Mahmoud Baram
Orland Park,IL
Summary
Localization and Translation Executive with 20+ years of progressive experience in program management, language quality assurance/control (QA/QC), and linguistic analysis. Recognized Subject Matter Expert (SME) in designing, benchmarking, and implementing quality frameworks, performance metrics, and scalable localization workflows that drive operational excellence and elevate global content standards. Proven track record of leading complex, multi-language projects across diverse industries, ensuring cultural accuracy, brand consistency, and on-time delivery. Adept at aligning localization strategies with business objectives, optimizing team performance, and enhancing quality through data-driven decision-making and continuous improvement initiatives.
Overview
20
20
years of professional experience
1
1
Certification
Work History
Director of Translations
Acutrans
Chicago, IL
03.2020 - 02.2025
- Spearheaded the implementation of CAT tools and localization technologies, optimizing data flow from source content to final deliverables. Oversaw data analysis and metric tracking to support strategic decision-making and improve process visibility across projects.
- Led comprehensive project analysis and scoping, assessing source material to define technical and linguistic requirements. Identified potential challenges early in the evaluation phase, raised queries, and collaborated with stakeholders to resolve ambiguities. Delivered accurate and competitive project quotations aligned with client expectations and budget constraints.
- Directed cross-functional localization teams across multiple ongoing projects, ensuring alignment with client objectives and deadlines. Provided hands-on leadership in managing end-to-end localization workflows—including tool configuration, translation services, and technical production—while maintaining consistent oversight on project milestones, quality benchmarks, and client feedback.
- Championed quality control and consistency standards, conducting rigorous pre- and post-delivery QA reviews to verify accuracy, brand alignment, and linguistic quality. Ensured that all final outputs adhered to established publishing and production specifications.
- Defined and communicated core responsibilities, expectations, and best practices to internal translation teams and vendors. Fostered a culture of continuous improvement, regularly identifying opportunities to enhance productivity, efficiency, and client satisfaction within the translation department.
- Ensured timely and risk-averse project delivery by proactively managing timelines, resource allocation, and tool usage. Conducted comprehensive pre-delivery checks to guarantee compliance with technical and linguistic workflows.
- Demonstrated expertise in digital content workflows and their integration with translation processes, enabling faster turnarounds and seamless content lifecycle management. Designed and maintained robust content QA plans, tailored to the specific needs of high-stakes clients and multilingual content environments.
- Maintained an ongoing performance review system, leveraging KPI data, internal feedback, and post-mortem insights to identify areas for process refinement. Led continuous improvement initiatives across the localization ecosystem, enhancing service scalability, cost-effectiveness, and global quality alignment.
Associate
Booz-Allen & Hamilton
Riyadh, Saudi Arabia
09.2016 - 02.2020
- Developed and implemented a “Standardized Work” process for all translation projects. Analyzed, benchmarked, budgeted, and tested several processes. Purchased and installed CAT software and conducted training.
- Developed and created a relatively large Term-Base (TB) and Translation Memory (TM) consisted of over 200k segments. In hand, speed-up translation, mitigated errors, and reduced overall translation cost.
- Managed the localization process for content developed by the market and design team. Including technical manuals, articles, email templates, graphics, and website text.
- Vetted 3rd party companies, localization vendors, internal and external linguists, and internal and external QA/QC
- Managed large-scale and multiple projects concurrently including: scoping, prioritizing projects, building project plans, and identifying critical paths.
- Managed projects from beginning to end and interfaced directly with clients to thoroughly gather and understand the project and client requirements, project risks, and define/execute mitigation plans. Delivered real-time project progress to the client, managed any and all ad-hoc requests, tracked quality & technical issues, and escalated them accordingly.
- Defined and independently drove mechanisms to prioritize and improve localization across multiple products and languages simultaneously and collaborated with corporate and international internal partners to understand and address localization pain points.
- Developed project plans, established SLAs and workflows for internal teams and external vendors and managed time, budgets, resources, and quality control across multiple product development teams.
- Developed Translation Memories (TMs), TMXs, created and maintained glossaries (via term-extraction), developed plug-ins, and compiled a parallel corpus for our 3rd party Neural Machine Translation (NMT).
- Developed project plans, workflows, translation budgets, and managed resources. Assigned and monitored work and measured team progress. Conducted thorough quality control (QC) on all completed translations/projects. Ensured all team members followed work compliance & standards and implemented best practices. Ensured on-time delivery and all deliverables are in-line with Key Point Indicators (KPIs).
- Evaluated and managed 3rd party vendors, freelancers, and other business partners. Ensured all parties are within release quality criteria, budget, and deadline(s). In addition, identified areas for improvement and shared Lessons Learned (LL).
- Conducted After Action Reports (AAR) and LL with my team and other departments (as necessary). Discussed growth opportunities, provided ongoing feedback, conducted training, submitted recommendations to upper management. Maximized utilization of the team by preparing alternative work for periods without projects and/or billable work.
Translation/Localization Program Manager
Raytheon
Andover, MA
05.2005 - 09.2016
- Maintained and continuously enhanced linguistic assets, including Translation Memories (TMs) and Terminology Databases (TBs), ensuring alignment with evolving brand guidelines and regional language standards. Collaborated closely with vendors and MT specialists to refine Machine Translation (MT) models and established clear benchmarks to evaluate their success.
- Proactively resolved localization challenges by working with cross-functional teams—content creators, engineers, and QA managers—to address discrepancies in source files, terminology usage, language quality, and process flow. Ensured a seamless localization workflow and upheld consistent quality across all languages and regions.
- Managed localization performance metrics, including financial tracking, timeline adherence, and qualitative customer feedback. Partnered with business, product, and engineering leads to assess project complexity and recommend data-driven adjustments to scope, resources, and internationalization strategies.
- Leveraged user research and data analysis to ensure linguistically and culturally relevant content. Conducted usability studies and gathered user feedback to improve language quality and user experience across global markets.
- Designed and implemented a Weighted Decision Matrix (WDM) for optimized resource allocation based on linguistic specialization. The WDM became a standard operational tool, resulting in a 20% reduction in translation turnaround time and a 35% improvement in quality control outcomes.
- Actively identified potential project risks, evaluated client requirements, and proposed preventive solutions to eliminate issues before they impacted delivery or quality. Prioritized client satisfaction by aligning deliverables with expectations and offering consultative support throughout each project lifecycle.
- Partnered with in-country teams, including the KSA LPM and graphic design team, to develop integrated localization workflows that optimized cross-functional coordination, ensured delivery quality, and enhanced the overall client experience.
- Served as a Senior Enabled Linguist, delivering expert-level translations and transcriptions between English and Arabic, including high-stakes legal, military, and technical content. Conducted deep linguistic analysis, ensuring precision, tone, and intent were fully captured.
- Provided linguistic quality control (LQC) for sensitive and complex content, including high-level diplomatic correspondence. Ensured all translations reflected cultural, geopolitical, and regional nuances, and maintained fidelity to the source while meeting format and style requirements.
- Delivered consecutive interpretation in fast-paced environments, consistently meeting tight deadlines without compromising accuracy. Supported a variety of document types including military documentation, open-source intelligence, and technical manuals.
- Conducted training sessions to enhance team contextual awareness, guiding linguists on how to select appropriate tone, register, and style for specific clients. Reinforced the importance of context and nuance in producing high-quality, audience-tailored translations.
- Collaborated with subject matter experts (SMEs) to build domain knowledge and refine understanding of complex terminology and specialized content areas. Encouraged continuous learning and internal collaboration to elevate team capabilities.
Education
BBA - Business Administration And Management
AMU
Charles Town, WV09-2007
Skills
- CAT tools
- Localization technology
- Project analysis
- Quality control
- Content workflows
- Data analysis
Certification
- Six Sigma (Raytheon Co)
Timeline
Director of Translations
Acutrans
03.2020 - 02.2025
Associate
Booz-Allen & Hamilton
09.2016 - 02.2020
Translation/Localization Program Manager
Raytheon
05.2005 - 09.2016
BBA - Business Administration And Management
AMU
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