The Language Worker

This episode dives deep into Olga Beravaya's journey from St. Petersburg to driving cutting-edge research and enterprise impact in California and beyond. Whether you work in translation, language services, or artificial intelligence, this in-depth conversation covers practical career progression, the role of knowledge graphs and machine translation, and strategic advice for business leaders embracing AI in global content strategy. Discover the latest trends in the language technology industry and insights into localization, NLP, and AI translation in this exclusive interview with Olga a leading expert currently spearheading innovation at Smartling.

This episode of The Language Worker Podcast features translator Laura Jones, who specializes in French, Spanish, and Welsh to English, as well as English to Welsh translation. Laura shares her unique insights and experience working with clients in the beauty, travel, and lifestyle industries—exploring how translation and proofreading can enhance brand storytelling and resonate with target audiences across cultures. Listeners will discover how Laura crafts engaging and authentic content that reflects brand personalities, as well as practical advice for linguists entering the world of luxury, fashion, and lifestyle translation. The episode also highlights community-building among translators, the challenges of working in specialist industries, and the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the ITI Beauty, Fashion and Luxury Network.This episode offers valuable perspectives for translators, freelancers, and anyone interested in effective multilingual communication within the luxury, fashion, and lifestyle sectors.

This episode of The Language Worker features a conversation with Anja Jones. We discuss her background, her views on the language industry, and her new project, Human(e) Language.We talked about Anja's journey in the industry, starting with the launch of AJT in Cornwall in 2010 and building it into one of the UK's most respected language service providers.She shared how her start as a freelance translator shaped her vision for AJT. She wanted to create pathways for graduates and newcomers by offering them meaningful work and mentorship in an industry that can be difficult to break into.As the industry evolved, so did AJT. Anja discussed the impact of AI and large language models, emphasizing the ongoing need for human creativity and cultural sensitivity. She also emphasized the ethical dilemmas posed by AI, from copyright issues to the environmental footprint, and called for greater regulation and responsibility within the sector.Following the closure of AJT, Anja reflected on what truly matters in language services. This led to her latest venture, Human(e) Language. Although details are still emerging, Anja described Human(e) Language as a project grounded in her core belief that language work must be human-centered, ethical, and sustainable.Tune in to hear Anja’s insights on leadership, ethical entrepreneurship, and the future of the language industry. Her story is a powerful reminder that success is not just about growth, but also about making a meaningful, positive impact.

After other adventures in the area of Language Services, William Hartley created his company Certling.Certling is reshaping the way you access certified translations for your study, work, and immigration needs.Gone are the days of lengthy processes and high costs. With Certling, it's as simple as a few clicks to get your certified translation. The platform streamlines the entire experience, from instant quotes to rapid delivery. No more waiting weeks for essential documents.

According to Mathijs Sonnemans, his job is to make people happy by building awesome products: What’s the value of innovation if no one can access or truly benefit from it? After studying computer science and philosophy, and spending years developing software, I’ve learned that "coding" is the easy part. The real magic happens when you turn that code into a product that genuinely helps people, excites them, and is supported by a sustainable business. Language technology is where I’ve found my home. It’s a field that brings together the subtlety of human communication with the precision of tech—something that’s far from easy. I’ve become an expert in this space, and my mission is clear: to make language technology more powerful, intuitive, and accessible, so it can keep making a positive impact.

As a woman in the Language Business myself, I feel it’s very important to showcase the work other fellow women who have been forging the path for present and future generations of girls to understand how powerful they are.I thought it would great to have two women who have their own companies to share their experience and also the ins and outs of their specific fields – Life Sciences and Fashion/Beauty.Mafalda Cortes PereiraMafalda is the Managing Director at MULTIvertentes, a LocLunch Ambassador, and manager at Women in Localization (Portugal) Tiziana BottoneOwner of Translate With Style, dedicated to Language services for beauty and fashion brands with a creative touch, and manager at Women in Localization (Madrid).

Marina Gracen-Farrell is a Global Human Advocate, Reinvention & Age Diversity Champion, Training & Community BuilderWith a background in localization, international desktop publishing, and Higher Education course development, Marina has dedicated herself to building bridges between cultures, languages, and industries, always keeping the human element at the forefront. Today, as a Localization consultant and Reinvention mentor, her focus is on creating global solutions and the emotional intelligence that guides humanity.Milijana Trobradovic is a Recruiter, Career Mentor and HIPAA TrainerWith over two decades of experience in the language services industry, Milijana has worked as a freelance interpreter, recruiter, and is now the founder of Language Talent Pool. Her journey has been driven by a passion for connecting people and creating opportunities within the ever-evolving world of language services.

After talking meeting in person months ago and talking many times about recording a podcast episode, here’s the result of our fun, lighthearted conversation!Jan Hindrichs wears many hats in the language industry and has a strong social media presence.As the Founder and CEO of Beluga, Jan has spent over two decades helping fast-growing SaaS companies and global brands expand their reach across borders through expert localization strategies and language technology solutions. Beluga is more than just a localization provider and offers a boutique approach that ensures quality, speed, and adaptability.Jan is also the founder of LocLunch—a global community of localization professionals and enthusiasts. What began as a grassroots movement is now a vibrant, international network that fosters collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and friendships across the globe.

Lamiya Mukadam is the co-owner with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry with a focus on Content Management, Business Operations, Business Development, and Marketing Strategy.Vikram Manghnani is the co-founder, Creative Operations and Business Director at VMC. He the driving force behind VMC’s new vertical - Transcreation and Localization - with a focus on localizing global brand campaigns and communications in to regional Indian languages, without diluting its true essence as it travels across India. Vikram and Lamyia founded VMC in the year 2005 as Bombay’s only agency that did Copywriting. After proving itself as a successful module in the then conventional world of advertising, VMC grew up to be recognized as a dependable outsourced copy support and content partner to some of India’s top agencies and global brands. In the years to follow, VMC expanded its portfolio by introducing services such as Designing, Brand Consultancy, Digital Solutions, Photography and Events – cohesively strengthening its core service of Copywriting.

Women in Localization (W.L.) is the leading professional organization for women in the localization industry with thousands of members globally. Its mission is to foster a global community that inspires professional equality in the localization industry and supports women through all phases of their careers. Started in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2008, W.L. has expanded its membership to include women across the globe, encouraging members to meet in other local geographies.Many Chapter have been created recently and I decided to invite my fellow volunteers to talk about this adventure in Portuguese.Thank you Marta Boer, Helena Sanhudo and Dulce Vaz.

I love doing episodes with people getting started in the Translation domain.Their stories and examples can help many other people who are trying to enter the professional language world.This time, I invited 4 ladies who have been in the industry for less than 2 years:Irene Gonzalo NavarroEnglish - Catalan and Spanish translator, Sworn Translation EN-CA, and Marketing Translation. One of Irene's strongest areas is Outdoor sports.Julia FerchEnglish - German Translator, Creative Marketing, Web & App Localization, Subtitling & SEO Localization. Julia loves working with Vegan brands!Sofia MilanGerman - Italian Translator. Transcreation, Beauty & Cosmetics, Website, and IT. Sofia knows about beauty brands.Marta MonteiroEnglish - Portuguese Translator. Translation and Language Services student (MA). Marta finished her internship and is getting into the language work groove!

Agata SzubstarskaAgata is the Managing Director - Europe at Summa Linguae and we have recently met in person for the first time in the Women in Localization event in Lisbon.Getting to know Agata better has been an absolute pleasure and I really wanted to learn more about her background and role in her current company.Madhu SundaramurthyMadhu is the Global HR Director & MD - APAC and we are meeting for the first time in this episode. Agata talked highly about Madhu we will all understand why after listening to her talking about the language industry in the most passionate way! Summa Linguae TechnologiesSumma Linguae is a language and technology service provider headquartered in Poland with 7 offices located across North America, Europe, and Asia.  They specialize in technology-enabled localization, managed services, and data solutions.  With the intent on transforming the traditional approach to language, Summa Linguae is one of the industry's fastest-growing companies.Their promise is to help global, content-rich companies with every multilingual data challenge.    To learn more about Summa Linguae Technologies, our journey, and the solutions we offer, visit: https://summalinguae.com/. 

For his episode I invited 3 ladies who started their professional careers by diving deep into science fields. After years going from hospital to labs, they decided to fully dedicate themselves to Translation.Patrícia Paes de Sousa Patrícia holds a PhD in (Bio)Chemistry and specializes in technical and scientific materials from English into Portuguese, particularly in the fields of Chemistry and Life Sciences. projects include chemical information resources, general medical information, instructions for use, patents, scientific reports, and technical manuals.Sarah SilvaSarah works from German into English, and she helps clients with a first-class, specialist chemical translation and works primarily with companies in the chemical coatings, food manufacturing and analysis sectors.Ana NavarroAna translates from English and Swedish into Spanish and she’s a medical doctor with a background in digestive surgery. She is passionate about translating patient-oriented materials and translates your texts from the healthcare and pharmaceutical fields, including patient-aimed texts, educational content, or instructions for use, among others.

The ITI Beauty, Fashion and Luxury Network is a specialist group open to all translators and interpreters working in all language combinations in these fields. Language professionals who do not specialize in these areas but have a general interest and would like to learn more are also welcome. The aim is to build a friendly and supportive network where translators and interpreters specializing in beauty, fashion and luxury goods can share their knowledge and expertise, as well as relevant opportunities in these fields, through different online and in-person events.I had the pleasure of talking to 3 ITI members about their experience:Laura Jones:Laura works from French, Spanish and Welsh into English and English into Welsh. She helps clients in the beauty, travel and lifestyle industries with their English and Welsh translation and proofreading needs, providing content that is engaging and relevant to their target audience while effectively reflecting their brand’s personality. Francesca Gatenby:Francesca has 13 years of experience in the Translation, Transcreation and Localization sector (German & French into English). She also offers bilingual editing and monolingual proofreading services, plus cultural adaptation from American to British English. Natasha Forgione:Natasha works from Italian, Spanish and French into English and has a background in education, translation, spirituality and marketing.

With over 15 years of experience in localization, Eugenia Tarakanova has a proven track record of delivering high-quality translations for leading brands like Google, Dropbox, and the United Nations. Specializing in English-to-Russian and Russian-to-English translations, Eugenia can help you localize your website, marketing materials, UI strings, and business documents.Need a translator for a different language pair? Eugenia’s company, balticwords, has a trusted network of professional translators and can connect you with the right person for your project.

After Following Florencia Aguilar for a couple of year on LinkedIn, i thought it was finally time to invite as a guest.I saw that she was organizing a training for translators with a few friends and it seemed to be the perfect opportunity to get to know her/him better.This is the conversation I had with these two fascinating people, Florencia Aguilar and Sarah Reinmann Oliveira, about the work they do in Translation and how their work has an impact in society. They deeply believe in collaboration to find the most accurate and fair terminology and ways of expression to address situations that involve gender-related matters.I learned a lot from this episode and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did.Community is the key word!

In this episode I had a lively conversation with my long-time translation friend and fellow LocLunch Ambassador, Ira Susana and two of her main references in the industry in Indonesia.We talk about the translation business, agencies, projects, the languages of Indonesia and shared stories.Ira Susana has been working as a freelance translator for a long time. She has experience with a wide variety of texts and industries, but most of her work is in the areas of technology, IT, marketing, advertising, education, tourism, religion, taxes, and human resources.Harry Hermawan has been providing top-notch language services to clients around the globe for over 15 years. Specializing in Indonesian translation and localization, he has worked on many projects in various industries and sectors.Sugeng Hariyanto is a language lover who started translating professionally in 2000. He specializes in medical, automotive, legal, marketing and financial texts.

For this episode, I had Rachel Coleman as a guest.She is the co-founder and co-CEO of ALM Translations.I love the thrill of getting to know my guest during the taping of the episode, but I had no idea that things would turn out to be such a surprise.The first shocking moment was when I realized that we are both cat ladies. Rachel is even more of a cat mommy than I am - she has 7 (SEVEN) cats!Rachel went way back in time and told me about her very original upbringing and what inspired her to start her company with a friend in 2002.You must watch the episode to find out all about it!Thank you, Rachel. This is one of those conversations I will never forget.

Maria Pessoa is the Managing Director of Managed Languages, and she has a diverse background in the business of “understanding people”!Eero Kaiku is a Project Manager who knows all about creating meaningful relationships and overcoming language barriers. Managed Language is a boutique international multilingual content management agency.Mission Statement We create the possibility for companies to expand their business beyond borders through multilingual content management. What began as a multilingual technology business in 2004, has now evolved into a full-service creative and cultural translation, transcreation, and linguistic business. The company's mission is to help your brands sound like a local. We make this possible by engaging our writing teams in the country market and offer a wide range of multilingual services.

A ATAV visa a dignificação dos tradutores de audiovisuais bem como a sua proteção. Com uma associação dedicada especificamente a esta área, podemos defender melhor os interesses deste grupo de pessoas e uni-las para a melhoria das condições da profissão. A ATAV é membro da AVTE.Ana Varela – Uma das mais conhecidas e reconhecidas tradutoras audiovisuais portuguesas, com um historial que inclui documentários, filme e séries. É a animada dinamizadora dos eventos de networking “Tava a Pensar”.Susana Loureiro – Tradutora Audiovisual desde 2014 com mais de 100 séries, filmes e documentários traduzidos para plataformas de streaming e canis de televisão portuguesa. É a presidente da ATAV. Adán Cassan – Especialista em tradução audiovisual – legendagem e dobragem. O Adán também se dedica a outros tipos de trabalhos, incluindo Natural Language Processing e Lexicografia computacional. É espanhol e traduz para espanhol e catalão.