We offer a single point of contact to our clients through our customer service team (http://www.uni-edit.net/usa/service) who are trained and knowledgeable about Uni-Edit services, academia, and publishing.
Yuki, Uni-Edit’s Customer Service Manager for Japan, is the first point of contact for Japanese-speaking clients. Speaking from his office in Japan, Yuki explains the process.
“Sometimes our clients are unsure which service would best help them to improve the English in their manuscript and that is where we can help. We assess the manuscripts and make recommendations in order to help clients make an informed decision.”
Once the client has decided on the service they would like, Yuki then sends the job order to Uni-Edit’s Project Manager, Daniel, who will create a detailed job specification based on the client’s ordered service. Daniel will then select the editing and translation team from a pool of over 100 editors and translators.
As Daniel explains:
“I pick editors from our pool of trained editors who have the academic and professional experience relevant to the subject matter of the manuscript. For example, an editor who is an expert in mystics in the medieval period would receive manuscripts relevant to this topic, while an editor who is an expert in aerospace engineering would receive manuscripts relevant to this subject area. We have a pool of experts from diverse fields which means we can find a specialist editor to meet all client needs.”
Once the team is selected, Daniel sends the job specification to each member of the team.
The job specifications are important to the editors and translators, as they detail all the information about the work to be performed, from the client’s editing expectations to the journal in which they seek to be published. This helps us to deliver services which meet client needs.
For Amos, a long-time freelance Chinese-English translator, the detailed job specifications are one of the things that make Uni-Edit stand out from the other companies with which he works. When he receives translation jobs from other companies it is not made clear exactly what needs to be translated.
“Uni-Edit job specifications are so detailed, that when I receive the assignment I know exactly what work I need to carry out. This means I can spend more time focusing on the translation quality. I can simply accept the job and begin working on it straight away as I know exactly what the client expects.”
The detailed job specifications are also the basis of team work among editors and translators. From the southern tip of Africa to the northern tip of Australia, we work together using email as our primary communication tool.
I have worked with Uni-Edit’s global team for more than seven years and I have never “met” a single colleague face-to-face. Yet, I feel I know many of the editors and translators very well as we work so closely together on jobs.