Pros
The people are the best part, your coworkers become some of your best friends – I guess it's because we're all in this hell together. The clients are also some big names that look great on a resume. Because of a complete lack of title/job responsibility structure and favoritism, promotions and career switches in the agency come very easy. Think like receptionist to strategist, account manager to copywriter, or like junior positions to senior positions in less than two years. Just don't expect the pay increases.
Cons
Steve Stoute is your typical egomaniac, talks way too much and does very little walking. Like I can't think of a more useless person to lead this company- advancing your career and connections while letting your company hemorrhage is a bad thing man. Just because you were a big name in the rap industry doesn't translate (lol the irony of this company's name) into running a successful advertising agency. John Norman, the CCO, is single handedly responsible for destroying all creative that crosses his path. Everything made in the past year is found footage, cut up with VO. No one's heard of Translation's work for a reason, unless you remind them it all has a basketball player in - for no reason other than to fufill Stoute's connections to the NBA. Strategy is the only thing keeping this company above water, thanks to the 3 heads of strategy (thats two too many but it seems necessary at this point). Clients run the show here, the work suffers and account doesn't do their jobs. The creatives all work 80 hour weeks, burn outs happen monthly, and to see a creative whose been here longer than 2 years is a miracle in and of itself. The creative department has lost half their full staff in the past two years and barely any hires have been brought on thanks to Norman. Management has zero connection to the rest of the agency, give or take a few favorites, and it shows. The disconnect is so visible. Say what you want about the culture, the urban schtick isn't forwarding them or bringing in profits, its just pigeonholing them. It also creates a visible separation, promotes favoritism and high school clique-ishness. The process is non existent, and the biggest flaw to me personally. How can this place be around for more than 10 years and still run like its a start up in it's first year? Also Times Square will destroy your soul if Translation hasn't done it already.