When systems break down, businesses often scramble to find a “tech wizard” to fix them. But more often than not, the real issue isn’t technical, it’s communication. Your people and your processes don’t speak the same language, and the person you need isn’t another platform expert. You need someone who can understand people and systems in equal measure. A translator. Someone who can connect real-world needs with real-time solutions.

This kind of role has become one of the most valuable and overlooked gaps in modern project teams. Here’s why.

Translators Unlock Clarity Between People and Platforms

A common breakdown in any system is misalignment between how the system works and how people actually need it to work. A tech specialist might get the automation right but if no one uses it properly, it fails anyway.

A translator’s job is to understand your team’s pain points, interpret the needs clearly, and work with technical experts to create solutions that actually work in practice, not just in theory.

Ask yourself:

• Are we designing this around how our team really works?
  
• Have we asked users what they need before building the solution?
  
• Do our systems support real-world workflows, or just tick boxes?

Translators Reduce Rework and Wasted Time

When there’s no one bridging strategy and execution, projects often go back and forth between teams each time costing more money, more time, and more frustration.

A translator acts as the filter and funnel, making sure the brief is clear, the scope is correct, and that everyone knows what success looks like before you spend weeks building something no one uses.

Ask yourself:

• Who’s responsible for interpreting business needs into technical action?
• Have we ever delivered a system or tool that didn’t stick? Why?
• How much time do we lose clarifying requirements after we start?
  

Translators Improve Adoption and Engagement

The best system in the world is useless if your team won’t use it. Adoption doesn’t happen by accident, it’s the result of understanding how people engage with technology and tailoring your approach accordingly.

Translators are skilled at bringing people on the journey. They speak in plain English, not system jargon. They involve users early, simplify complexity, and create buy-in along the way.

Ask yourself:

• Do we include end-users in system design or only at rollout?
• Are we asking people to adapt to systems, or adapting systems to people?
• What’s our plan for supporting adoption beyond training?

The next time you think you need a tech expert in your project team, pause. What you might really need is someone who can translate your goals into systems that work for everyone. Someone who understands people and processes, and speaks both languages fluently.

Because the best system is the one your team actually wants to use.

Want to build a team that gets systems right the first time?

Get your free Dream Team Map to discover the 12 essential roles every transformation team needs.