Debug my job #1 — Amélie, Product writer and Localization specialist
The purpose of this series of interviews is to present unusual job roles at Welcome to the Jungle (WTTJ). Our first installment features Amélie Bresson, a Product writer and Localization specialist who joined the Design team in August 2022.
Hi, Amélie! Can you tell us what you studied before coming to WTTJ and about your previous experience?
Sure! I studied English and film-making at the same time because originally I wanted to be a screenwriter. During my studies a teacher told me I was meant to be a translator, so I went and did a Master’s degree in Technical translation!
During my second year, I interned as a technical translator at Sage in the Product team for the X3 accounting software, and I stayed there for 10 years [which included two years of freelancing]. I was doing French and English translations both ways for the software user interfaces and the online help center.
What does your position at WTTJ involve?
My current position actually covers two roles — Product writer and Localization specialist.
The Product writer part is also called UX writing in other companies. It consists in reviewing both English and French software interfaces, what we call microcopy, so any text within an application or software, like buttons, error messages, dropdowns, anything written on your screen… My goal is to make the product easy to use and consistent. I also write hint texts or helpers so people have help on screen as they navigate.
The second part of my job is to ensure the localization process runs as efficiently as possible, so basically the translation process for all the languages that we support within the Tech and Product teams. It means finding the best tools, translation agencies, and workflows to deliver high-quality translations on time.
Who are the people you interact with most within the company?
Basically anyone in squads — designers, product managers, and developers. I am also in contact with other teams such as Brand, Marketing, or Customer care to align on terminology, tone and voice, or advise on translation processes when needed.
What does a typical day look like for you?
My morning routine includes coffee, emails, Slack, and prioritizing the requests I receive from all the squads. I currently use a Jira dashboard to track my progress and assess which requests need to come first based on the roadmap or the urgency of the request.
Then I open Figma and start diving into the mockup of the feature. Sometimes, product managers also set up quick meetings with me to give me more explanation. And I start drafting ideas. Usually I just open a notepad and start writing or try it out in Figma in a draft. When I’m done, I put my suggestion on Figma for designers and on the Jira ticket to make sure developers have the right wording from the start. Usually the product manager and designer let me know whether it’s OK or not and we iterate a bit so that user experience, technical, and language standards are met.
When do you intervene in the development workflow?
I like to be part of the workflow right from the discovery stage, because it gives me a lot of time to understand the feature — who it’s for, what we do with it. And as soon as mockups have been delivered I can start working with designers to try things out. For instance, if I want to name a button “Let’s go”, I have to know the space I have on screen to see if it is too long. So it’s very important for me to have the actual design so I can make the best decision. But sometimes it’s not possible.
Why should a company hire a UX writer? What are the benefits?
The position of UX writer has existed in France for 10 years tops I think, but all tech companies should have one! Usually when they don’t, someone will be working on copy anyways, but you really ought to have a specialist. You need someone who is involved early on in the development process to avoid issues related to language down the road, someone who knows linguistics and UX and has a global view of your products overall. The role of a UX writer is transverse, so it’s a great opportunity to actually ensure overall consistency.
What do you like most about your job?
I used to translate 300 words an hour. After a while I realized I was losing sense of why I was doing this. As a technical translator, I felt like I was at the very end of the development chain and my input was always coming in too late. So it’s easy to lose purpose.
Becoming a product writer has put meaning back into everything I’ve studied and learned so far. Even when there’s pressure to deliver quickly, you’re not working on 300 words an hour but maybe 3! I have the luxury of thinking it through, doing research, and asking questions to make sure I’ve come up with the best possible solution. It’s really about quality and user experience. It feels like you’re making a difference!
I am also very happy to be working at a startup. This is something really new for me. It felt like diving into the unknown at first because I came from a 40 years-old and 12,000-person company with quite heavy processes. But I’ve actually reconnected with the flexible and autonomous way of working that I was looking for, and passionate colleagues!
What are the most important skills to have as a product writer?
Apart from English and writing, I would say that the most important one is knowing how to collaborate. You cannot do this job alone. You have to rely on what the product managers, designers, and experts know, and be able to collaborate with them in a respectful way to understand what they do. Then you have to take all that knowledge and turn it into something that users will understand in a very short sentence!
What pitfalls do you need to avoid?
It’s all about finding the right rhythm and balance. You need to take the right amount of time to write your texts. But it can quickly turn into a never-ending story because there’s always room for improvement — you could iterate for a thousand years if you wanted to. Sometimes I dream about it at night, and [when I wake up] I’m like, “That’s the word I was looking for!” But then you also need to think about whether that change is really worth it, because changes will create some workload and disruption.
What has been your biggest challenge so far at WTTJ?
Without a doubt reviewing all the copy that was created before I was actually hired. “Should I do it all at once? Should I do it progressively? Should I only do some parts?”
Knowing which parts to prioritize over others is also not always simple. For instance, one thing that makes me cringe on a website is when upper cases and lower cases are mixed. That’s the type of thing a language geek like me would prioritize, but it might be seen as a very minor issue by others. Still, I’m pretty sure that users will quickly feel uneasy using a website because of this type of thing, even if they don’t actually spot what’s wrong.
Another challenge is the frequent confusion between a copywriter and a UX writer, but that is a very different job! Copywriters manage marketing copy, focusing on making people want to subscribe or buy services. I focus on making sure that they use our solutions with ease and confidence.
Is there anything you wish you had known when you started?
When I started at WTTJ, I spent 3 or 4 months just trying to figure out how I should work and I think I spent too much time drafting processes. “I should work before the designer, no, after the designer…” I’m actually still doing it a year later, because you can’t really figure it out beforehands, you need to get your hands dirty first.
What are your strong convictions about UX writing?
You have to always put yourself in the position of somebody who doesn’t know anything about anything. Of course, UX writers are knowledgeable people, but cultivating reasonable doubt is probably the best way to make sure you always have perspective. Stay curious and open, and absorb all the information that people give you. Always doubt, not yourself, but the words, the information… Keep doubting and admit that you will never stop learning. If you feel like you have nothing to learn, you’re probably not doing your job right.
Any advice for someone who wants to become a UX writer?
Don’t be afraid to apply for this position if you feel you have the skills and motivation! You probably don’t have a degree in UX writing, but there is no proper degree in UX writing in France yet, as far as I know.
Any resources you recommend for training?
You can follow the UX Writers FR groups on LinkedIn or Meetup. They do webinars, meetups, training… Some of them are giving lectures at universities. And I am pretty sure there are resources online to train yourselves too. There are a lot of books you can read as well. I know translators, technical writers, designers, and even people from the legal field, who’ve all successfully made the switch to UX writing.
Any book suggestions?
There is one called UX Writing by a Frenchwoman called Gladys Diandoki, who I’ve actually met. She is a freelance Content designer and Conversation designer. She’s really next level and inspiring if you want to start somewhere.
Who is your biggest inspiration?
I use Shopify a lot for inspiration. They have a fantastic style guide. Once you see that, you’ll never try to create your own style guide again. It’s just the best style guide I have ever seen. They have really set the trend for many UX writers out there.
What was your latest hack?
I finally figured out how to translate Figma mockups back and forth, which is a pain point many UX writers working with multiple languages face. All it took was this simple CopyDoc plugin (paired up with a translation tool).
What’s next at WTTJ for you?
I’ve been working on inclusivity as far as content goes. It’s a big topic in French — in English as well, but the grammar makes it a bit easier. Inclusivity is about gender but not just that. It’s also about the words that we use that discriminate against people, making them feel like they are different — anything that makes people feel bad about themselves or not “normal” will definitely lessen the user experience. I’m hopeful that more and more people are now inclined to make progress on this topic.
Interview by Anne-Laure Civeyrac, Tech editor @ WTTJ
Illustration by WTTJ
