Checklist: 10 signs your translation agency needs a TBMS

Is your workflow slowing you down? Running a translation agency means managing thousands of pieces of project management, vendor coordination, invoicing, client updates, deadlines and that’s just on Monday.

If your team is spending more time managing tools than managing actual translations, it might be time to consider a Translation Business Management System (TBMS).

Here’s a checklist of the most common red flags that will help you know if it is time to go to the next level.

1. Spreadsheets are your enemy

Your business is spread across Excel files and Google Sheets. From project timelines to vendor rates and client preferences  nothing is in one place. You end up with confusion, duplicated work, and costly mistakes.

2. Assigning jobs takes longer than it should

Are you still matching linguists to projects manually? Whether it’s scrolling through vendor databases or searching through past emails, this slows everything down. A TBMS automates job assignments based on availability, language pair, and past performance, saving you hours back every week.

3. Invoicing is a daily nightmare

Manual invoicing means chasing down POs, checking email threads, and copy-pasting data into templates. It’s time consuming, error-prone, and unnecessary. With the right system, invoices are generated automatically based on completed work and even synced with your accounting software.

4. You depend on emails to manage your projects

If you’re managing deadlines, sending files, and tracking progress via email, you’re bound to fail. Important updates get lost. Clients get angry. Things get missed. A TBMS replaces email threads with structured workflows and built-in communication tools.

5. Performance tracking gets harder

Want to know which clients are more profitable? Or which vendors deliver the most consistent quality? Without centralized reporting, that's impossible. A TBMS offers you real-time insights into performance, so you can make smarter and informed business decisions.

6. Growth creates chaos

If your business is small, manual processes will work for a while. But as your client list grows, complications arise. If every new project feels like a new headache, that’s the sign that your business has outgrown its tools.

7. Vendors constantly ask for updates

When linguists constantly message you about deadlines, payment status, or project details, it means they’re operating without seeing the whole picture. A TBMS offers vendors a dedicated portal where they can view everything they need, without spamming your inbox.

8. You keep copy pasting through your tools

Switching between CAT tools, CRMs, email threads, spreadsheets, and file drives? That’s a recipe for disaster. A TBMS integrates with your existing stack and eliminates repetitive admin work.

9. Projects and Deadlines are Missed

When things get busy, it’s easy for a project to get delayed, misfiled, or forgotten. Without automated task tracking and status updates, your team risks missing projects and your reputation will lose credibility.

10. You’ve outgrown your starter tools

Trello boards, Slack messages, shared drives they worked when your agency was just getting started. But not anymore. You need something built for the complexity of multilingual project workflows. A TBMS is designed exactly for that.

How many of these boxes do you check?