in getting the certification.- Vendor ManagementPlanned selection and ramp-up of vendors to address needs with a vendor management team. Monitored usage and quality of vendors.- Quality ManagementPerformed internal quality evaluation of translation deliverables of the team to ensure quality.- Handling of Production IssuesInvolved in solving language quality and service delivery issues and coming up with root cause analysis and corrective/preventive actions.- Support for HiringProvided support for screening/interviewing candidates.- People ManagementHad regular meetings with each member to hear and discuss issues and concerns. Set objectives and performed performance review.- Training of New Starters- Role as Language Moderator for Client For an office suite localization project for one of the top software companies in the world, responsible for language management on behalf of the client. ・Created style guidelines based on a new tone of voice of the product ・Managed and approved terminology ・Collected feedback from the client's stakeholders, investigated issues and provided suggestions and solutions ・Consultation for Japanese matters ・Performed quality evaluation of work completed by the localization team and gave feedback- Role as Lead TranslatorActed as a lead translator for some projects. Show less Worked as a Japanese lead translator. Took charge of translation, review and other linguistic tasks while managing processes, schedules, and quality of translation.Took a role of a Japanese lead translator for an office suite localization project for one of the top software companies in the world, and contributed to the successful production and release of the Japanese versions. - Translation and Review for Localization Projects (English to Japanese)Translated various content including UI text, manuals, marketing materials, etc. Reviewed and edited text translated by other translators. Produced quality translation taking client needs, materials and target audience into account. Worked for large-to-small projects for various verticals, mainly IT.- Linguistic QA Testing of Localized VersionsPerformed linguistic QA testing of localized software programs, web content and documents for linguistic errors and display/formatting errors.- Communication and Coordination with Project Managers and ClientVerified and coordinated requirements, schedules, processes, and suitable approaches for projects with in-country or overseas internal project managers. Reported progress and raised questions. Reported issues, suggested and discussed solutions with them. Communicated directly with client contacts as necessary.- Management of Translation Process, Schedule and TeamPlanned and managed translation processes and schedules, and arranged resources. Led teams made up of multiple internal/external translators and reviewers, preparing and distributing files and instructions, giving support and feedback, handling issues, sharing information, etc.- Query ManagementManaged queries raised by translators and reviewers during translation production. Provided answers to them and asked internal stakeholders or clients for answers as necessary.- Creation and Maintenance of Terminology List, Style Guidelines, Reference Materials- Translation Memory Maintenance Show less

  • Language Office Director

    Apr 2016 - Nov 2020

  • Translation Line Manager

    Sept 2014 - Mar 2016

  • Associate Translation Line Manager

    Feb 2013 - Aug 2014

  • Senior Translator

    Apr 2002 - Jan 2013

  • Translator

    Mar 2001 - Mar 2002
• 

  RWS Group

  Nov 2020 - Nov 2021

  Language Office Director

  Continued to have the same roles and responsibilities following the acquisition of SDL by RWS.

• 

  TransPerfect

  Aug 2022 - now

  Language Lead/Language Quality Manager

  Language Quality Manager for Japanese for AWS account.