The Loc Show: Recent Episodes
Presented by Smartling
Everything you need to become an expert in language translation management so you can connect your products and services with people anywhere, today.
Junbo Hou is a Chinese linguist with Smartling who wears many different hats. With the Chinese language having many branches, dialects, and uses, translating the language can be difficult. Junbo joins us to discuss the importance of culture, regional distinctions, and understanding your audience when translating Chinese languages.
Jump into the Episode
[01:07] About Junbo and his background.
[02:48] How long has Junbo been in the localization space?
[03:11] Does Junbo have any specific interests or fields?
[04:04] A quick introduction and history of the group of Chinese languages.
[05:05] The most commonly used forms of Chinese languages that are used in the wider world.
[08:04] Is the type of Chinese spoken dependent on the region?
[09:25] The different dialects and how many people speak Mandarin versus Cantonese.
[11:25] What are the cultural and linguistic differences between Mandarin and Cantonese?
[14:20] What should companies looking to expand into the Chinese markets understand when localizing content?
[16:38] What is Junbo’s translation process?
[18:24] Understanding the audience that you are translating for.
[21:55] Why cultural empathy is needed when localizing for a Chinese audience, regardless of region.
[24:16] Final thoughts from Junbo.
Resources and links:
- Junbo on LinkedIn
- Smartling Website
Our guest today is Milena Ferrante, a professional freelance Italian linguist and translator. Beginning her career as a teacher and then translating at a small agency, her career in translation really took off when she started writing a fanzine for a rock band. That eventually led to her helping translate a book about The Rolling Stones.
Milena also has a major in Russian, but now almost exclusively translates Italian to English and vice versa. Milena joins us to discuss the challenges of translating Italian to English, along with tips and tricks for localizing for an Italian-speaking audience. She also explains the importance of building your knowledge base and gaining experience as a new translator.
Jump into the Episode
[01:19] About Milena and her career in translation.
[05:47] What other industries or translation types does Milena specialize in?
[06:30] How the finance field became one of her favorites to translate.
[07:30] Why you need to be less rigid in your language as a translator.
[08:35] What industries are seeing more demand for Italian translation at the moment?
[10:45] About the Italian language.
[12:44] The challenges translators face when translating between English and Italian.
[15:34] What are some of the biggest cultural differences?
[18:18] What are some things to consider to make Italian translations inclusive?
[23:20] What suggestions does Milena have for new translators?
[25:00] The importance of gathering experience as a new translator.
[28:25] Thoughts on machine translation and its effect on the translation industry.
[30:40] Milena’s final thoughts on the translation and localization industry.
Resources and links:
- Milena on LinkedIn
- Smartling Website
Sérgio Costa is a professional Portuguese linguist based in Lisbon. Sérgio studied engineering before moving on to translation and technical writing, and he has been in the language industry for 20 years now. With a love of writing always present, Sérgio compromised on his career by combining technical language, writing, and languages. Around 208 million people across the world currently speak Portuguese, making it the sixth most spoken language in the world. Sérgio joins us to explore the language Portuguese, how to improve source text to help achieve higher quality translation, what to know when localizing for the Portuguese-speaking audience, and more.
Jump into the Episode
[01:06] Sérgio’s story as a translator.
[02:14] What is Sérgio’s translation specialty?
[02:39] Industries that are increasing their demand for Portuguese translation.
[03:35] About Portugal and the city of Lisbon.
[05:44] A brief introduction to the Portuguese language.
[07:01] Similarities and differences between Spanish and Portuguese.
[09:17] European vs. Brazilian Portuguese.
[11:25] Cultural differences to be aware of when localizing Portuguese for different audiences.
[14:12] Challenges in translating English to Portuguese.
[16:00] The importance of writing for a global experience.
[17:20] How to overcome the problems of writing for localization.
[21:25] Specific challenges to Portuguese translation in technical writing.
[24:00] The problem with translating the formality and tone of Portuguese.
[26:05] What kind of translation tools does Sérgio utilize to make his process more efficient?
[27:20] What can source writers do to make a translators’ life easier?
[28:30] Inclusivity in Portuguese translation.
[30:00] About gender neutrality in Portuguese.
[31:16] Sérgio’s favorite aspect of translating.
[32:29] Final thoughts from Sérgio.
Resources and links:
- Sérgio on LinkedIn
- Smartling Website
Stella Hodkin Paris is the Head of Language Services at Translators without Borders, now part of CLEAR Global. Originally from the UK, Stella studied languages in Edinburgh and is currently based in Northern Italy. She has been working in the language services industry for almost 20 years, performing many roles and honing her marketing expertise. Stella joined Translators Without Borders 3 years ago, an organization founded in 1993 to help people around the globe access accurate information in their languages. Stella joins us on the Loc Show to talk about language gaps around the world, how her work helps plug those gaps, and how to overcome the lack of knowledge around marginalized languages.
Jump into the Episode[01:18] About Stella and what she does.
[03:30] What is Translators without Borders?
[05:25] What is the driving force between the growth of TWB?
[08:03] About TWB and CLEAR Global.
[10:00] Integrating languages and translation into humanitarian crisis response.
[15:10] The current state of the language gap around the world and the importance of accurate translation.
[18:30] How COVID-19 impacted the necessity of accurate translation.
[22:07] Defining marginalized languages.
[26:09] Overcoming the challenge of finding translators for marginalized languages.
[29:00] How TWB trains new translators.
[31:45] How the language gap affects people across the globe.
[33:50] How TWB is tackling the language gap.
[36:00] Fighting back against misinformation.
[37:37] What is the root cause of language marginalization and disinformation?
[41:14] What can be done to address these gaps?
[45:00] How to get involved with helping address translation issues.
Resources and links:
- CLEAR Global - Translators without Borders Website
- Donate
- Follow CLEAR Global on LinkedIn
- Follow CLEAR Global on Twitter
Taner Tanrıöver is a Turkish linguist who works in localization as a freelance translator specializing in website localization in the IT industry. Taner lived in Australia for over ten years, where he studied communication, and he has been back in Turkey for the last 11 years. He is based in Istanbul today. Taner discusses the intricacies of translating Turkish to English and vice versa, the culture of Turkey, and more.
Jump into the Episode
[01:11] About Taner and his background.
[02:22] Are there specific industries that Taner works with?
[03:00] About Istanbul and the culture in the city.
[06:25] A brief history of the Turkish language, both spoken and written.
[09:00] Typical challenges faced when translating English to Turkish.
[12:55] What are some difficult words to translate from English to Turkish and vice versa?
[15:05] The biggest cultural differences to look out for when translating for the Turkish-speaking audience.
[18:10] Why machine translation can’t completely replace human translation.
[21:00] Improving inclusivity in Turkish translations.
[23:05] Global growth in Turkish industries and how that has impacted localization.
[24:42] Taner’s translation process.
[27:05] About the artistic aspects of translation.
[30:20] Taner’s favorite aspect of being a translator.
[32:46] What would Taner ask for if he could ask for anything to make his job as a translator easier?
[35:02] Final thoughts on translation from Taner.
Resources and links:
- Taner on LinkedIn
- Smartling Website
Ulrich Henes is one of the founders of LocWorld and the president of the Localization Institute, and Theophan Marube is managing director of Tamarind Language Services in Kenya. With his work, Ulrich has been working in localization for the last 20 years, and LocWorld is just about to hold its first conference about Africa. Theo and his company provide language services for many multinational companies entering Africa. Theo and Ulrich join us today to talk about the localization landscape in Africa, the rising opportunities, challenges, and solutions for localization in the African regions, and a bit of what we can expect from the LocWorld Africa conference in March 2022.
Jump into the Episode
[01:37] About Ulrich.
[02:35] About Theo.
[05:10] Where Africa currently is in the interest of localization.
[06:44] How the use of technology is on the rise in Africa.
[08:44] About the developing mobile payment options in Africa.
[09:40] Ulrich’s perspective on the growth of Africa from outside of the continent.
[11:00] What Ulrich hopes the attendees to gain from the LocWorld Africa conference.
[12:00] Localization challenges specific to organizations coming into Africa.
[16:20] Ulrich’s experiences with localization in Africa and the challenges presented.
[20:35] What solutions are needed for brands to penetrate the African market?
[25:00] Promoting and educating translation services in Africa.
[29:18] Ulrich’s work with Translators Without Borders.
[31:10] How Theo’s experience has been in working with Translators Without Borders.
[34:08] What makes Africa an attractive opportunity for brands?
[38:30] How Smartling can help in the localization process in Africa.
[39:50] More about the upcoming LocWorld Africa conference.
Resources and links:
- Smartling Website
- The Localization Institute
- Tamarind Language Services
- LocWorld
Ji Hyun Shin is a professional Korean translator, who works in the Korean, English, as well as German languages. Based in South Korea, Ji Hyun has worked in translation departments in many different industries, from engineering to IT to media. Korean is a heavily nuanced language, filled with words that change meaning depending on the tone and inflection, so translation to English and vice versa can be challenging. Ji Hyun tells us about the complicated process of translating meaning from English to Korean, how the expansion of Korean culture into the global market influences translation, and more.
Jump into the Episode
[01:33] About Ji Hyun and her translation experience.
[02:28] How the IT and media industries are growing in Korea.
[04:52] What are some of the biggest challenges in translating English to Korean?
[5:45] The importance of context in translation.
[07:00] Cultural differences specific to the Korean language.
[08:32] How does subtitling Korean media work?
[11:00] What is Ji Hyun’s translation process, and what tools does she utilize?
[14:00] Ji Hyun’s favorite words and phrases to translate and which are most difficult.
[15:00] How the tone in which a word is said influences the meaning.
[18:00] Understanding the background and nuance of Korean words and how difficult it can make them to translate.
[21:50] Examples of translating Korean to English.
[24:25] Ji Hyun’s best practices for ensuring inclusive translations.
[26:45] Inclusive terms that don’t exist in the Korean language yet.
[27:43] What would Ji Hyun ask for if she could to make her job easier?
Resources and links:
- Ji Hyun on LinkedIn
- Smartling Website
Vanina Kfuri is a professional Spanish linguist who has worked in the translation industry since 2003. Currently based in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Vanina has built her freelance business on strong communication. Vanina joins us on the show today to discuss the challenges of translating Spanish into English and what we should know when localizing for the Spanish-speaking audience.
Jump into the Episode[01:17] About Vanina and her background.
[02:11] What is it like to live and work in Buenos Aires?
[02:58] The many different dialects and nuances of the Spanish language.
[03:30] A brief introduction to the Spanish language itself.
[05:08] Specific differences between Latin American Spanish and European Spanish.
[06:50] Life as a freelance translator.
[08:10] Vanina’s favorite aspect of translating.
[09:15] About the process Vanina goes through when translating.
[11:55] The benefits of clients being able to communicate directly with translators.
[13:08] Why context is key in any translation process.
[13:48] The biggest challenges in translating English to Spanish.
[16:04] The differences in character counts in translating and why it makes a difference.
[16:30] Why Spanish is a decorative language.
[17:10] What is Vanina’s favorite Spanish phrase that cannot be translated?
[19:45] How Vanina ensures inclusivity in translations.
[22:07] The biggest cultural differences between Latin American Spanish speakers and European Spanish speakers.
[23:55] Understanding the many different cultures and people that speak Spanish.
[25:46] What would Vanina ask for to make her job easier if she could?
[27:10] Final thoughts and tips.
Resources and links:
- Vanina on LinkedIn
- Smartling Website
Jean-François is an expert French linguist and translator with 22 years of experience. Now based in New York, Jean-François was born in France and lived in Dublin before moving to the US. He has worked with agencies and been a team lead on localization projects, and he transitioned into working as a freelancer translator about 16 years ago. Jean-François will be discussing the challenges of translating French into English and what we should know when localizing for the French-speaking audience.
Jump into the Episode[02:27] About Jean-François and his translation background.
[03:24] Jean-François’ past experiences with Smartling and his appearance in the book ‘Move the World with Words.’
[05:00] A brief introduction to the French language and its prevalence.
[05:25] The differences between Canadian French and traditional French.
[06:57] What a typical workday and translation process looks like for Jean-François.
[07:30] How starting his day by running has allowed for more thinking time before the day truly starts.
[08:45] Why being a translator is more than just speaking multiple languages.
[09:20] The rewards of seeing how your translation helps others.
[10:43] Some of the biggest challenges when translating English to French.
[11:40] Why context is key in translation.
[13:00] Some words that are challenging to translate.
[14:50] Improving inclusivity in French translation.
[16:55] The biggest cultural differences when targeting a French-speaking audience.
[19:25] What Jean-François would ask project managers to do to make his translating jobs more efficient.
[21:00] Why translating word for word loses meaning.
[21:50] Jean-François’ final thoughts translating English <> French.
Resources and links:
- Jean-François on LinkedIn
- Smartling Website
Professor Holly Seale is an infectious disease social scientist and program director, based at the School of Population Health at the University of New South Wales in Australia.
When it comes to infectious diseases, we don’t tend to think about localization. Regardless, it is an important part of creating awareness and disseminating information. For 15 years, Holly has been helping different at-risk groups improve confidence and engagement in vaccination and other preventative strategies. Holly joins us to discuss the COVID-19 vaccination glossary and its localization process across the globe.
Jump into the Episode[03:37] About Holly and what her profession involves.
[04:15] Improving vaccination coverage for adults in at-risk groups.
[05:23] What is the COVID-19 glossary and how is it helping with vaccine uptake?
[08:10] How digital and health literacy affect vaccine uptake, as well as how to tackle it.
[11:10] The current health literacy language of COVID-19 information and why it isn’t effective.
[12:55] How the COVID-19 glossary came into existence.
[13:40] Who is the COVID-19 glossary aimed towards?
[15:58] Capturing the new language of COVID-19.
[17:55] People involved in creating the glossary.
[21:00] The process of getting the glossary translated.
[22:00] How this process can be applied to other situations, including use cases in other industries.
[26:20] Tailoring messaging to different audiences.
[28:04] In how many languages is the glossary available and how were they determined?
[31:30] Holly’s experience working with translators.
[33:20] Creating trust with communities.
[34:20] How to access the glossary.
[36:00] Keeping the glossary up to date and what’s next for Holly.
Resources and links:
- Glossary Website
- Follow Holly on Twitter
- Contact Holly: h.seale@unsw.edu.au
- Smartling Website
Welcome to a special episode of The Loc Show. Today, Adrian Cohn is handing over the podcast to his Smartling colleague, JooRi Choi. She will be hosting the brand-new season of the podcast, which is coming soon.
JooRi has experienced life in starkly contrasting countries and went to school with a student body made up of 30 different nationalities. She has been in the marketing industry for about five years and has a unique perspective that will allow her to extract meaningful insights from guests on the show. We’ll hear JooRi explain what she plans to accomplish going forward and how she hopes listeners will approach this new era of The Loc Show.
Jump into the episode
[01:00] Planning a brand-new season with great content.
[01:32] An introduction to JooRi and the different countries she has lived in.
[02:31] How long JooRi has been with Smartling and what she brings to the podcast.
[03:01] Being bilingual and meeting people from all over the world.
[03:28] Why JooRi’s global life will benefit The Loc Show and its listeners.
[04:21] JooRi’s contributions to Smartling and where you can read her content.
[04:48] The ideas JooRi has for where she will take the podcast.
[05:55] A look back at some of the experts that have been featured on The Loc Show.
[06:23] Adrian’s excitement for the ideas JooRi has about sharing stories from the industry.
[06:59] Advice from JooRi for listeners about tuning into the show from here on out.
Resources and links:
- JooRi’s content
- Smartling Website
- Follow JooRi
This discussion revolves around how to take a brand global and what it means for language translation. Both experts in investing in and growing companies, Caroline and David join us today to talk about what companies need to do to prepare for global expansion, how technologies have changed in a short space of time and why all companies need to become more forward thinking and globally minded.
Jump into the episode
[01:39] About Caroline and ICONIQ Capital.
[02:13] About David and Venrock.
[02:47] What Caroline and David think companies to do before taking their brand global.
[05:50] The path that North American companies are commonly taking to expand.
[09:05] How David and Caroline’s brands are handling cultural differences and adapting to new markets.
[11:48] Ensuring management teams are driving shareholder value in global expansion.
[13:59] How have teams handled pivoting during expansion?
[16:34] Percentage of revenue brought in from global markets after global expansion and how it varies in markets.
[19:28] Common mistakes companies make when expanding internationally.
[22:30] Successful partnerships that David and Caroline have seen between companies and distributors.
[26:50] Why going global is the only choice for success and growth.
[28:50] Final words of advice for companies looking to go global.
Resources and links:
- Smartling Website
- Follow Caroline
- Follow David
In today’s episode we are sharing one of our sessions from Global Ready Conference. This session is called ‘The 411 – What We Need from a Language Services Provider’. Gavin Grimes moderates the panel which also features Nancy Ferreira da Rocha, Senior Localization Program Manager at FedEx and Emil Atanesov, Vice President of Internationalization for ServiceNow.
In this panel, Gavin and our guests discuss the evolution of language programs to align themselves with different growth stages from their respective companies, whether it’s organic or acquisition-based growth. Often, we discuss the origins of programs and where they end up but ignore the journey. To evolve and grow, you have to take into account your markets and know what data points to focus on. There is also a delicate balance to maintain company needs and budgetary allowances. Nancy and Emil discuss how programs at their respective companies have evolved since they began their own journey, and how they strategized and implemented changes.
[02:39] How the localization program at FedEx has evolved since Nancy started her career there.
[04:30] The evolution of localization at Service Now since Emile began working there.
[07:04] Developing and strategizing evolution at FedEx.
[10:16] How strategies and change were created at ServiceNow.
[13:56] How did the LSP needs at FedEx change with their program evolution?
[18:17] The evolving LSP needs at ServiceNow.
[22:07] The 3 main things Nancy has learned implementing changes at FedEx.
[24:46] The 3 main things Emile has learned implementing changes at ServiceNow.
[27:39] What is the 1 thing Nancy would have done differently in the process?
[29:44] What is the 1 thing Emil would have done differently in the process?
Resources and links:
- Watch Global Ready Conference on demand
- Meet Nancy
- Get to know Emil
Joseph Kovalov is the Tech Localization Expert at Wix, a platform that allows users to create their own customized websites.
In the localization space for 20 years, Joseph started out as a full-time translator at a small agency in the Ukraine. From there, he moved on to create his own agency with a focus on mostly Slavic languages. After 10 years, he and his family moved to Israel where Joseph continued to work as a freelance translator. Joseph soon joined Wix full-time and now works on implementing processes to improve localization efforts. Joseph joins us to talk about machine translation, transcreation, and tech-enabled workflows.
Jump into the episode
[02:40] About Joseph and his localization journey.
[05:11] The challenges of opening your own agency.
[09:25] About Joseph’s role at Wix.
[12:17] What the current localization program at Wix looks like.
[14:08] What the different localization teams and their priorities look like at Wix.
[17:00] The importance of departmental collaboration in localization.
[18:28] How localization has driven the success and growth of Wix.
[20:08] Driving traffic to the site through people-directed copy over SEO.
[21:44] Measuring departmental success.
[25:20] Trans-creation: How it is being under-used and how it can be approved.
[29:27] What is trans-creation and what are the inherent complications with the process.
[33:55] What is currently encouraging in the trans-creation space and what is lacking.
[39:30] The future of localization tools.
[43:56] Demystifying machine translation.
[49:36] Countering the fear of machine translation.
Resources and links:
- Wix Website
- Connect with Joseph on LinkedIn
- Smartling Website
Alex Timin is the Lead Software Engineer at Bumble, the parent company operating Badoo and Bumble - two of the world’s largest dating and connection apps.
Based in Moscow, Alex has worked at Bumble for the last 6 years. Initially, he worked on functionality but didn’t hesitate when offered a position in the localization department despite knowing nothing about the process. With millions of users worldwide, Bumble aims to create healthy and equitable relationships across the globe. With mobile apps and desktop interfaces, Alex and his team have to maintain quality translations while keeping up with update release cycles. We get to hear about how Bumble localizes its app into dozens of markets and languages around the world.
Jump into the episode:
[01:25] About Alex and his background.
[02:08] How Alex ended up in the localization space at Bumble.
[03:15] About the Bumble social media company and the apps it hosts.
[06:10] Why translation is important to Bumble and what content is translated.
[07:15] Technical challenges in implementing localization.
[08:51] Translation content release cycles.
[10:00] Creating consistent translation databases.
[12:03] The different ways Alex and his team deliver translations to different platforms.
[13:10] How the general localization process at Bumble works.
[14:50] How Alex and his team are working to speed up and streamline the localization process.
[15:45] Implementing translation memory.
[16:40] Innovations Alex has made in the translation process since joining the department.
[18:12] How quality assurance in translation is performed at Bumble.
[19:25] How users contribute to the end experience of Bumble’s apps.
[21:07] The future of localization at Bumble.
Resources and links:
- Bumble website
- Smartling Website
Martiño Prada Díaz is the Localization Manager at Spotify, a music streaming platform that allows instant access to thousands of artists and millions of songs and podcasts across the globe.
Originally from Spain and now in New York, Martiño has lived all over the world. In the States for 11 years, he moved to New York in January 2020 to start his job at Spotify. As a literature, linguistics, and movie buff, Martiño found that his location growing up was limiting to his opportunities and began to look elsewhere. His personal interest in how translation works led him to a master’s degree in Translation and Linguistics, which led to his first job as a translator in a small agency. Soon, Martiño was undertaking a Ph.D. in Translation and linguistics to further his knowledge. Having worked at GoPro, Netflix, and now Spotify, Martiño makes it a point to work for companies that make a difference to people. Martiño discusses his varied career and the challenges of localization in a rapidly growing company.
[01:33] About Martiño, his background, and his extensive travel.
[05:59] Martino’s beginning in the language sector.
[09:15] How bad translations in video games led Martino to discover localization.
[12:25] Martiño’s experience working as a translator and how it informs his current job.
[14:50] How Martiño creates empowerment for his clients and his team through localization.
[16:40] What draws Martiño to a company and a position.
[19:05] Localization challenges at a rapidly growing company.
[23:58] What content goes through the localization pipeline at Spotify.
[25:50] The main challenges of increased translation volumes and how to tackle them.
[30:34] Showing localization ROI.
[35:40] The future of localization at Spotify, and for Martiño.
On this first co-hosted episode of The Loc Show, we sit down with fellow language enthusiast, Julio Leal.
Julio drops serious knowledge on navigating the torrid seas of quality evaluation and explains why quality, in itself, is a case-by-case decision depending on content types. He also shares unique ideas on measuring success against an ever-evolving criteria (no small feat) and provides recommendations for evangelizing localization internally.
Together we’ll learn how a localization manager brings value to both the company and vendors while acting as an ambassador to all departments. Whew!
On this episode you will learn:
- What he learned from his ten year stint as Head of Global Localization at Ciena
- How Julio views the role of a localization manager as an ambassador to all departments
- A controversial take on translation quality evaluation
- What main challenges Julio has encountered through his storied career and how he moved past them
- Key takeaways from Julio’s experience working with both an LSP and working on the client side
- What Julio thinks about the power of video and the future of multimedia translation and localization holds for translation
Jump into the Podcast[05:37] Julio’s journey in the localization industry.
[10:35] How working on both the vendor and client side of localization has helped Julio in his work.
[12:00] The initial challenges Julio faced when joining Ciena.
[20:10] The data points that helped prove the value of localization within Ciena.
[22:54] Dealing with budgetary questions regarding localization needs.
[25:00] How Julio preached the value of localization efforts to the rest of his company.
[28:50] The relationship between the localization team and the marketing team at Ciena.
[31:46] Where should a localization team sit within a company?
[34:30] How the weighting of localization criteria changes over time.
[36:56] How content is evaluated and quality assured at Ciena.
[42:35] Why companies need to evolve and adapt to the emerging trend of video content.
Keep in touch with Julio and Smartling:
- Connect with Julio on LinkedIn.
- Follow Smartling on LinkedIn.
- Contact our hosts, Adrian and Gavin and learn more about Smartling.
Tom Raczka is the Localization Manager from InterContinental Hotels Group, one of the largest hotel brands in the world. Born in Poland, Tom is now based in London after initially visiting to gain his MSc in localisation technology from Imperial College London around a decade ago. After studying, Tom worked as a translator and university lecturer, teaching specialized courses like English for Engineering.
At IHG, Tom is part of a localization department that consults internally with stakeholders about the localization process, what technology they can utilize, and how to realize results within any given department’s budget. For Tom, a lot of his work has been in demystifying the localization process for stakeholders and introducing solutions that make translation more accessible for teams across the IHG enterprise and around the world. Tom joins us today to discuss how the perception of localization at IHG has changed over the years, the impact COVID-19 had on their processes, and how the brand successfully introduced machine translation.
[02:14] About Tom and his background in the localization space.
[05:18] Tom’s role at IHG and how he coordinates with his global colleagues.
[08:15] The type of stakeholders Tom deals with and how they are involved in the localization process.
[12:26] How internal localization questions have changed over time at IHG.
[19:40] Utilizing machine translation and automation correctly.
[20:55] How the pandemic has changed the processes at IHG.
[24:25] Finding the positives in the pandemic.
[27:45] How the lockdown accelerated plans for adopting machine translation at IHG.
[30:43] About the internal learning team at IHG and the content they produce.
[36:13] The future of IHG and localization.
[40:40] Tom’s journey to learn Japanese.
Resources and links:
- InterContinental Hotels Group website
- Connect with Tom on Linkedin
- Learn more about Smartling
- Become a guest on The Loc Show
To remain agile is to embrace change. That’s why we are pumped to announce The Loc Show’s new co-host: Gavin Grimes!
You know Gavin from the Smartling Leadership team and as the VP of Language Services, but you’re about to know him in a brand new way as he pairs his brand of savvy with Adrian Cohn’s tried and true interview skills to level up The Loc Show!
Gavin is stealing himself away from the Leadership team just long enough to help you become an expert in language translation management. Double the fun, double the insight! Our weekly podcast will help keep you up to date on best practices and tips on how to keep your business scalable and innovative.
Press play now and level up with us!
Save your spot at Smartling’s free online Global Ready Conference online April 14, 2021 11AM EST.
Jump to a section
[01:07] About Gavin and his background in localization.
[07:37] A story about why Gavin has a yellow hard hat hanging in his home office.
[10:06] How the path Gavin was on led him to Smartling.
[14:10] Achieving Smartling’s goals, scaling the company, and evolving with the industry.
[16:25] Gavin’s projections for the localization industry.
[20:00] What Gavin’s role is going to be on the podcast.
[22:04] Smartling’s upcoming Global Ready conference.
What you will learn on this episode:
- What Gavin will bring to the table on this podcast and a bit about his background
- His reasons and inspiration to work in Language Services
- What the culture’s “insatiable appetite” for content means
- What inspires him to push past his comfort zone
- What Gavin thinks companies need to be aware of to succeed in 2021
Keep up with Gavin Grimes & Smartling:
Gavin’s LinkedIn
Smartling’s site
Smartling’s Twitter
Smartling site
COVID has either left you with a perpetual brain fog due to lack of social interaction or has you scrambling for moments of sanity during your endlessly busy days. If you’re in the former camp, perhaps you’ve been looking to online offerings to learn a new skill to clear the fog.
You’ve probably heard of Preply, the EdTech service that boasts tutors from all over the world that helps people young and old learn new languages and skills.
The Loc Show is honored to have Patricia Doest, Senior Internationalization & Localization Leader of Preply and we are excited for you to hear her share how she has woven together her experiences from SpilGames and Preply to bring together Product and Marketing teams alike to set the groundwork for success.
On this episode you will learn:
- What Preply did to optimize cost efficiency
- How Patricia educated her company on the importance of localization after conducting a comprehensive sweep of her own department first
- The way she moved the department out of its silo-like environment into an integrative space for all
- How Preply assessed their strategy to have the most impactful user experience
- How Patricia customizes content type for each project and the importance of focusing on the end user
- What different end users help inform, by way of quality assurance, for different businesses
- The way she sees building trust with users via linguistic quality
- Patricia’s thoughts on the state of the translation industry at large
What are you waiting for? Get in on this illuminating conversation!
Jump into the podcast:
[02:44] About Patricia and her multicultural background.
[07:51] Patricia’s involvement in the localization in video games.
[11:00] What is data driven localization and how can you implement it?
[17:10] How using data to optimize localization strategies can impact cost effectiveness.
[21:45] Improving collaboration with other departments within Preply through data collection.
[23:55] Mapping translation efforts to match the business strategy.
[28:00] How content type and target audience impact the translation process.
[31:00] How Patricia and her team have evolved to make the localization process smoother.
[36:00] The importance of cultivating relationships and properly onboarding your translators.
[38:42] Patricia’s recommendation for where to visit in Barcelona once the world re-opens.
Keep in touch with Patricia, Preply, and Smartling:
- Visit Preply’s site, check out their complimentary lessons on their blog, watch their videos on YouTube, and follow them on Instagram to get to know them!
- Connect with Patricia on LinkedIn.
- Contact our host, Adrian Cohn, and learn more about Smartling.
Yann Ehmann has 20+ years of B2B, D2C, and digital experience under his belt with a famed Swiss watchmaker. You want to talk shop? He’s your man.
This week on The Loc Show we sit down with Yann to learn how he has integrated a multi-channel approach to marketing and e-commerce for over 30 markets and learn firsthand how translation and localization are crucial elements in an ever-shapeshifting digital world.
Yann shares his evergreen three-part process for attaining a global process that everyone, regardless of industry, can find value in:
- Know where you’re going
- Understanding the importance of collaboration and transparency
- Expect all potential outcomes
Join us and learn from this industry all-star:
- What makes digital such a compelling sector of the market (hint: it has to do with the constant growth and motion)
- What solutions in an ever-changing industry look like and how automation helps to keep his team zipped up
- How Yann has centralized data and made it accessible to all parts of the team
- His thoughts on the speed at which content must be delivered to customers and how his team maintains agility across content types
- How testing and assessing the status quo is an essential best practice
- What he envisions for the future
Press play and prepare to be wowed!
[03:30] How Adrian and Yann met.
[04:28] Yann’s 20-year experience in creating the digital transformation at a famed Swiss watchmaker.
[05:35] What is digital transformation?
[06:55] The impact of digital transformation on businesses beyond technology.
[09:20] How localization and translation fit in to digital transformation.
[11:18] What the initial website launch in the UK taught Yann about localization and translation.
[12:25] Finding automated solutions to improve the translation process.
[16:40] The most important details to consider when translating copy.
[22:50] The importance of creating relevant and consistent copy for your audience.
[25:30] Utilizing the correct tools for localization in your business process.
[26:55] The technologies at the heart of the future of digital transformation.
[29:45] Mobile payment options, data protection, and regulations.
[34:00] How digital transformation is shaping the next industrial revolution.
Keep in touch with Yann and Smartling:
- Connect with Yann on LinkedIn and follow him on Twitter.
- Contact our host, Adrian Cohn, and learn more about Smartling.
Smartling's been on a tear recently. We've recently launched an integration with Yext, Episerver, Drupal 9 and updated our integration with Zendesk. But yesterday, we announced something big: the appointment of Gavin Grimes to Smartling's leadership team as Vice President of Language Services.
We have some more amazing episodes of The Loc Show coming up next week.
Max and his team at Vitamix demonstrated how important it is to have robust technology and translation services in place to ensure products can be launched in global markets efficiently - and to a high degree of success.
Their go-to-market strategy is two fold: first, they work with distributors worldwide who sell Vitamix products in market; second, they sell directly to consumers online in specific markets, like the United States and Canada. Vitamix uses Smartling's Global Delivery Network and language translation services to provide content and product experiences for users anywhere, today.
Jump into this episdode to discover how the team launched four new products in 2020, and sold out of one of them in 24 hours. And to discover new ways to measure the effectiveness of translation.
Jump to a section
[2:05] Learning a bit about Max’s background and how he came to work for Vitamix.
[5:45] Announcing the Vitamix giveaway from Smartling.
[6:49] What’s going on with Vitamix right now.
[12:45] What challenges Max faces in marketing, being that the product is sold directly from Vitamix and also through third party retailers.
[16:28] The workflow changes that have been made at Vitamix since working with Smartling.
[18:40] Max walks us through the marketing funnel and content experience of the customer.
[12:13] How Vitamix has implemented began localizing and how this improves the user experience.
[29:25] Utilizing proper translation services to maintain a consistent brand voice through all the layers of complexity involved in launching in different markets.
[30:45] Why putting together a brand and style guide is important to marketing.
[35:24] The direct to consumer business in Canada, and the new products launched in both the US and Canada this year.
[40:20] Testing the French-speaking Canadian market directly, the return on investment in doing so, and how this demonstrates the business value of translation services.
[43:06] How the enhanced customer reach of Vitamix impacted media attention.
[47:09] How the partnership has enabled Vitamix to focus their efforts in other areas and on other initiatives.
[51:45] Q&A session.
Jack Welde, Co-Founder and CEO of Smartling, joins us today to talk about gratitude and giving thanks. It's our bonus episode for Thanksgiving in the United States. Dive in!
Yext is the tool of choice for managing business information across websites, search engines, voice assistants, chatbots, apps, and maps. But translating the descriptions, hours, locations and relevant business data into multiple languages can quickly turn into a time-consuming headache. As the business grows, so too does this challenge. And the more information changes - which is common today - the more time you have to spend managing location data translation.
Enter Steven Sorenson, Product Manager at Smartling. Steven joins us today on The Loc Show with an exciting announcement: Smartling just introduced the first-ever translation plug-in to be listed on the Yext App Directory.
Smartling’s Yext integration allows users to professionally translate location data stored in the Knowledge Graph with near-zero developer involvement, zero copy and paste, and the ability to update content without friction.
Why is this being featured on the show? Simple. You’re here to become an expert in all things translation and localization. Identifying ways to optimize your translation process with software automation is a key way to ensure your business can scale, and on this episode, you’ll learn about how to scale location data with zero developer involvement. Thinking like this can save you a ton of time, and your company a lot of money. Let’s jump right in.
Key Moments
[1:28] The inquiries customers have been providing about this integration for years - some clients own thousands of properties, and it can be difficult to keep translations in sync between systems.
[2:10] Though homegrown custom solutions were always provided for customers, this integration means that this will be much easier to work with.
[2:27] A little about Yext and what they do.
[4:00] Why Steven specifically was brought on the show today.
[4:54] The ability of Smartling and Yext clients to now leverage the translation automation that Smartling provides.
[5:17] Three key points in sharing this, the first being that the ability to scale search and answer content is unparalleled now.
[6:43] Companies now only needing to go to one place to get an automated solution and language translations.
[6:55] Businesses updating their content all the time, and the importance of Smartling recognizing changes to listing details.
[7:55] The translation process becoming automated; no longer having to track these changes across locations when any change is made.
[8:58] Why this is the year to be efficient and help your business run more smoothly
Connect with Steven Sorenson on LinkedIn
Who hasn’t tried to pick up a new language? Whether it is a lofty New Year’s resolution or simply groundwork in preparation for a trip abroad, learning a new language can be intimidating (and frustrating!).
This is exactly where Memrise comes in. Their programs are steeped in a unique natural approach to learning a new language and available through a seamless app to help eager learners gain the confidence to try on a new language for size.
The Loc Show is delighted to have Mario Pluzny, Localization Manager Memrise, join us this week to discuss how translation plays a major part in providing effective, quality content for their app. Press play and make sure to explore their courses and take your pick of one of the 22 languages they offer!
Memrise’s ten-year-old program is known for their easy three-step approach:
1. Accessing their super-smart learning engine to learn words and phrases.
2. Building your ability to actually understand a new language in real-world contexts with immersive programming.
3. Gaining the confidence to speak.
Listen and learn how Mario’s initial interest in language and culture has helped him craft top notch internal localization processes at Memrise while maintaining a focus on the customer experience.
Mario explains how Memrise has succeeded and you will also learn:
- How his team works to ensure quality user experience
- How Machine Translation impacts the services Memrise offers
- How working with the Marketing and Product teams in addition to freelancers shapes future updates and versions
- What Mario thinks about the industry community at large including problem solving, and keeping others inspired
Jump to a specific segment:
[01:25] About Mario, his love of linguistics, and his experience studying in Minnesota.
[04:22] Mario’s experience learning about cognitive neuroscience and its relationship to linguistics.
[08:14] How COVID-19 has impacted active users at Memrise.
[09:10] How localization at Memrise works and where Mario fits into the process.
[10:26] The culture of linguistics and learning at Memrise.
[11:41] The content types that Memrise users experience.
[13:30] Mario’s involvement in both product and marketing localization.
[14:15] How Memrise differs form other language learning platforms.
[15:11] Creating effective and educational video content.
[16:30] What Mario would change in the localization process.
[20:59] The benefits of working with freelance translators.
[24:12] What part of the localization process keeps Mario up at night.
[26:00] Competing for screen time in a healthy way.
[28:10] What the localization industry should be focusing on.
[30:35] How Mario helps to cultivate alignment in the localization process.
We can all agree that the stock market is undeniably intimidating. But that’s exactly where BUX has found a niche European market of 2.5 million users in 9 countries.
Localization Program Manager Miruna Parchirie has grown into her role alongside BUX and walks us through how they aim to make the markets accessible to customers and how user experiences drive strategy and localization.
Press play to learn more!
Full Description/Show Notes
We can all agree that the stock market is undeniably intimidating. But that’s exactly where BUX has found a niche European market of 2.5 million users in 9 countries.
Localization Program Manager Miruna Parchirie has grown into her role alongside the start up and walks us through their three apps that aim to make the markets accessible to customers:
- BUX Zero
- BUX X
- BUX Crypto
On this week’s episode of The Loc Show, Miruna takes us through her testing methods for translators, gives us the scoop on how BUX drives and prioritizes user experiences, shares product design requirements, and more. She lets us in on the vision of inclusion at BUX for all team members that extends to not only staff but also translators.
On this episode you’ll learn:
- How the community within the localization industry is growing by leading professionals connecting within the field, with a focus on women banding together
- What Miruna does to bring localization to the forefront of all business at BUX
- How Miruna uses her savvy know how to localize in different markets
- Why BUX never relies on assumptions
- The importance of evaluating translation partners
Keep up with BUX, Miruna Parchirie, and Smartling!
Find Miruna on LinkedIn
Visit BUX’s site
Follow BUX on LinkedIn
Download BUX’s apps:
- BUX Zero
- BUX X
- BUX Crypto
- Smartling’s site
Download Smartling’s free eBook and get a free demo!
What are your localization horror stories? I'm sure you have a few in mind. In this Halloween Special, Kate Fitzgerald walks us through 10 things she's seen, learned and feared ever since she learned about translation and localization.
Share your localization horror story on social and tag @smartling. We'd love to hear what keeps you up at night.
This is a good one. Let's dive in.
Have you ever Googled a question about a company’s hours of operations or line of products and gotten a really confusing and inaccurate answer from a random person on Reddit?
Yext has come up with a way for companies to control potentially damaging incorrect information online and it’s a game changer. They are a “search experience cloud” meaning wherever people ask questions online about any facet of your business online, you have the ability to control the answers. Supreme damage control!
On this episode of The Loc Show, Jessica Birenz, Director and Project Manager at Yext joins us to discuss how the six year partnership she has with Smartling has allowed her to grow the company by 15x in six years and expand in over two dozen new languages while dramatically increasing Yext’s translation volume.
Join us as we discuss how Yext has evolved, what their Japanese launch looked like and how key takeaways from the launch will inform how future expansions will be shaped with these learnings. We talk about the importance of teamwork in translation, walk uphill together through the struggles and blissfully reminisce on Yexy’s astounding successes, and learn just how important it is for correct information about your business to be available to your customers without them having to dig for it.
There is so much to learn and Jessica is an outstanding guest. We can’t wait to hear your thoughts!
The tourism industry has been deeply unmoored by recent travel restrictions, but Skyscanner is working hard to ensure their customers have the best experiences once the time is right and it’s safe to once again traverse our big, beautiful world.
Skyscanner is best known for making travel as simple as possible by helping guests find the very best flights, hotels, and rentals via desktop and mobile app. On this episode of The Loc Show, Hristina Racheva, Head of Localization at Skyscanner, gives us a glimpse into how the localization team is carefully strategizing their next moves and working across all the departments to try and cement planning for the uncertain months ahead.
Hristina is a Barcelona-based lover of travel, language, and culture. Having been born and raised in a small town in Bulgaria planted the seed of vying to see the world and she has since lived in Brussels, Frankfurt, and Dublin working as a translator before settling into localization.
Let Hristina walk you through her transformation and allow yourself to travel vicariously through her stories. If you can trust anyone on the topic of travel and culture, it’s Hristina!
On this episode you’ll learn:
- Hristina’s role at Skyscanner and how she has managed her team
- Details on the responsibilities of Hristina’s role and how it has been impacted recently
- What experiences users have within the Skyscanner app
- Hristina’s many disciplines and theories about localization within a company
- How Skyscanner is adjusting their content and strategy during COVID
- Upcoming projects and more!
Hop in, we’re taking off!
[02:06] How Hristina came to work in the localization industry.
[08:24] The challenges Skyscanner and similar industries have faced due to the pandemic.
[09:20] The positive opportunities that the pandemic has presented.
[10:53] How Skyscanner surveyed their client base to gauge travel economy recovery.
[11:48] The different content types produced for the Skyscanner platform.
[13:42] Creating and optimizing the localization team at Skyscanner.
[16:33] Why hiring a localization engineer should be your first step in creating a team.
[20:11] Positioning the benefit of localization to other departments in the company.
[23:56] What happens when a new team needs localization at Skyscanner.
[27:50] How translation is segmented for different languages.
[30:36] Crucial metrics in localization.
[34:40] The importance of culturally relevant copy.
[40:15] Is translation a cost center or a profit center for businesses?
[41:37] What Hristina is excited about in the future of the localization industry.
Keep up with Skyscanner, Hristina, and Smartling!
- Hristina on LinkedIn
- Skyscanner’s site
- Skyscanner on LinkedIn
- Smartling’s site
- Download Smartling’s free eBook and get a free demo!
- Hristina’s talk at the Women in Tech forum organized by Kiwi.com
Emory University’s Program Coordinator, Tsondue Samphel, joins this week’s The Loc Show to share how translation is helping him run an international (and free!) educational program, SEE Learning.
This is a stand out episode not only because Tsondue discloses what meeting His Holiness has been like (on several occasions), but the conversation elevates to touch upon creating real meaning in life for future generations: something we can all get behind during these divisive times.
SEE Learning is an academic collaboration between Emory University and His Holiness the Dalai Lama that aims to give students (K-12) the necessary tools to develop emotionally, socially, and ethically. SEE provides programming that helps children cultivate the skills necessary to have a meaningful life and to help young people flourish and improve their overall well being.
Join us as Tsondue shares the vision of SEE, his experiences coming to the U.S., and how he uses translation to knit cultures together by serving over 30 countries.
On this episode you’ll learn:
- Tsondue’s tale of arriving at Emory University’s Center of Contemplative Sciences and Compassion-based Ethics, experiencing culture shock as the only Tibetan person, and earning his BS in Physics
- How Tsondue settled into his role as an International Program Coordinator for the SEE Learning division
- How the Emory University community softened Tsondue’s landing in the U.S. from India
- About the Dalai Lama’s role in the curriculum and the goals of the program as a whole
- About the free SEE 101 Online training course available on Emory’s site that is accessible in over 145 countries
Jump into the hot topics!
[3:08] Tsondue on his role at Emory as an International Program Coordinator for SEE Learning
[5:07] The challenges Tsondue faced when he moved from India to the U.S. for his schooling and how he managed the massive cultural and emotional shifts
[7:33] Background on the SEE Learning program and how translation plays a part of (social and emotional ethical learning is the program name)
[10:58] Tsondue on his numerous run-ins with His Holiness the Dalai Lama, a proponent for pushing the need for holistic education
[15:55] What responsibilities Tsondue had on his plate when he first joined the program about two years ago
[17:36] Landscape of the content that requires translation to over 30 locales
[21:55] How Tsondue and Smartling began working together
[22:35] Different types of content within the SEE program
[28:50] The translation process for the site and for SEE 101 program materials
[30:54] Challenges Tsondue has had to overcome when translating content into different languages
[34:48] How the team manages elements of localization
[44:23] What Tsondue is most excited for
Keep Up with Tsondue, Emory, and Smartling!
Tsondue on LinkedIn
Emory University on LinkedIn
Global launch of SEE Learning
Smartling’s site
We’re all trying to survive 2020. Some go toe to toe in the boardroom, some fight and thrive through online platforms and video games, and some do it all. Carlos is one of the latter people.
Carlos Almeida is the Senior Localization Manager at Epic Games, the company best known for their notorious and award-winning game, Fortnite. The battle royale video game has captured the attention of gamers across the globe. Epic is also known for the Unreal Engine, the world’s most open and advanced real-time 3D creation tool. The survival-action video game appeals to both kids and adults alike and requires collaboration and teamwork to succeed. Players can carve out their own solo path and create layers of experiences on their own and/or come together with other gamers to delve deeper into the always-growing forum.
On this episode of The Loc Show, Carlos shares how he has mapped out his career much like players map out their domains in Fortnite: by expertly crafting paths with intention and strategizing thorough collaboration.
Join us as he takes us through his ever-changing role at Epic Games, discusses his challenges and successes, and gives us tips for how to stay steady while navigating the churning waters of localization.
Hit play for entertainment and information- Carlos is a winner in both worlds!
- How Carlos turned his love of language, travel, and video games into a successful career at Epic Games
- How Carlos leveled up from Geek Squad to managing all localization for Epic Games and Unreal Engine, one of the most used game development tool kits in the world
- How Carlos tackles operations and continuously adapts to keep his team on top of all the localization needs for a rapidly evolving brand
- What urgent language translation support structures look like at Epic Games
- Words of wisdom for putting localization in the forefront of strategic planning
- How Carlos is working towards generating informational reports and hearing more from the Fortnite community
Press play for the hot spots!
[2:53] The only two English words Carlos knew when he arrived in the U.S. from Brazil at the age of 18
[3:53] How Carlos impressively took command of the English language
[5:02] The events that lead Carlos into the world of localization
[7:04] What happened when Carlos applied to a random job ad for Blizzard Entertainment
[8:45] How his life changed after having a two year conversation with a former manager
[11:35] Carlo’s thoughts on Epic Games’ brand
[13:40] Plot and purpose of Fortnite
[15:32] Scope of Carlos’ work and his team’s responsibilities
[17:07] What devices support Fortnite
[18:05] Carlos on his “very vertical process” of localization at Epic Games and how the team manages thousands of strings every week
[20:00] The “waterfall process”
[28:06] Differences in localization processes from company to company
[32:32] Improvements Carlos has witnessed at Epic Games and how he speaks about localization internally to the development teams
[34:59] How the feedback loop looks like at Epic Games and what he looks forward to by way of support
Keep Up with Carlos Almeida and Epic Games!
Carlos on LinkedIn
Carlos’ Twitter
Epic Games on LinkedIn
Epic’s site
Smartling’s site
Contact our host Adrian Cohn
The pet industry is a dog-eat-dog world, and Jordanna Ber knows all about it.
Jordanna works at Rover, the international company known for providing 5-star pet sitters and dog walkers in over eight European markets. She leads up the localization team and has been with the company since they acquired the organization she previously worked for, Dog Buddy, in October of 2018.
On this grrrific episode of The Loc Show, she introduces her very well-traveled pup and explains how her professional intention of becoming wholly well-rounded landed her permanently in Barcelona. Jordanna fills us in on what localization and translation projects look like when a company is internationally acquired, and shares with us the importance of placing translation at the forefront of all corporate planning.
On this episode we will touch on:
- How neither she nor her partner knew any Spanish when they moved to Spain
- Raising brand awareness in Europe for an industry that is already flourishing in the U.S.
- How her “scrappy marketing” team organized care for 2,000 dogs in under two weeks (woof)
- Examples of localization and translation hiccups that had to be navigated when infiltrating different locales
- How she organized her team to recode the base that took engineers seven years to create and how she had to configure all currency, data formats, placeholders to their specific locale requirements
Press play and learn all about Jordanna Ber and Rover!
On this episode you will learn:
- What Jordanna thinks of Barcelona as she was raised in Toronto
- How she transitioned from working with Dog Buddy to Rover
- When Jordanna and her team organized 2,000 pet sitters for an event with two weeks notice
- The reality of company acquisition and how it impacts internationalization, localization, and translation
- Jordanna’s thoughts on the “translation first” approach to projects
- Interesting linguistic differences when localizing animal linguistics
- How she organized a team to rewrite the site coding that
- The importance of the right fit when it comes to team members
Jump into the hot topics!
[3:18] Jordanna’s path to permanently landing in Barcelona
[7:05] Where Jordanna works and how she got there
[9:04] Competitive landscape at Dog Buddy (was in 6-7 markets) in 2017 and what the value proposition that Dog Buddy took to market
[12:44] How Jordanna’s first team of “scrappy” marketers found pet sitters for 2,000 dogs with a couple of weeks notice
[13:53] What translation support looked like in the early days of Jordanna’s career at Dog Buddy
[16:25] What Jordanna concentrated on most and experienced when Dog Buddy was acquired by Rover
[19:10] What realities hit when Jordanna was put in charge of all localization at Rover and what she realized about the role
[21:06] How Jordanna navigated a specific Dutch localization question to avoid calling clients of Rover a swear word when they meant to convey the company’s tagline of “The Dog People”
[27:38] What Jordanna learned and how she implemented very quick changes after Rover’s acquisition
[32:50] Jordanna’s thoughts about translation first in the planning process
[34:25] Language translation and revenue within the industry
[37:45] SEO and keyword research frequency at Rover
Keep Up with Jordanna and Smartling!
Jordanna Ber’s LinkedIn
Rover’s site
Rover’s Twitter
Rover’s LinkedIn
Without the ability to connect at events around the world in 2020, Katie Adler, Smartling's marketing manager, had to redefine what it means to establish a sense of community for the localization industry. Katie shares how she pivoted and what events you should sign up for in the coming weeks to be part of the localization community.
The events include How Lyft Scaled Content for 8 Languages with Zak Haitkin (Lyft) and Contentfu, and How to translate and localize multiple content types with Brandon Fiegoli (Butterfly Network).
We're adding events every week. Register today at smartling.com/globalready. And if you'd like to be featured on the loc show, send us an email at locshow@smartling.com
See you next week!
Many translation professionals can pinpoint a specific time or place that set them on the path to translation. Industry newbie Clysree Brown is no exception, but what makes her story different is that her time is now.
Clysree is a recent graduate of the 2020 Graduate Studies in Interpreting and Translation (GSIT) program at University of Maryland College. As a D.C. native, she searched for ways to help underserved communities in her area access healthy foods and joined forces with D.C. Greens. Since then, Clysree has earned both her Undergraduate in Spanish Language and Literature from Howard University and a Masters in Translation and Localization in Project Management from UMC.
On this episode, Clyrsee discusses how she was able to go way beyond the fundamentals as she worked through her schooling and shares how focusing on the art of writing, and even mathematics, were a part of her training.
Join us and hear her rationale for taking the leap into localization from translation and interpreting. If you’re a recent graduate or just want to know how the rising stars of localization are climbing the ranks these days, press play!
On this episode you will learn:
- How coming of age in D.C. shaped Clysree’s career path.
- Clysree’s work with D.C. Greens and how it impacted her profession.
- Education for modern translators and interpreters and all it entails.
- Clysree’s experience as she worked through her Graduate Studies in Interpreting and Translation (GSIT) program.
- More about Cylsree’s decision to move from translation and interpreting to localization.
Keep Up with Clysree and Smartling!
Clysree Brown’s LinkedIn
Smartling’s site
Get a Smartling demo
Full Transcript that almost certainly has typos (forgive us!)
Announcer:
You're listening to The Loc Show presented by Smartling.
Adrian Cohn:
Hello everyone and welcome back to The Loc Show. I'm your host Adrian cone with Smartling It's great to have you back here. We made this show for a couple of reasons. Number one, we want you to become an expert in translation and localization. So every week we are bringing you interviews with people who have done some pretty incredible things at companies like FedEx, and GoCardless, and King and Procore. It's been so much fun doing this show. Today, we have a really interesting guest because she has not quite yet cracked into the localization space in her post-graduate life. Her name is Clysree Brown. She is unbelievable. I think this interview is just going to give you such an awesome background on who she is and what she's learned. And frankly, I learned a lot because I didn't realize that there was a master's program for Translation and Localization Project Management. So hey, I hope you enjoy the episode. A massive shout out and thank you to Clysree for being on the show. Let's get right to it. Hey Clysree welcome to The Loc Show how are you?
Clysree Brown:
Hi, Adrian. I'm doing fine. How are you?
Adrian Cohn:
I'm doing great. It's so nice to sit down with you. We've just been chatting for a few minutes getting to know one another. It's Tuesday evening, it's five o'clock. We've both had long days in the office but I'm still quite excited about what we have to talk about today. Because you are someone who we're bringing onto the show that is new to the industry simply because you are younger and you have just come out of a series of higher education and I'm really looking forward to hearing about what your perspectives are and where you're at in this journey. And yeah, I'm excited to dive into everything. So maybe we should just start a little bit with what's your background? Where are you from?
Clysree Brown:
Okay, so for a little background on me I grew up in Washington D.C. in southeast.
Adrian Cohn:
Which town? Is it southeast the town?
Clysree Brown:
No, southeast Washington D.C. because the city is broken up into four quadrants.
Adrian Cohn:
Sure. Okay. So, if I pull up Google maps and I look, because I know Georgetown is on the west side, right?
Clysree Brown:
Northwest.
Adrian Cohn:
Northwest okay. So I'm on the complete wrong side. All right. Keep talking. I'm going to look at the map.
Clysree Brown:
Yeah so four different quadrants of the city and I grew up in southeast and southeast DC it has a bit of a reputation of being the part where most of the poor people live and admittedly I did see people around me grow up poor but I personally didn't grow up poor. It's been something that I realize is... I guess the way that I should say this is that I realize that I have privilege and I think that it's my duty as a person who has privilege to like give back. So that's why I've always managed to find ways to give back even through my career for example is what inspired me to become a medical interpreter and even help out with food access with D.C. Greens because I have helped out in southeast around the Eastern Market area where they would give out the checks for D.C. Greens for people to get healthy fruits and vegetables. And I've also done work in Columbia Heights too at their food market and Columbia Heights is where they have a larger amount of the Latino population and some of the Mandarin speaking population of the city.
Adrian Cohn:
You said that you realized that you had privilege. Is that the word that you used?
Clysree Brown:
Yeah.
Adrian Cohn:
When did you first realize that? What was the moment in your life where you're like, "All right, I've got an advantage here."
Clysree Brown:
It will come to me in several little moments in my life. It's like that thing that I just read it last night in Michelle Obama's book Becoming. She said, "We were similar but of two different worlds." So a way of explaining that would be like if I'm just going to the Metro before COVID someone will come up to me and then we'd have a conversation and this person will be about my age and we might get off at the same stop. And then they're like, "So, where are you from?" And that's when I was like, "I'm from around here. I live not too far from here." And they would be like, "Really? You don't seem like it."
Clysree Brown:
And I never really knew how to necessarily take that growing up but I mean in a way it did make a lot of sense because I never went to public school in D.C. I always went to private schools and then for high school I went to a Catholic school out in Maryland. So it was that thing where I know that my mom wanted to give me the best education, the best chance in life so that's why I did go to private schools. But if you actually go to a certain public schools though you do have a good shot in D.C. but in order to get into a good public school unfortunately there's a lottery system that you've got to go through. So, unfortunately not every kid has access to the best of the best education.
Adrian Cohn:
How did you take on this privilege when you were in... It sounds like you realized this when you were in your teens if you're traveling on the Metro. How did you onboard all of this? And you talked a little bit about the volunteer experiences you had but how did you channel the energy and what were some of the first things that you did?
Clysree Brown:
Some of the first things I did actually was just take a good solid look at my life. Because sometimes when you're living your life so closely you don't stop and look around and think like, "Hey, I'm a little bit different." And it was that moment where I realized that yeah I was different and it was time to just actually put it to words. So when I did take into account I was like, "Yeah I did go to private school my whole life and that my mom is financially stable." Then I realized that, "Okay yeah, I do have the privilege of knowing that I will be taken care of financially and then education ways." So I decided that it was definitely important to start looking for ways to give back.
Clysree Brown:
And fast forward to when I was in college and we had our capstone project which was our project that we had to do in conjunction with a paper so that we could graduate I decided to tackle the problem with food access in Washington, D.C. Because Washington D.C. is a food desert and that means that there aren't too many grocery stores that are accessible to the people who need them the most. So, they'll usually settle on unhealthy options and that's why the organization that I volunteered with, D.C. Greens, they would hand out checks at farmer's markets so that families could afford healthy fruits and vegetables.
Adrian Cohn:
Wow. So fast forward to now, I mean you've come quite a long way. Tell us a little bit about where you are now in terms of your career and some of the achievements that you've had to date.
Clysree Brown:
So in terms of my career I've just graduated. I'm a May, 2020 graduate from the Graduate Studies in Interpreting and Translation program, or GSIT, from the University of Maryland, College Park.
Adrian Cohn:
Congratulations.
Clysree Brown:
Thank you.
Adrian Cohn:
You are newly minted. And before the University of Maryland you also were at Howard University.
Clysree Brown:
Yup.
Adrian Cohn:
So tell us a little bit about your trajectory in higher education.
Clysree Brown:
You mean more so how I chose my career path that led me to localization or in general?
Adrian Cohn:
Well, I understand that Howard University had a pretty substantial impression on your life. It helped to provide you with some identity. Tell us more about that.
Clysree Brown:
Oh, so particularly about Howard University it's a HBCU so it's a Historically Black College or University. I want to say that it's something that's hard to put into words and you have to live it to know it but it's such a great feeling knowing that you can be around a bunch of people who you identify with and you can learn your history and culture a lot deeper than you did in school. And that for me was just something that I will always remember and cherish. So, Howard University did have a lot to do with me finding pride in being Afro-American because beforehand it was simply like it was just a fact of life. And then afterwards, after being at Howard, it felt like something to definitely take deep pride in.
Adrian Cohn:
Wow. Do you still have good friends from Howard?
Clysree Brown:
I do. I still hang out with a few of my Howard friends.
Adrian Cohn:
That's cool. Yeah. I've been out of school now for a little bit and my friends are all over the country which is really hard. I have a friend in California, a friend in Oregon, friends in Tennessee, probably a couple in New York, but they're spread out. And it's really hard to see everybody, obviously things like Zoom or FaceTime and text messaging helps keep us together but it's not the same as having the ability to go down the hallway. I remember my college years, I remember them and I remember them fondly.
Clysree Brown:
Yeah. And luckily for me a few of my friends still do live in this area. Some of them did go back to where they were from though.
Adrian Cohn:
And so, it was at some point when you were at Howard that you went to a conference and started to do some interpretation work?
Clysree Brown:
So, at Howard University they had this interpretation program and I did three semesters there. And every year there would be a field trip, not every year but I mean every semester there would be a field trip and they would take us to the African Union Mission in Georgetown and we'd have a chance to show the ambassador our interpretation skills. And it was a very nice thing to do because we would be able to go into a real interpretation booth and use the equipment and I thought that was really cool.
Adrian Cohn:
I love doing field work. It definitely makes me feel alive so I can see you doing this right now and that's a nice picture that I have. So was the real beginning into your interest in the field of language and the possibility of what you might be able to do in terms of a longterm career in the field of communication and language and translation?
Clysree Brown:
Well, I would say that my interest in language went a little bit further back because in high school I was always in honors Spanish. So I decided since that [inaudible 00:13:17] were my highest grades I was like, "Why not become a Spanish major and a photography minor?" I mean, I eventually became an English minor but I decided that I wanted to be a Spanish major because it felt like it just made the most sense to me. But I was not really thinking too far ahead as to how would that necessarily help or benefit me further on. And then later I started looking through the course catalog the semester, I think it was second semester of my sophomore year and I saw interpretation was going to be offered. So I was just like, "Why not just dive in and take it?"
Clysree Brown:
So I just didn't really know too much about the whole language services industry so I was like, "Okay interpretation, maybe I want to be an interpreter." So, I did three semesters of that. It was very fun. I definitely bonded with my professor Dr. [inaudible 00:14:12] She's amazing. And after that I was talking to the head of the department of world languages and cultures, which my major is listed under, and she told me about the University of Maryland GSIT program and she said, "I think that if you really want to be an interpreter you should go to GSIT." So that's when I applied. And I applied to GSIT originally wanting to be an interpreter but they got back to me and said they liked my translations better and they thought that I should really foster that. So, I went in on the translation track.
Adrian Cohn:
Tell us a little bit more about the GSIT program because I'm not sure how many folks who are listening have heard about it.
Clysree Brown:
Well, the GSIT program, or Graduate Studies in Interpreting and Translation program, was founded around 2016 by Dr. David B. Sawyer and he actually is still one of the professors in the program. He is a very great professor. He has for over 10 years been the chief of European languages branch of interpretation at the state department. And he's a very good source of information. He shows us the ins and outs of this industry that I wouldn't have even guessed were there. And I just say that you have to actually be in class to experience it because he really goes in depth. He leaves nothing unanswered.
Adrian Cohn:
Wow. You sound excited about the leadership that he brought to this program.
Clysree Brown:
Yup
Adrian Cohn:
So, give us details. What was the makeup of the class and what interests did other classmates of yours have? Tell us more about the program and the people.
Clysree Brown:
So the people in the program, there were about 15 in my cohort. Some of them were diplomats, some had already been translators for about 10 years and decided to get their masters then, some had been removed from or graduated from undergrad and were just deciding to come back for their master's. What else? Oh, and there was one person who was actually a former teacher in high school well a former high school teacher.
Adrian Cohn:
That's a pretty wide range of people who were in your group. You may even have just labeled 15 categories and there were 15 people in the class. When you say cohort, do you mean that was the number of people who graduated the year that you were there or the two years rather? Okay. That's an intimate program so it gives you a lot of opportunity to get to know the people.
Clysree Brown:
Definitely.
Adrian Cohn:
What were some of the classes like? What were the titles of the classes?
Clysree Brown:
So we have some courses in public speaking, translation for specific markets, translation for specific domains. And then we had intensive writing both directions. Because this program they definitely focus on if you're on a translation track they'll definitely focus on translation and the whole art of it and writing, just simply writing in both languages or if you're doing three tracks in all three languages. Because it's really critical to just separate translation and writing at a certain point because sometimes it's easy to get distracted by the fact of translating that you just get sloppy with the art form of writing. So, it's something that the program is really good at.
Adrian Cohn:
Awesome. So, you said that you had one class that was called How to Translate in Different Markets, what'd you learn?
Clysree Brown:
So for a translation into specific markets we learned certain phrasing that is appropriate for certain times. So for example, if we are doing an advertisement versus the language that we would use for doing a treaty or even a recipe book. So we learned how to translate a variety of texts.
Adrian Cohn:
So it was how to effectively translate different types of content in a particular market?
Clysree Brown:
Yep. And there was one course where we spoke about translation theory or I think it was maybe two or three courses where we talked about different translation theories but the translation for specific markets it was definitely hands on. So it was like every class we had to turn in an assignment that was an actual translation. So I think that they're very thorough with making sure that you understand the heart of the translation itself as well as actually giving you a chance to really apply yourself. Because sometimes it could be a thing where you focus so much on learning about doing it that you don't end up doing it but this program gives you an ample opportunity to just learn it as well as do it.
Adrian Cohn:
So could it be that one of your homework assignments would be, "Take this recipe and translate it into Spanish for Spain, see ya Monday." Would that be one of the assignments?
Clysree Brown:
Yeah, that definitely would be something that would be one of the assignments.
Adrian Cohn:
So what was the training to help you be successful? Because I know that I definitely had some professors who just gave you homework and didn't really care if you did well. I hate to admit it but I think that's true. But I had most of my professors were just so deeply invested in my success and they would provide great training in the classes that teed me up for a really good assignment that would be due the next week for example. What were some of the lessons that your professors imparted upon you that stood out that were helping you to complete assignments well or that you feel have shaped who you are today?
Clysree Brown:
Well I mean, one of the best pieces of advice one of my translation teachers gave me was to actually think about it or it might start sounding like translaterese where it's just like a person who's a native speaker will look at that and say, "That works but it's a little awkward." Versus something that sounds like it was actually written in that language. So, taking a moment and really thinking about it. And then with my translation technology course one thing that one of the professors said to me that stood out was, "Master technology before it masters you." So, that means make sure that you definitely say on top of new technology that's coming out and don't be afraid of technology. See technology as your friend because you will just have to either adapt or simply be replaced.
Adrian Cohn:
Right. So I mean, the degree was Translation and Localization Project Management. Clearly you had classes in translation. You had, Let's make sure you are effective at translating content and you understand the differences between different content types. You had a technology class that presumably was giving you some insight and visibility into what the technologies are and how to use them. Tell us a little bit about the localization project management side. What did you learn about localization project management from this course, from this degree?
Clysree Brown:
So there were two courses in localization that stood out to me, Localization Business Fundamentals and Localization Project Management. So, with the business fundamentals we were playing a game and we were pretending at certain points to be an SLV, an ROV, MLV, client side, buyer side. We were just trying it all and even coming up with budgets and assigning certain people in our team's roles such as the DTP specialists or the person who is the head of the company. And it was just fun to see all the different sides of this and how complex it all really is. Because first coming in especially because I didn't know much about localization or the translation industry before coming into this program I just thought that it was just interpreter, translator, simple, but I saw in the Localization Business Fundamentals Course that there was a lot more to it. And I felt like it was really in depth especially for it to just be fundamentals. But I think that it was very eyeopening and very amazing.
Adrian Cohn:
So, what were some of the things that you learned about in the field of localization project management that stood out to you as being so in depth that surprised you?
Clysree Brown:
Well, I found out because we got really deep into math and I didn't expect to really go into math again. Because admittedly math is not one of my favorite subjects even though I am striving to get better at it. But I was just really surprised at all the complicated formulas that we were getting. I was like, "Wow, this feels like we're living a real life algebra problem."
Adrian Cohn:
So what was the math? What was the problem to solve?
Clysree Brown:
Okay. So one day our professor pulled up a website and it was random. It was some website that sold mostly ties and handkerchiefs and he was just like, "So extrapolate how much you're going to charge to just localize all this content. And I was just like, "What?" I'm not just looking at it like this whole webpage and I'm just like, "Where do I even start? Am I doing word count? Am I counting images? I don't even know." But it was something where he was just like he wanted us to just really get creative and think out of the box.
Adrian Cohn:
Yeah. That's a cool problems to solve. How did you solve it? What did you do?
Clysree Brown:
It was like luckily we had a person on our team who was already in the translation and localization industry. So he came up with I can't remember in detail what he did but he came up with his own way of solving it. And then that's when he gave us the rest of the group members the equation that we were going to work on and then we solved it.
Adrian Cohn:
Yeah. I love the problem because it's actually a real life problem it's not just a fake one and you've said a few times already that the program was meaningful, it had real world scenarios that you had to solve. And we get questions at Smartling every day of like, "What is it going to cost?" And then our response is, "Well, how much content do you have?" And they're like, "Well, we don't know." I mean sometimes that's what happens. Other times it's as simple as the customer providing us with a file and then we can immediately tell them how many words it is and what the fuzzy match will be and how they'll save money doing these five things. So, you can use technology to help solve that problem but I think it's cool that they gamed that out in your master's program.
Clysree Brown:
That's definitely true and within the last year of the program I actually switched over from being a translation concentration or major to localization.
Adrian Cohn:
Why'd you make the leap?
Clysree Brown:
Well, because I had a feeling that localization would be another challenge for me because I did like translation a lot but I felt like I was having some sort of mastery over it. Because I don't really think that I could ever have full mastery over translation because a side note I am a creative story writer. So I do write short stories and stuff so I never believe that there's any such thing as a perfect story. So I always strive to write better stories and stuff. So I don't ever think I could fully master translation but I felt like I was having a level of mastery that I was comfortable with. So I decided to tackle localization because I decided why not. Because during this program I've done interpreting, conference interpreting, community interpreting when I was a medical interpreter for about seven months as my practicum. And then I did translation in this program so I decided why not branch out and do localization because it felt adventurous and I felt like I could do it.
Adrian Cohn:
That's good reasons. I think it is an adventurous discipline. I certainly had the great pleasure of speaking to and working with many people who are in localization and the responsibility set varies so much from company to company. In large organizations with thousands and thousands of people there may be large teams of localization managers maybe that are dedicated to specific countries. And then in small companies or companies that are newer to translation maybe it's a person's halftime job. And I think that spectrum is really quite interesting and challenging for people to navigate whether they are on the client side or the customer side, sorry the vendor side. And I think you've pinpointed some interesting takeaways there.
Adrian Cohn:
What are you hoping to do next? You've got your undergraduate degree in Spanish language and literature from Howard. You have a master's degree in Translation and Localization Project Management. Where do you see yourself next? What are you trying to achieve now?
Clysree Brown:
Well, I would like to get a junior project manager position or a quality assurance position because I feel like I have an eye for attention to detail and I think that project management is something that is definitely very stable. And I am a well organized person so I think that global project manager would suit me.
Adrian Cohn:
Well, you guys heard it here first, Clysree is ready and willing and able. And I think that if there's anything I've learned on today's call, Clysree, it's that you are one bright star, a rising star in the industry. You're super awesome to hop on the podcast with me. You've been following SmartLink for a number of months now. I've seen your name pop up in our events that we've had and you and I have had some dialogue on LinkedIn and in email. And you come across as someone who is incredibly intelligent and someone who's accomplished a lot in your short life.
Clysree Brown:
Well, thank you so much and I hope that I'm going to accomplish a lot more because already I have as you said accomplished so much.
Adrian Cohn:
Well, you've got plenty of time and use it wisely and use it in good health.
Clysree Brown:
Thank you.
Adrian Cohn:
Thank you. Thank you. Thank you Clysree Brown for being on The Loc Show. I thoroughly enjoyed this conversation. You are going places. Everybody take note. Find her on LinkedIn, make a connection with her. She is an awesome rising star. Thank you also for listening to The Loc Show. This show has been so much fun to produce and if you are learning from it, if you're enjoying it, do me one small favor, it would make my day, head on over to the podcast player and give this show a six star review. And if you're so inclined leave a comment. If you'd like to be featured on The Loc Show send me an email, locshow@smartling.com. See you next time.
Smartling’s Conny Hayes started working in the industry before localization was popularized as a discipline. She knows her stuff.
Conny sits down with us on this episode of The Loc Show to give our listeners a special inside peek into how she came to be our fantastic Director & Team Lead of Solution Consulting.
Once upon a time Conny was a freelance translator living and working in Germany, London, and Boulder, CO. She went from being a Smartling user to becoming part of the company after she read a blog on machine translation a couple moons ago. At her core, Conny is a nimble expert and has leveraged her innate agility to grow alongside the translation and localization industry - sharing all she has learned with hundreds of companies managing translation. We can’t wait for you to hear her awesome story.
Don’t wait a moment more- click to listen!
On this episode you will learn:
- What translation looked like in the 1990s and how the industry has significantly advanced.
- Conny’s experience in translation and linguistics and how she got to Smartling.
- How Conny started as a Smartling user while she was freelancing and then became part of the team.
- About Conny’s previous work with LSPs and what she has learned along the way.
- How Conny now sees the value of translation and localization from various POVs, including to a localization manager, content managers and project managers.
- How Conny manages projects and implements ideas on an individual client basis to ensure easy integration for customer success.
Keep Up with Conny and Smartling!
- Conny’s Twitter
- Conny on LinkedIn
- Smartling’s site
- Get a Smartling Demo
Iti Sahai is the Leader of Localization & Globalization at Procore Technologies. Procore is a global B2B software platform that organizes all collaborators from vendors, company owners and planners within the construction industry. Procore enhances the experiences of all members involved in projects and provides a way for folks to do their best work through project management.
Iti’s career began in an exciting place one would not necessarily equate with language services: Bollywood. Eventually her artistic path transitioned from the film industry into storytelling for businesses via localization. For Iti, the ability to tell the story of a company, technology or tool to a brand new culture through language satisfies her desire to creatively communicate.
Iti and her work continues to evolve as she and her team contextualize content for various locales, face and overcome obstacles through adapting workflows across countries and create cohesion within the very nuanced and detailed construction industry.
Listen to Iti’s compelling stances of ROI in localization, learn how she strives to bring localization to the forefront of projects, and hear about her personal challenges and successes at Procore.
What you’ll learn on this episode:
- How Iti’s path led her from Bollywood to localization
- The power of storytelling in localization
- What Procore specializes in and how the construction industry relies on localization
- Contextualizing content for different locales
- How Iti aims to bring localization to the forefront of each project and why
- Iti’s philosophy on the idea of ROI in localization
Jump right in:
[01:52] Iti’s background and experience growing up in India.
[03:52] The path from India to America and from filmmaking to localization.
[04:35] Storytelling through localization.
[08:10] About Procore and Iti’s role there.
[10:39] Contextualizing content for various locales.
[13:42] Workflow adaptabilities across countries and the importance of adding value.
[14:43] Content, branding, and customer experience expectations.
[15:50] Challenges in managing translation.
[19:25] What Iti learned from working at an LSP.
[21:35] Milestone projects she has been a part of at Procore and their results.
[23:37] Bringing localization to the fore of projects.
[27:53] Showing the strategic value of localization to those that don’t see it’s importance.
[32:25] Does ROI for translation matter?
[35:26] Demonstrating ROI.
[37:11] The importance of viewing localization as a multifaceted approach.
[41:20] Tracking efficacy through user experience.
Keep up to date with Iti and Procore:
- Procore’s site
- Iti Sahai’s LinkedIn
- Smartling website
We’ll make a wager that no matter where you’re reading this from in the world, you know Candy Crush. Whether it’s familiar because you’re a subway over-the-shoulder snooper or because you’re a fan yourself, the colorful and hypnotizing layout stands out from many games. King has, in part, made Candy Crush such a success because they’re committed to localizing and globalizing content for their players.
In this episode of The Loc Show, we go in depth about video game localization and why Miguel’s work with King as the Global Localization Manager stands out:
- How he actively works against the prevalent thought within the industry that localization is an entity in and of itself.
- Why the localization team at King does serious research into how gamers from different cultural backgrounds perceive everything from font type to beauty.
- How Miguel and his carefully selected team members folds in many considerations to maximize localization efforts, resulting in a seamless gaming experience for players by asking important questions:
- What is the message and who is it going to?
- What are the preferred game modes?
- What cultural nuances should be considered?
- How can we help the marketing team find customers by localizing keywords?
- Is there different terminology used in games for different markets?
Join us for this conversation as Miguel takes us through his 20+ years of experience in the industry, gives us the rundown on how he has bolstered his team to be the glue at King, and shares snippets of his successful blog Yolocalizo.
On this episode you will learn:
- How Miguel has built his crew to become the glue for the company and how he encourages team members to ensure they’re silo breakers.
- How Miguel embraces the RACI framework to enable his team and colleagues to understand localization is a shared responsibility and the most effective way to keep projects on track.
- Questions to ask yourself, your PM and your team to keep your projects moving seamlessly.
- Miguel’s thoughts on the ROI of localization and globalization and what other insightful questions should be discussed with your C-Suite to evaluate success.
What to listen for:
[01:20] Miguel’s perspective on the localization industry and its many facets.
[04:05] How Miguel came to work in the industry and about his current position at King.
[08:55] The localization process at King and the importance of building a strong and balanced team.
[15:55] Understanding that localization is a continuous process.
[17:39] The RACI framework: What it is and how it helps to keep teams on task.
[21:23] The results Miguel has seen from the implementation of the RACI Framework at King.
[23:15] Why the player experience is a more valuable metric than ROI.
[28:34] Measuring customer satisfaction: The single unifying metric.
[31:42] Addressing internal feedback regarding localization processes.
[33:12] Why Miguel is proud of shifting the localization process to an internal model at King.
[35:46] Taking on talent: The importance of creating a balanced team and investing in people.
[40:50] Is ROI important to localization and, more importantly, can you survive the market without it?
[46:30] Understanding the added value localization brings.
Keep learning with Miguel, King & Smartling
- Yolocalizo, Miguel’s website
- King’s site
- @King_Games on Twitter
- @lifeatking on Instagram
- Smartling’s site
Chelle Coury is Global Senior Program Manager at Fitbit. Fitbit is a small device that holds a lot of content, and that content needs translating. Fitbit tracks sleep cycles, heart rate, offers fitness guidance and weight insight, to name a few features.
Currently based out of Singapore, Chelle joined Fitbit 4 years ago and found a fragmented and decentralized localization process that desperately needed optimization. Since then, she and her team have worked to centralize the translation and localization process, overcoming the challenges of screen size and context to help make Fitbit a globally recognizable brand.
Chelle joins us today to discuss how she got into localization, the physical challenges of the device display, and how she tactically unified departments in order to lay the foundation to provide top tier in-language content to every person who wears a Fitbit activity band around their wrists.
Chelle also unpacks how her keen interest in data science enabled her to drive language translation A/B tests, and divulges both common and high-level considerations for the software development cycle that you can take and use to achieve success in your own translation program.
So what are you waiting for? Press play!
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- How Chelle unified several internal departments at Fitbit and the challenges she overcame during the process of implementing localization and globalization across the company.
- Insights as to how data informs large scale decisions at Fitbit.
- Examples of different content types at Fitbit and how they all work together to give people better quality of life.
- How Chelle thinks about translation and localization on a global scale end user experience not when the product has been built but before in the planning and design phase and making it part of the early stage development
- Different stages and elements of the software development cycle and localization at Fitbit.
- Tips for ensuring code is set up for internationalization.
What to listen for:
[01:28] How Chelle ended up as an expat in Singapore.
[03:50] The methods Chelle is using to learn French.
[05:26] Chelle’s path to localization and Fitbit.
[06:34] What the localization process looked like four years ago and what needed optimization.
[09:30] Creating easily marketable copy for other territories.
[11:32] The main challenges of centralizing the localization process.
[13:56] The physical scale challenges that the Fitbit device range presents for localization.
[14:55] Product localization and translation challenges.
[18:00] The types of content Chelle finds most enjoyable to work on.
[23:00] The process of reviewing translations and displays before release.
[26:20] The importance of planning for the global end user experience from the beginning.
[28:50] Doing constant context review of content.
[30:40] What takeaways and advice Chelle has for the software development cycle.
Keep up with Fitbit and Chelle Coury
- Chelle’s LinkedIn.
- Fitbit’s site, app, Twitter, Instagram and LinkedIn.
- Fitbit
- Smartling Website
Contact Adrian Cohn at Smartling
Zak Haitkin runs the localization department for Lyft. This is no small task, considering the company offers car rides, scooters and bicycle-sharing on demand, and point-to-point transportation that leverages public transit options.
Lyft operates in 644 cities in the U.S. and 12 cities in Canada. Zak, with a degree in Spanish and International Studies, tells us how his passion for language landed him a job at one of the fastest-growing companies in North America.
This episode unpacks the various localization challenges Lyft navigates with software, services and teamwork. Zak shares how transcreation and translation work to improve Lyft’s UX; and how Lyft’s utilization of Contentful (and Smartling’s integration with Contenful) make it so much easier to scale their content and keep up with the rapid feature release cycles.
To top it off, Zak also shares details about Lyft’s philanthropic endeavors, including their commitment to accessibility and community via their new initiative, LyftUp. This episode is 🔥🔥🔥
Let’s go!
What you’ll learn in this episode:
- How Zak advanced the ladder at Lyft and benefitted from a valuable mentor.
- What the content experience at Lyft looks like and what the important touch points of their UX are.
- How transcreation is shaped by services rolling out into new territories.
- The delicate dance between UX and transcreation regarding terminology in new languages.
- Exciting UX updates and news about their newest community project, LyftUp.
- The importance of revisiting translation memory and glossaries to limit potential future errors.
- Challenges Zak navigates as Lyft’s app is translated and localized.
What to Listen For
[3:12] Zak explains how he combined his passion for language and sports in his first podcast series.
[4:11] How Zak got involved with Lyft and the history behind his journey.
[9:05] Who Zak learned under and how it shaped his career within the company.
[11:05] How Lyft curates its voice and user interface and experience.
[14:45] The history of ride hail programs and how Lyft builds an experience for their users.
[18:12] How “rideshare” causes language issues.
[20:07] The challenges of localization and risks Lyft faces in terms of user experience.
[23:18] Managing translation memory and the importance of translation memory management.
[29:52] Accommodations for people who are visually impaired.
[32:57] The integration of Figma and the problems with inconsistencies of language translations within screenshots in the app.
[37:10] The localization of both the driver and user apps and how they launch changes.
[38:08] Supporting changes through quarantine and the shift of focus to new goals.
[41:15] Zak’s thoughts on how the MLB started up again and concerns with the model.
[44:08] Zak’s closing thoughts on linguistics, localization and creation.
With the cloud of COVID hanging permanently over our heads, we’re all glued to our devices as both a means to escape reality and a way to stay tethered and informed. Some of us are taking on passion projects while others are trying to add a little pizazz to our presentations and posts for work. Wherever you land on the spectrum, we’re sure you can appreciate the value of a well done video. It's Impossible to inform, capture attention and entertain - all three if you’re lucky!
This week, The Loc Show welcomes Tobias Raub, Co-Founder of Clipchamp, to discuss all things video and provide an interesting glimpse into what considerations should be kept in mind as smaller businesses grow into global brands. His company, Clipchamp, makes it easy for even a noob to create professional grade videos through their digital platform. You can upload your own personal videos, choose from their stock footage and layer stock audio to create memorable, quality content.
Join us and hear firsthand the unique vision Tobias has for his burgeoning business and all he has learned from being a scrappy entrepreneur in charge of many facets of Clipchamp’s strategies.
And one more thing… Clipchamp leverages Smartling to manage translation, which saves Tobi eight hours a week. Also worth noting: they use Contentful as their content management system. Tobi is based in Germany, and founder Alex Dreiling is in Australia. The friends always wanted to create a start-up since they met each other at a previous job with German software engineering company SAP. Cool backstory, right?
In this episode you will learn
- The many ways you can leverage Clipchamp for personal and professional use.
- What Tobias is keeping in mind as Clipchamp builds out their app.
- Investing in technology as a start up.
- How to manage translating several types of content simultaneously.
- How to determine if your tools of choice are no longer serving your mission.
- What to do when processes begin to tip the scale into unstable territory.
What to listen for
[3:43] The “itch” Tobi discovered to create a start-up.
[4:49] The backstory and creation of Clipchamp.
[5:40] What clients can do with Clipchamp and goals of the platform.
[9:18] Tobi dives into when he thought about translation and localization.
[11:15] Testing international language and translation methods.
[13:46] Content development and user interfaces of the platform.
[15:36] Building the website and technology.
[18:01] Github and integrations with third party providers.
[19:57] Evaluating costs and benefits of making investments in multiple languages.
[23:42] Difficulty translating the platform and terminology.
[24:58] Knowing when a change is necessary.
[27:04] What Tobi would do differently if he could go back 5-7 years and the lessons he’s learned.
[31:57] Validation of content and specialists involved.
[34:09] Emphasis on teamwork, meetings and statistics.
[36:52] Conducting user interviews and product management.
Learn more about Tobi - Clipchamp - Tobias’s LinkedIn - Smartling Website - Contact host, Adrian Cohn at Smartling (locshow@smartling.com) - If you liked this podcast, you can find more episodes or leave a review 😀.
When was the last time you had a sandwich from Subway?
We all walk by a Subway and smell the heady scent of baking bread, but did you know you can order your sandwich from your phone and pick it up without having to be tempted by the cookies by the register?
Carrie Fischer is the Manager of Global Localization Services for Subway and serves as the brains and brawn behind the unveiling of their new app. In this episode of The Loc Show, Carrie explains why companies with classic brick and mortar stores still need to localize and how they can benefit from investing the energy in our rapidly digitizing world.
Join us as we walk through the complexities Carrie faces as she heads up all of the globalization efforts for the largest QSR (quick services restaurant) in the world and how she continues to provide outstanding experiences for her customers in over 110 countries.
In this episode you will hear some BTS details of:
- Rolling out Subway’s Rewards & Deals program
- Staying sane while collaborating with third party developers
- Cultivating a trustworthy and reliable work environment
- Developing digital experiences for customers
- Modernizing the employee training process
- App payment method considerations
- Giving back to the industry by way of working alongside Women in Localization
Learn More About Carrie & Continue Learning
- Carrie Fischer on LinkedIn
- Women in Translation’s site
- Subway site
- Subway’s app
- Smartling’s free e-book: The Ultimate Guide to Maximizing Your Translation Value
What to Listen For[01:24] Carrie’s localization background and journey to Subway.
[03:25] What Carrie views as some of the more transformative moments in the localization industry.
[04:49] Creating an internal localization process at Subway while focusing on the consumer
experience.
[06:44] Collaborating with third party developers to create the digital transformation of the
company.
[09:00] Why Subway needs a digital presence and why localization is necessary.
[12:20] Challenges when creating the app content and how they were overcome.
[16:30] How Subway has transformed the content of training materials and shifted to e-
learning.
[18:57] How decisions on localization are made.
[20:16] The process of evaluating translation efficacy.
[24:19] Localized payment methods and how they are integrated into the app.
[25:39] Adding value to the consumer with the Subway My Way rewards program.
[27:14] The process of creating and translating content for the program.
[33:04] What the pain points of the localization process have been and how they were
overcome.
[36:14] Women in Localization: About the organization and giving back to the community.
[39:34] Advice for people starting out in the localization industry.
You’ve probably heard of Jira, Confluence and Trello, right? Thought so.
These are some of the world-class products developed by industry titan Atlassian.
On this episode of The Loc Show, you’ll hear how Melanie Heighway transformed from a curious language-loving translator into the Product Localization Team Lead at Atlassian.
Melanie is an incredible practitioner. She’s responsible for managing their core products in over 15 languages, and has learned a ton in the process. She has fostered relationships with engineering teams, conducted a gap analysis to help the company understand how and where to invest in translation, and skillfully unpacks how to handle some obstacles you may encounter along the way.
Atlassian is home to a family of systems and software, project management and collaboration tools and more to help companies stay on task on a global stage.
What you will learn on this episode:
- How Atlassian thinks about translation and localization
- What successful localization campaigns look like and how to share stats with your C-Suite to ensure allocating funding for the future.
- How to build and foster relationships with your engineering team to exceed expectations and build a robust department
- The best way to manage linguistic assets
What to Listen For:
[14:43] How Melanie found her way to Atlassian
[16:50] How Melanie approaches localization and translation with her diverse background and love of language
[17:38] What Atlassian does and what Melanie brings to the team’s table
[19:20] Why Atlassian started to invest in translation and localization
[21:48] What the localization landscape looks like at Atlassian at the moment
[23:14] Melanie’s priorities in product localization
[25:20] How to partner with an engineering team to achieve success and incentivise
[27:35] Obstacles and hurdles Melanie had to confront on her path to success
[33:50] Hindsight and working in localization
[35:39] Results of localization efforts
[38:06] How Melanie approaches cloud-based products verses mobile products
[41:40] Managing linguistic assets between various products, apps and sites
[44:31] How Melanie’s team approaches divides and conquers the large portfolio she manages
[50:33] What excites Melanie the most about the future of localization and beyond
Keep up with Atlassian and Melanie:
- Atlassian’s LinkedIn
- Atlassian’s Twitter
- Atlassian’s site
- Melanie’s LinkedIn
Even if you have never worked in the medical device field, you can surely imagine how ardorous the process of getting approval is (think: FDA clearance for marketing materials) for all content related to your products. And you can surely imagine how important it is for all content to be 100% accurate. Internal reviews are often mandatory within the industry for that very reason.
This week on The Loc Show, Adrian sits down with Charlie Jackson, Senior Web Manager at FUJIFILM Sonosite, Inc. to recount the ways Charlie is navigating the many technical challenges encountered as an engineer dedicated to making their global presence more efficient. Including how Charlie manages the distribution of products in global markets before they’re available in the source language of the company, which is English.
And if you haven’t heard of Sonosite, a division of FUJIFILM, Inc., they’re best known for creating travel-friendly imaging machines and partnering with point-of-care clinicians to continue the tradition of innovating the practice of medicine for the sake of providing better patient care. It’s essentially guaranteed that you’ve come across their product without knowing it.
Subscribe: Apple Podcast / Google Play / Spotify / Stitcher
What you will learn on this episode:How this international company transitioned from sharing blanketed machine translated content to become fully multi-lingual, integrated, and localized.
The dos and don’ts of marrying the business requirements with the limitations of your industry.
How to excel within the confines of rolling out approved content to several countries simultaneously.
Ways you can work to minimize the complexity of translation and localization to ensure a smooth digital experience for end users and target audiences.
What to Listen For:
[2:49] Charlie on his storied background in software.
[4:00] When Charlie joined Sonosite and began undertaking translating the site from MT German
[16:47] The process Charlie developed to ensure quality in translations was meeting expectations of the brand, especially within the medical device space.
[21:04] Marketing managers or end users: who Charlie relies on more for feedback about quality.
[22:16] Sonosite’s issues in transcreation.
[29:03] The importance of marketers being ahead of the curve for developing services.
[29:24] What Charlie wants to improve on for global users.
[31:18] Workarounds for issues pertaining to video in addition to language.
[39:20] Charlie on communicating the value of translation with C-Suite.
Keep up with Charlie Jackson & Sonosite:
Sonosite’s site
Sononite’s LinkedIn
Sononite’s Twitter
Charlie’s LinkedIn
Smartling’s site
Smartling’s Twitter
Smartling site
It’s standard to keep a finger on the pulse of our industries and competition. But can you say the same for how you pay attention to your employees? Have you examined the pain points of your own company? Do you have a high turnover rate?
Culture Amp is best known for helping companies improve employee retention through facilitating engagement and peak performance by collecting feedback via simple surveys. Culture Amp turns these insights into high-impact actions to create an ideal employee experience.
In this episode, Jordan Lewis, Director of Product (Platform) at Culture Amp, sits down with us to discuss the internal and external growth that continuous localization has enabled for his company. Jordan shares how his team at CultureAmp drastically improved translation turnaround time (from four weeks to a few days) and how his team leverages Slack to not only communicate with translators to reach results faster, but also to keep the entire company up-to-speed on the localization strategy.
Subscribe: Apple Podcast / Google Play / Spotify / Stitcher
On this Episode You Will Learn:
- How to implement continuous localization into your product development cycles and reduce turnaround time from four weeks to days
- The best questions to ask yourself as you strategize for translation and localization
- Ways to tier content and product features to optimize translation spend
- Why it’s important to have direct communication with translators
What to listen for:
[01:55] About Jordan and Culture Amp.
[04:47] The impact of COVID-19 on buyer behaviour and engagement.
[05:45] How the new translation initiative varies from the original.
[07:28] How Jordan’s technical understanding informed the creation of the translation management system at Culture Amp.
[11:00] Did the end user experience impact the creation of the system?
[12:45] Understanding which markets and languages to target for translation.
[14:45] Ease of adoption of the system.
[16:45} What process of translation review does Culture Amp have in place?
[19:24] What surprises Jordan faced when creating the translation system.
[21:55] Evaluating the efficacy of the system.
[23:55] What the future developments or implementations at Culture Amp could look like.
[25:40] What the current translation process at Culture Amp is.
[28:43] What kind of automation is in place for content reaching correct workflows?
[30:25] Talking about localization through the lens of business.
[34:13] Common questions Jordan gets about the translation process at a company level.
[36:33] Creating an open and informed culture of localization within the company.
[38:22] Advice for localization teams working on similar processes.
[40:45] Where Culture Amp sits on the Localization Maturity Scale.
Find Jordan Lewis and Culture Amp online:
Jordan Lewis on Twitter
Jordan Lewis on LinkedIn
Culture Amp on LinkedIn
Culture Amp on Twitter
Culture Amp website
Culture Amp on Instagram
Smartling website
You know what’s important to SaaS companies? Subscriptions. Why? Because it represents recurring revenue, and recurring revenue results in a dependable income stream for businesses. That’s where GoCardless comes in.
GoCardless makes it simple to collect recurring and one-off payments for customers worldwide. Based on a pull payment system, GoCardless has a lower rate of fraudulent transactions and late payments than card-based payment systems. Their software is used by companies like DocuSign, SurveyMonkey and Deloitte. More than $13 billion in transactions are processed every year by 50,000 businesses worldwide.
And since their customers are everywhere (and their customer’s customers are everywhere), GoCardless introduced an agile localization program so payers could interact with their portal in 10 languages.
In this episode, Ben Morfoot, group product manager at GoCardless, talks about how they selected which markets were strategically important, what their criteria were for implementing a translation process and translation management system, and why it’s important to treat every customer like a first-class citizen.
On this episode, you’ll learn:
- How GoCardless developed its expansion strategy
- What GoCardless engineers wanted from their translation vendor
- The value of translation quality and how it impacts the user experience
- What the product team thinks about when developing product for international users
- The seamless process GoCardless set up to easily submit content for translation and deploy it without adding headcount
Topics:
[03:53] About Ben and GoCardless.
[05:51] The types of integration GoCardless utilizes.
[07:02] How the GoCardless platform is used in the market.
[10:03] Who the end user of their platform is.
[11:28] How the end user experiences the platform and what features are available.
[13:55] Reaching the tipping point for implementing localization.
[15:55] Using data sets to understand which markets and languages to target for translation.
[20:40] The average amount of words translated in the merchant experience.
[22:21] How the translation process is managed as a centralized system.
[24:14] Payer content vs. Customer content: What differs and how is it optimized?
[26:28] How translation quality impacts the end user experience.
[27:54] Understanding and implementing a quality TMS.
[29:35] How insights into the process impacted the engineering team.
[33:02] Creating the vision and criteria for the localization process.
[35:52] Who is creating the content?
[37:45] The scale of collaboration between content creators and translators.
[38:48] Evaluating the efficacy of the system and the quality of translations.
[42:03] How COVID-19 had impacted GoCardless processes.
Resources and links:
- Ben Morfoot on LinkedIn
- Ben Morfoot on Twitter
- GoCardless Website
- Smartling Website
Slator has become the complete resource for language industry news and analysis since Andrew Smart and Florian Faes co-founded the news media group in 2015. And with 25 years of experience across media and localization, Andrew has the inside line on industry trends.
By operating in the space of localization, media, and brand, Andrew has learned a lot about managing relationships, collaborating successfully for the best result, and leveraging feedback from users to deliver valuable content.
He’s also been a key player in building Slator’s own media platform, so his experience in reaching a worldwide audience is one we can all learn from.
Andrew joins us today to talk about the impact of COVID-19 on the localization industry’s growth, the macro-trends that have been emerging in both localization and SaaS technology as a whole, the vital role of translators in our global economy, and opportunities to improve collaboration between brands and linguists.
Subscribe: Apple Podcast / Google Play / Spotify / Stitcher
On this episode, you’ll learn
- How Slator came to be, and the role their voice plays in the industry
- Where the localization industry currently stands, and how it's set up for growth 2021
- Why translation is only growing in importance, and how to leverage localization
- How to build a strong collaborative relationship with translators, and why it is critical to listen to their feedback
- The importance of directly listening to your customers and users to understand their pain points, and how to deliver the most valuable experience.
What to listen for
- [03:54] - Andrew’s experience and the story of Slator
- [07:17] - Some insight around Slator’s recent Industry Market Report
- [09:35] - Growth in the localization industry and the macro-trends emerging right now
- [13:47] - The influence of macro-trends on the consumer side of the industry
- [18:00] - The apps and services keeping Andrew connected during the lockdown
- [22:40] - What might the media landscape look like after COVID-19?
- [24:06] - Thinking positively about the power of technology and SaaS platforms during a global pandemic
- [27:09] - Translator pay and job satisfaction: Why you need to listen to their feedback
- [33:48] - Andrew highlights the importance of cultural and situational context in translation
- [36:40] - Adrian discusses the opportunity for improvement within the localization industry
- [39:40] - How remote work is empowering the world with greater flexibility and agility
- [46:44] - Why brands translate and how they value content
- [49:30] - Determining the value and measuring ROI of translation for your brand
- [51:00] - Understand what your users need to deliver the most value
Keep learning 📖
- Connect with Andrew on LinkedIn
- Tweet at Andrew
- Check out Slator’s Content
- Why Website Localization Remains an Advantage in 2020
- 2020 Localization Industry Trends from Smartling
If you've shopped for anything online lately (and let's face it, all of us have), then you most definitely have had at least one package delivered by FedEx. You’ve probably even shipped something from the other side of the world.
Operating in over 220 countries at 39 languages, the logistics giant makes it possible to ship just about anything you need from one corner of the globe to another without any hassle.
But have you wondered about the magic that went on behind the scenes to create such a seamless experience?
Us, too. Turns out it took a concerted digital transformation strategy.
As the Senior Localization Program Manager for FedEx, Nancy Ferreira was there to help ensure that every supported market and language has the best experience possible for customers, even when there is unique product availability by region.
Nancy unwraps the story of FedEx’s digital localization journey and dives into how she introduced an agile translation engine with technology, how she manages the relationship between localization professionals and content stakeholders, and how her team balances creativity and timeline constraints for every project.
On this episode, you’ll learn:
- How FedEx prioritizes content for translation
- How to leverage data to drive informed decision making and quantify translation quality
- How to define quality standards across different content channels
- Insights on navigating internal conversations around the value of localization
- How to navigate the challenges of managing localization during a digital transformation
- The importance of considering localization during content creation
What to listen for:
[6:05] - Nancy’s start in localization
[8:35] - Helping to build a more agile, digital experience
[11:43] - The importance of localization during digital transformation
[14:40] - Navigating internal conversations about the value of translation
[23:18] - Deciding what to translate, how to translate, and when to translate
[36:30] - Leveraging data to identify your highest priority content for translation
[40:37] - Creativity requirements and timeline constraints within localization
[46:55] - Nancy's vision for localization, both at FedEx and the industry
[51:32] - Nancy talks about how one project can touch up to 120 professionals
Keep learning 📖
- Follow Nancy on Twitter
- Connect with Nancy on LinkedIn
- How to determine the value of your content for translation
- Why successful localization starts at content creation
- How to sell translation internally
Transcript *We automated the transcription of this episode, so there is a 100% chance of spelling and grammatical errors below. We appreciate your not holding this against us. 😃
Announcer:
You're listening to The Loc Show, presented by Smartling.
Adrian Cohn:
Hey, everyone. Welcome back to The Loc Show. I'm your host, Adrian Cohn from Smartling, a language translation technology and services company that transforms how you manage content across devices and content types in any language. Thank you for listening. Nancy Ferreira is my guest today. She is the senior localization manager at FedEx. From her journey to Amsterdam to her vision for transforming translation at a company that supports 39 countries. Nancy gives us a glimpse into how she navigates managing localization at a company with over 425,000 employees worldwide. Nancy's an incredible guest. Let's dive in. Hey, Nancy. Welcome to The Loc Show. How are you doing today?
Nancy Ferreira:
I'm doing great. Enjoying beautiful weather in Amsterdam today, and also a day off. But also enjoying this show that you invited me to.
Adrian Cohn:
It's just such a pleasure to have you here. Nancy, you're in Amsterdam right now. Is that right?
Nancy Ferreira:
Yes, that's correct.
Adrian Cohn:
Yeah. How are things in Amsterdam? What's life like today?
Nancy Ferreira:
It's been of course very strange period of time. We've been in lockdown since mid March. Although, the lockdown over here has been much softer than in other countries. We never had really restrictions about going to the streets. You could still go outside and walk. And even some shops kept on being open, but it was very weird and stressful. But two weeks ago, things started to open up even more, so things like hairdressers, they call it the content occupations, physical therapist, massage, those kind of things started to open. That's why I have a fresh haircut.
Adrian Cohn:
Which looks fantastic.
Nancy Ferreira:
Thank you. And I think from the first of June on, schools will start going back to normal and also in a staggered way. So things are opening up a little bit more. Although I always say that in the Netherlands, things were never as bad as in New York or in other cities in Europe, like Milan or in Spain, where you have to basically have a permit to go on the streets. We never had that, but still it was lots of restrictions. And now it feels more like normal life. And to be honest, I've been enjoying Amsterdam a lot without tourists, which has been a problem in the city for the past couple of years, overwhelming amount of tourists. And now you can actually enjoy the city with fewer people. And the weather is beautiful and it's spring. So yeah, I mean, you have to see the silver lining of a very bad situation.
Adrian Cohn:
I was one of those problem tourists in September, hopefully not a problem. But I had a fantastic time visiting Amsterdam for the second time in my life. But really the first time as an adult, we had a nice evening where we got to know each other a little better. And you told me that the road to Amsterdam was an interesting one. Where are you from? How did you land in Amsterdam?
Nancy Ferreira:
I am from Venezuela. I was born and raised in Caracas. My parents are Portuguese and that's why my name is very Portuguese. And I had moved to the Netherlands in 2004 because of love. And yeah, I've been living here since 2004. Not in Amsterdam from the beginning. I had first moved to a small city up north, called Haringhuizen. I moved to Amsterdam in 2007. And yeah, it's been a love story since then. I mean, the city is beautiful. Even though I was born in a big chaotic city, Amsterdam is not big at all. It's like we're less than 1 million people. But also like the diversity of it... It was 180 different nationalities that we have over here.
Nancy Ferreira:
And so just mostly it is really remarkable. And also in terms of jobs for me, it was really interesting. There is a very healthy amount of international companies that need people with my skills. So it's been great. I really love it here. And also it's a very easy city to travel to and go at anywhere because we have a great airport, very well connected to everywhere. [inaudible 00:05:49].
Adrian Cohn:
Love is a good reason to pick up and move. And I'm glad you found that. Tell me a little bit about your work. You've been in the localization space for quite some time now.
Nancy Ferreira:
Yes. In 2007, when I moved to Amsterdam, I found my first... I've always been a language nerd, also of proclaimed. I grew up in a bilingual environment and my parents spoke Portuguese, I spoke Spanish in school. So it has always fascinated me. And I studied modern languages at university. So when I moved to Amsterdam and I started seeing... Well, because Haringhuizen is a very small city and the opportunities of working in a big company or even in the industry were very limited. So when I moved here, I really started to research a bit more what I could do.
Nancy Ferreira:
And I landed in a very small local translation agency, where I learned lots of things about how to be a localization project manager. So this was what I started small agency. And then I moved to a bigger agency, going to the account side of things, so more like dealing with clients. And then I moved to client side. So I've had experience in both small agencies, big agencies, clients side, so it's been quite diverse and quite interesting as well.
Adrian Cohn:
And today you're on the client side working with FedEx?
Nancy Ferreira:
Correct. Yes. I started there in October, 2015, to think about this. Time flies. And it wasn't FedEx by then. It was TNT, which is also a logistic company. And I set it off because back then TNT was very much focused on the digital transformation. Everyone calls it digital transformation, especially long standing companies are still very much trying to make that change to be more relevant and a digital presence, let's say. And there was a lot of investments on that side of things at TNT.
Nancy Ferreira:
So basically, we needed to rebuild our booking tool, our websites in a way that was more customer focused and a more agile, et cetera. So all these things that lots of digital companies do natively, we were trying to do to change the way we used to do things. So we created this digital departments at TNT, hiring a new talent with a digital experience. And one of the things that's obviously, they realize is that TNT, was a multinational presence in 240 countries and territories. We cover 39 languages. And if we wanted to do applications and websites that were easily updated and reacted to the customer feedback, we needed to do that in 39 languages. And that was very challenging of course.
Nancy Ferreira:
So yeah, basically when I came in, that was my quest, to make that possible. So it was very interesting, in a very old fashion company. The company existed for 75 years. We were this digital department full of new people that had no idea about logistics, and had completely different mindsets and trying to implement a new way of working in the company. So were really exciting times, in the beginning. And then, a year later or so we were, it was an [inaudible 00:10:23]. FedEx had acquired us, which for us was great news, of course, being part of this incredible big company. And so everything became much bigger, of course. And it's been five years full of ups and downs and very interesting, and a lot of learning, of course.
Adrian Cohn:
I love that story, Nancy, because it starts with this quest for realizing digital transformation, which is something that many companies are either pursuing or have strategic plans to achieve in a certain timeframe. In fact, I think right now, for companies that haven't made the leap, the need for digital transformation has become more pressing. And we're seeing a lot of accelerated roadmaps from our customer base and from the market generally of who is going to make that leap and who won't. When you were brought onto the TNT team, now part of FedEx, and you were trying to help drive digital transformation in the localization space, what was important to you and why were those things important?
Nancy Ferreira:
Partnerships. So for me, it was no doubt that we couldn't do it. In order to scale, we needed to have solid partners in both the language services and technology. And like I said, we cover 39 languages and we needed to have speed. So for that, you needed professional translators that actually know what they're doing, but also solid technology that can really support and make it possible. Without the technology, it would be not at all possible to do this. So that was super important.
Adrian Cohn:
Yeah. And I suppose, as a logistics company, there are a lot of different types of content that you're dealing with. Can you walk us through what are the various content types that you work with?
Nancy Ferreira:
I always said that when I started off, we were very much focused on what the TNT digital team was doing, which was basically tnt.com, so our website and our new applications, and also the whole onboarding emails for new costumers, all the email campaigns, et cetera. So it was very curated. I mean, there were very specific things that we were focusing on. But then, the FedEx reality hit, and then everything became bigger. And even though we still have focused on the .com channel and the digital channels applications, et cetera, we are certainly little by little, also supporting other parts of the company.
Nancy Ferreira:
So I wouldn't say we're enterprise wide support of the company, but more and more people find their ways to us and ask us for support, which is great because that means that we'll be successful with a program that we have rolled out so far.
Adrian Cohn:
So you started with a certain scope and over time it's expanding based on the success of those projects. I mean, I understand you're a logistics business and you operate in 39 different countries. Where does translation in terms of business value? Have you had conversations internally about what is the value of language translation?
Nancy Ferreira:
Yeah, that's really funny. Because obviously it depends on... I mean, this is such a big company. FedEx, we were 450,000 employees or something. It's really massive, and we're everywhere. But obviously the United States where our headquarters are, and it's the mothership. When you talk to our colleagues over there, they see it like one step for that needs to happen. But it changes radically when you talk to regional colleagues, so colleagues from other regions, where they actually see this as... I mean, if the content is not translated, they simply can't reach their customer base.
Nancy Ferreira:
So the volume of translation will be depends on where you're located geographically, of course. But basically we're really lucky to be based out of Europe because we all understand that even on the European level of, I think we are supporting... From the 39 languages we support... I don't know it from the top of my head. What I think is 25 languages are European. So it's like the big chunk of these languages are here. So we now feel the need. And also now that in the past two years that we've been talking to more and more with our regional colleagues, we understand how much they value it themselves.
Nancy Ferreira:
So it's even something a bit emotional, which I also think is always very interesting about this industry. Because we're talking about costumers, and obviously our main goal is to help our customers. But also when you talk to our regional colleagues, you can see how important it is to have their content translated with the right tone of voice for their customers. It's some pride thing. It's very emotional, and this is one of the reasons why I love this industry so much. Because it's not only about making money, which obviously I think this is a very important part. But there is a very emotional link between language and business. So what I need to express myself... My customers need to believe that we know how to talk to them, and that's really amazing.
Adrian Cohn:
I sensed that, not just from you, but from so many folks in the industry, that there's a real passion for the customer experience. I think that's what this comes down to, is it's making a very rich and engaging experience so that your customer can utilize your product service. But there is a very unique passion. And I think it's because language has always been a very romantic part of life. And that has a significant impact on how we approach the industry and the job that we take so seriously, and the business.
Nancy Ferreira:
Yeah. I think it's really funny, because we have regular calls with our regional colleagues to know how they're finding the translations and stuff like that. And really the first thing they say, "Well, the translations, they lack something. Because this language..." I'm not going to name a language because everybody says the same, regardless of which language you're talking about. This language, it's a very difficult language, and context means a lot. So every language is the same, but you think that your language is very unique.
Nancy Ferreira:
And that's beautiful. Because it's part of your identity of who you are. And obviously if you care about your brands and if you want your brand to be successful in your country, you want to make sure that the language is right.
Adrian Cohn:
I have so many questions. All right. So you are sitting in a role where you're managing translation for the company on a country level, on a regional level, where do you sit in the whole stack?
Nancy Ferreira:
Oh, man, I think that lots of my colleagues in the localization industry will recognize this, and that is that, when companies like ours have internal localization team... And this happens, especially in non native digital company. So let's say the Uber's, or the Netflix or, or booking they're digitally native. And they understood really right away that they needed to have a way of scaling their contents in different languages. And their localization internal teams have been there almost from the beginning. So it's very evident. So where the [inaudible 00:20:21].
Nancy Ferreira:
But in companies like ours, very often, each marketing team did their thing. It's regionally their own thing. It was really very fragmented. And I noticed this when I started with a TNT project. It's like, okay, let's try to centralize. And then people were like, "But why?" And then I had to convince about centralizing. And now what started as let's just do the digital content, like I told you, now we are getting [inaudible 00:20:59] in here. We have a sister team in the US getting emails from HR or from internal comms, or other departments that were like, "Hey, can you help us?"
Nancy Ferreira:
So even though we were sitting in the digital department, we see more and more interest in how we're doing this magic of having things translated. And then we're helping. So for now, we're in the digital departments and we're staying there. But who knows? I mean, it can change.
Adrian Cohn:
Smartling just released a new plugin for a design application called Figma. Figma is used by teams to design digital content experiences, like websites and applications. We built a plugin so that you can start translating and localizing your content as soon as the design prototypes are available. Why? Because it makes the entire process for shipping new products faster. You can check to see if text fits within buttons, how layouts change with different devices, and make design decisions based on your preferred user experience. You can easily eliminate costly changes to your builds when translations don't fit with designs.
Adrian Cohn:
You can also understand how the length of texts for different languages will impact the global user experience while you're prototyping your content. And finally, you can accelerate the translation process by submitting content to linguists earlier in the process. Smartling is localization plugin for Figma, seamlessly connects your designers with Smartling translation service in just one click. Learn more today at smartling.com/figma.
Adrian Cohn:
So you're working on translations for digital content. And do you have regional colleagues that you collaborate with to ensure quality, or do they do the selection of what content gets translated? How does that work?
Nancy Ferreira:
So we have... Let's try to simplify this. So for example, our websites, fedex.com. So it has content that is valid for the whole world. And there is content that is also only for a certain regions, and there is content that is only for certain countries. So their website has this layer of global regional country level. And this is all coordinated from our.... Our department is called digital international team in cooperation with the regional offices. And then there are other types of content like the campaign.
Nancy Ferreira:
So we also support marketing campaigns, especially in Europe. And usually they have different types of assets that are sometimes not only digital, but also print. So this is one of these things that we've been mean to support, but we have to end up supporting, like a print material. And then on top of that, we also support our product teams. So the teams that develop our applications, so we have lots of applications, where our customers big or small, or depending on what type of customer, it can manage their own shipments and et cetera. So yeah, it's a mix between marketing and product.
Adrian Cohn:
So let's zero in on the digital content for marketing and product. When it comes to you, are you the one making decisions about what languages it gets translated into or no?
Nancy Ferreira:
No. This comes from the stakeholders. So stakeholder management is one of the things that keeps us busy.
Adrian Cohn:
So it comes from the owner of the content.
Nancy Ferreira:
Correct.
Adrian Cohn:
They make the decision, this has got to be shipped in, let's just say, 39 different languages or whatever it is. And then you make that happen with the regional teams?
Nancy Ferreira:
Yes.
Adrian Cohn:
Adding value at some point in the process, either by doing quality reviews or resource management?
Nancy Ferreira:
And also things like... Very often we get content that is translated, and then the regional officers tell us, "Hey, sorry, but this service is not available in this country, or this product is not available here or there." So there is this type of communication about availability of services or products. In such a big company, it's very difficult to find things that actually fit all right. So we have a very fragmented array of services and products that we deliver in different countries.
Adrian Cohn:
That makes sense to me now that we're talking about it. But what I'm sort of realizing in this conversation is that for our company, that is the sheer size and magnitude and product offerings of yours and companies like yours, the complexity for language translation is just through the roof. There are just so many components that contribute to all of the decisions that go into supporting languages. And then managing that process. You mentioned that the stakeholder or the content owner is the one setting that conditions for whether or not something goes to get translated. And you said that a big part of your job is managing those relationships?
Nancy Ferreira:
Mm-hmm (affirmative).
Adrian Cohn:
Can you walk me through, what are some of the things that are part of that relationship? Are you talking about whether or not that source content will work for the target market? Are you discussing timelines and release dates? What's behind that relationship?
Nancy Ferreira:
[inaudible 00:27:38]. Let's say that it's a new stakeholder that never worked with us, and they have heard about the fact that we support or that we can help facilitate the process. So we try to figure out, okay, what type of content is it? And how can we automate it? The first thing we want to know is, is there a way we can leverage our technology to not reinvent the wheel? So for example, if it's a marketing stakeholder that probably will launch a campaign where a couple of landing pages, emails, and brochures will be needed, then we know that the technology set up is there, because we have Smartling connected to the different tools that support our email management system, our auto management system. So all of that is set up.
Nancy Ferreira:
So normally if it's a colleague from marketing, we know that we don't have to even think about the technical part, and we all need to talk about, okay, how many assets are we talking about? What type of assets, and also the timelines. And very often we also have to inform them that maybe their timeline is not that good because another campaign is at the same time. So it's true that when a company is this big, this things can happen. There are so many teams working on content that they don't realize that at the end, it all comes to the same funnel. And then that can have an impact on the timeline, so on the prioritization, et cetera. So that's a tricky one, and one that we are still working on.
Nancy Ferreira:
But interesting is when, for example, there is a new tool or any application that needs a technical setup. So how can we just prevent this being a manual process? We don't want to receive files that we have to manually upload it to the tool and et cetera. So how can we facilitate this? You can see how some of the stakeholders are like, "But why are you making this complicated? I just need this translated." And we need to explain why this onboarding on the technology setup will benefit them in the long run. And what's in there for them. If they go through the whole technical setup that normally involves developers talking to each other, involving the technical people from Smartling trying to figure out how to best do it.
Nancy Ferreira:
And some people give up along the road and some people go for it. And then when they go for it, they're like, "Oh my God, it was a little setup and a little brainstorm in the beginning, but now things are so much easier." So it's interesting because we need to keep the education part as a constant thing. We really always need to tell the same story every time a new stakeholder comes in.
Adrian Cohn:
One thing that I picked up on in what you were just talking about is the balancing act of all of the priorities that hit your team. I'm sure that everybody who comes to you is saying, "This is high priority. We got to get it done right."
Nancy Ferreira:
I have the most important contents ever. And fair enough, who am I to tell someone that their content is not important." If you're telling it is important, it must be. But yeah, it is a thing. And what I found really interesting in this company is that, our regional colleagues that are the ones validating the translation, approving them, et cetera, are the ones saying, "We can't no more." So it's not only me and our team or our sister team in the US saying, "Hey guys, there's so much going on." But also our regional colleagues are like, "Hey guys, we need to talk because this cannot go on."
Nancy Ferreira:
Because in some countries, the marketing scenes are very big or the people who review the translations are four or five. But some countries maybe half someone, someone with other responsibilities within the marketing team. And then they have to do this on the side. So we've been having a lot of conversations about this specific topic in the past six months or so, because we need to get better at planning in a way that everyone still has fun. Because sometimes it's so overwhelming. And, like what we're saying, people have so much emotional connection with their translated texts and they want to do a good job.
Nancy Ferreira:
But then if there's lots and lots of things to be approved and formulations to be approved or feedback loops, et cetera, it becomes overwhelming and they feel like they're not doing the job that they should be doing, at least in a good way. And we really need to be better at planning in a way that people feel like they're adding value and not just ticking boxes.
Adrian Cohn:
To me, part of planning and part of this prioritization conversation is understanding the value of your content and the type of translation that you use with each of the different content types, specifically, the different ways you can get work, done human machine, the various methodologies. Have you started looking at and testing different ways of accelerating translation workflows?
Nancy Ferreira:
I'll try to give this answer in a way that it doesn't sound too hard. But one of the things in my experience sounded... I mean, conversations with our colleagues that differentiates natively digital company with a company that is going through this digital transformation is the importance they give to data and to performance. So I see that companies that are digitally native are very much focused on, okay, what is the data? How many people are looking at it? What's the reaction, et cetera. So there are data sets and KPIs that are driving factors of the decision making.
Nancy Ferreira:
In all fashion companies or companies that were built in the old world, let's call it that. It was still marketing brand awareness, brand awareness, brand awareness. And that shift towards data is something that is part of the digital transformation. And it's something that you have to constantly bring to the table and challenge. So it is something that we're definitely getting better at, but it is a work in progress, sorry. Because it was not the way things used to be.
Nancy Ferreira:
Now there's much more and it was not the way it used to be. So yes, we are more and more looking at data and break the data points so that people make decisions about what content they have to create, and push, and roll out. But there's still lots of opportunities to get better at that.
Adrian Cohn:
It's definitely not a small or simple problem to solve, especially considering everything we've talked about, the scale of your content, the number of languages, the diverse resources who are involved, what are some of the entry points that you think will be most effective to supporting your team in this digital transformation process? Is it data about translation and quality? Is it data about the content volume or how much money you're spending on the translation? Where's your head at?
Nancy Ferreira:
Well, translation quality is an interesting one. I mean, it deserves a conversation up on it's own because it's so subjective. And to me, translation quality has one metric, and that is, can our customer do what they came to do on the website? If our customer receives an email, do they know what we're talking about? That's, for me, the most important thing and not if there is a commA where it shouldn't be, or there's a problem with capitalization. And that is quite tricky. But I think you need to start from the beginning. You have to have those metrics set up in your source, what would you want to achieve with this content.
Nancy Ferreira:
And I think that things like speed of translation or even budgets, are a bit irrelevant, to be honest. Unless there is a massive bottleneck that delays a launch because of translation, then you have to look at it. But to me it's more like, is our co our customers understanding what we're talking about. And are they able to book a shipment or to know what's happening with their shipments when they receive information from us. Are they sending an email back? Are they calling customer service? Can they do what they're meant to do with the information that we're giving to them on the digital platforms?
Adrian Cohn:
I see. So is the way that you're currently measuring this, how people interact with your products and services, you mentioned a couple of things. If they reply to the email, if they click a button, are those the type of data points that you're looking at?
Nancy Ferreira:
We are looking at some of these data points, but it is really tricky as well. Because for example, the customer support calls is something that we really want to start digging into. But in such a big company, you can imagine how diverse this is. And also our customer service, the way they also collect the data is really... There is a lot of work that needs to be done on that side of things so we can actually measure and compare oranges. How do they say that again?
Adrian Cohn:
They say apples to oranges.
Nancy Ferreira:
Apples to apples.
Adrian Cohn:
Actually they say apples to apples. That's the fair comparison. But just, as a tangential, I don't really understand the phrase myself. I get apples to apples. But if you say apples to oranges, it's meant to be vastly contrasting.
Nancy Ferreira:
Exactly. But it's not. It's fruits.
Adrian Cohn:
They're both fruits, they're both rounds, they're both approximately the same size and weight. I get it, they taste different and there's a skin on one that you can eat and there's a skin on another that you can, but it doesn't make sense to me.
Nancy Ferreira:
If you have that as a translation, like a source, compare apples to apples, then you have to think about this.
Adrian Cohn:
Well, that's a good point. And it actually goes back to something that we were talking through a little earlier, which is how do you interact with the stakeholder? Have you been finding that more of the content is hyper creative and that it simply will not work in different markets? And does that cause a bottleneck, or have you found that at FedEx, that the language is simple enough that it can transfer to different markets with ease?
Nancy Ferreira:
Man marketing campaigns, aren't they a joy all the time? So if it's more functional texts on our website explaining our services, we try to be as simple as possible and as clear as possible, of course. But when it comes to marketing campaigns, people tend to get creative and sometimes it is really hard to really translate this. But we have come to a place now that we can actually raise a flag and say, "Hey guys, this might be difficult to translate. How are we going to do this? How are we going to bring this to the agency? Maybe we need to brief this to the regions first to together feedback."
Nancy Ferreira:
They do involve us now in earlier stage, so we can give them our feedback and see how... Sometimes too late, but we've seen improvements as new campaigns come up. Although now not a lot of campaigns are going on, but we are getting involved and getting the question, "Do you see a problem here?" And then we can have the conversation on how to tackle it. And what I really find funny is that, if we, for example, are supporting our team and in Europe, most of the people working on the campaign, working with the agency that comes up with the taglines and all of that, are not English native speakers, and still because marketing and taglines in English sounds so great.
Nancy Ferreira:
They don't see the difficulty about translating certain things. So for example, our last campaign for Europe was, belief in possibilities. Believe in possibilities is such... I mean, even the word believe or the verb to believe, can have so many connotations in so many countries... In so many as are so many languages, sorry, even religious foundation. So the moment that you translate the word to believe, it sounds like a religious thing. And that was something that we had to work with and see how we could sort it out. Some countries sorted out better than others. Some countries decided to live in English, of course.
Nancy Ferreira:
But it's always very interesting to have this conversations and to see how... I feel like now we are involved earlier on, probably because there was a point that they were fed up with us complaining about it. [inaudible 00:43:42] complaining translation.
Adrian Cohn:
I think that's such a cool example that you've offered. And it really illustrates the challenges of translation that somebody who is a source content creator may simply not think about. And, to me, it just reinforces the value of localization teams. And it helps me to think through, what is the appropriate framing for localization in today's world? There is so much content and that's not changing. There will be more content, and there will be more diverse content types.
Adrian Cohn:
And the market opportunities will expand having somebody with the expertise to recognize and to work with content creators, to ensure messaging and campaigns are set up for success. Before they even hit the translation team, is essential to realizing a high quality service for the end user.
Nancy Ferreira:
We actually have some content creators in the digital team. We have copywriters as well for certain types of contents, and they have been trained about this. And then, when they come up with something, they come to us and tell us, "Hey, we're thinking about this email or about this tagline," or whatever are, what do I think. Is it meant to be difficult to translate? And sometimes the copywriters also offer alternatives for translations, but that only happens when the content is created by our own team internal team. But when it's outsourced to an agency, that's a bit more difficult. I think there is there's a gap there for ad agencies. [crosstalk 00:45:42].
Adrian Cohn:
Let's group in and focus on the high value statements.
Nancy Ferreira:
I mean, you see it all the time. I work with other big brands and you're like, "Come on guys, you know that you sell your products in non English speaking countries. Why do you come up with this tagline that is impossible translate?" I mean, not everyone can get away with just do it.
Adrian Cohn:
That's a pretty solid tag.
Nancy Ferreira:
I know. And it works in English. And some conferences blasted in English because they'll say this says a lot. But not a lot of brands can get away with it.
Adrian Cohn:
Three words that almost everybody will understand universally and certainly an icon.
Nancy Ferreira:
As [crosstalk 00:46:29].
Adrian Cohn:
Right. That folks will not forget. So Nancy, if you think about everything you've accomplished and everything you've learned over the years in localization, what's your vision for the industry and for the space and for what you do at FedEx on the near term and the long term?
Nancy Ferreira:
I always say the same. I really hope that the value that we bring to companies increases. And I do see changes, of course, in the industry, how brands want to invest and understand the importance of investing in this expertise. Still not at the level that we would like to. It's really funny. We always say that you will never go to a developer and tell them, "Hey, I saw the code that you wrote. Maybe you should think about doing it in a different way." But a lot of people come to us to give us advice on our own area of expertise, because everyone that speaks more than two languages know how to translate. Or people think it's just simple. Just put it through the Smartling and it will come back.
Nancy Ferreira:
And you really need to be repeating your story and willing to repeat your story over and over again, because people take it for granted. You go to our websites and you'll know that if you click on the little flag, you will have the option to change your language. And nobody thinks about what happens, how did it get there? So I hope that we come to a place that people understand that it's not just magic. There are lots of people working on it. And then the effort that you put into creating your content originally, should be the same effort you put in rolling out the content in the multiple languages your customers are on. So I really hope that more and more companies understand the value of this.
Adrian Cohn:
And is this something that you're actively working on internally at FedEx to help [crosstalk 00:48:58].
Nancy Ferreira:
Every day.
Adrian Cohn:
Every day.
Nancy Ferreira:
So every day. And I also want to mention the role of technology in all of this, because people don't associate languages with technology. Or like you said, in the beginning of the conversation, it's a very romantic thing. People think about people writing letters and dictionaries, and that's not how things work. So the fact that you need technology... And people should not be afraid of technology to make it possible. That's something that every day we are repeating. You need to let us help you. But then for that, you need to be open to explore how we can help you with our technology or with the technology that we offer.
Nancy Ferreira:
So everyday is like... I don't want to say the word evangelize, because it's one of these business words. But it's really education and let people know what we're capable to do if they're willing to also help themselves.
Adrian Cohn:
Well, you're not alone. I think there are a lot of teams out there who are doing the same thing. And that's what I'm excited about. When I think of the localization industry. I meet so many people who are project managers, or translators, or product owners that are trying to advance their business through language translation. And there is a common cause, which is spreading awareness about how complex language translation is, and how nuanced the details are, and how much opportunity there is to make the experience even richer for the end user.
Nancy Ferreira:
One of the things that I've done, in a company like this, you have to have a slide deck with your story and keep on tweaking it every time. Because before you know it, you have to present what you do and how you can help other teams. So once these slides are ready and try to keep them updated with how we have changed or new things that we're doing. But there was this slide that I made three years ago. I wanted to make people understand that, it's not like you push a button and after a couple of days, it comes back translated by magic.
Nancy Ferreira:
If we are covering, let's say 32 languages. So we have 32 translators, 32 editors, 32 in country reviewers. How many people we have there? And then we have project managers in our side, project managers in the LSP. So roughly every requests into our full scope of languages can keep around 120 people busy. And that's like the size of our department, a bit smaller. So that slide with the amount of people that are actually behind the curtains, has been an eye opener for a lot of people.
Adrian Cohn:
It's an amazing thing to think about, before a single piece of content hits the end user, it goes through potentially up to 120 or 30 folks just to enable that experience for our worldwide audience.
Nancy Ferreira:
Of course, we can say, yeah, you have machine translation. Now, why don't you do it? Well, because it's also not as easy. I mean, it's easier said than done. It's also not a silver bullet and not for all contents. We are thinking of empty, of course. The CR knots... We haven't taken that step yet, but very long overdue, of course. But yeah, it's still human work, there are still people behind it. And I also love it when people ask me, "But if we pay more money, do we get it quicker?" It's like, you still cannot make 2000 words possible. You cannot translate 2000 words in two hours, even if you're paying me 10,000 euros.
Adrian Cohn:
Language takes time. And I think that it's a good reminder as well, as we come to a close, Nancy. That this is a very human process. There are real people who manage translation, there're real people who translate the work we were availed their lives. And we moved the world with words, campaign, and book that we released last year. And it's a very unique business function that you hold at FedEx. And it's one that I think is a really cool one. And I'm really appreciative, Nancy, that you took your time today to share your story.
Nancy Ferreira:
Thank you. No, I really enjoyed it. And yeah, I'm always more than happy to share what we've been doing. By far not perfect, we still have lots of things to learn, and lots of new challenges. But we're getting there.
Adrian Cohn:
We're getting there indeed. When sharing of this podcast, we will do, and your story we will do. We thank you so much, Nancy, for joining today.
Nancy Ferreira:
Thank you. Take care, again.
Adrian Cohn:
I hope you enjoyed that conversation with Nancy as much as I did. If you liked this episode of The Loc Show, hit the subscribe button so the next episode we'll be waiting for you. And if you loved the podcast, please leave a review. Five star reviews go a long way. If you're not ready to give a five star review, give our next episode a shot. We appreciate your listening. If you have any feedback or want us to interview one of your favorite people in localization, just email me at acohn@smartling.com. See you next time.
Brandon Fiegoli is the Product Manager at Butterfly Network, a company whose aim is to democratize medical imaging across the globe. The ultrasound probe they have developed is much more compact than the industry standard machines. It sends imaging files directly to your iOS or Android smartphone via their app allowing for a quicker, more flexible process.
Butterfly Network launched their compact ultrasound probe and integrated app last October. Their launch was global, initially covering 11 non-English languages and 13 countries. Now they have clearance in 23 countries and their product is helping physicians battle the Covid-19 pandemic. Brandon joins us today to discuss the translation from start to launch and shares his advice for others looking ahead at doing the same.
Topics:
- [01.14] About Brandon and Butterfly Network.
- [03.48] Why create this product and what applications does it have?
- [09.25] Why did you need language translation?
- [13.03] What had to be translated to meet regulatory requirements?
- [14.22] What were your top priorities for the translation project?
- [15.55] What preparation did you make going into the translation?
- [18.04] What technological challenges did you face?
- [20.24] What was your timeline for the translation?
- [21.50] What aspects of the process and collaborating with Smartling made it work?
- [23.50] What happened after launch and what happens in the future regarding translation?
- [32.54] How do you report back to the team about translation progress?
- [34.19] What kind of results have you had since launch?
- [35.24] What do you wish you had done differently?
- [38.09] How did you choose which markets to launch in?
Resources and Links:
- Butterfly Network Website
- Brandon Fiegoli on Linkedin
- Smartling Website
Full transcript which almost certainly contains typos (thanks for the forgiveness!)
Announcer:
You're listening to The Loc Show, presented by Smartling.
Adrian:
Hey, what's up, everyone. It's Adrian Cohn from Smartling. Thank you for listening to The Loc Show. My guest today is Brandon Fiegoli. Fiegoli, an Italian name. Brandon is a product manager at Butterfly Network. Butterfly Network is a digital health company whose mission is to democratize healthcare by making medical imaging universally accessible and affordable.
Adrian:
They have this beautiful handheld device that is able to create images that render on your iPhone or Android. Brandon is also a standup guy with a great story. So, let's get into it and thanks again for listening.
Adrian:
Hey, Brandon, welcome to The Loc Show. How is it going?
Brandon:
It is great. Thank you so much for having me.
Adrian:
I am pleased to have you. You're such a fantastic person to connect with. We've had the opportunity to chat on a number of occasions. Tell us a little bit about yourself. Where are you right now and who do you work with?
Brandon:
Sure. So, I'm sitting in my apartment. I'm in Manhattan right now. Lived in Manhattan, and outside of Manhattan my whole life. At the moment, I work with Butterfly Network. I'm on our product team there. I lead a couple of our different product offerings, focus really across all of our core platforms, so Android, iOS, cloud, work on our international expansion, really a very broad role that has gotten me involved very, very deeply into our translation systems.
Adrian:
So, what exactly is Butterfly Networks?
Brandon:
Butterfly Network is a company that builds a handheld ultrasound system. And most people are familiar with ultrasound. If they've had a child, sometimes if you go into an emergency room. Hopefully you're not there too much, you may get an ultrasound. Ultrasound is a really, really cool technology. I think in the last 10 or 15 years, it's gained a lot of popularity largely because it's quick and also because it's safe. And I would say, most importantly because it's safe.
Brandon:
If you think about an x-ray or a CT scan, they're also quick, they bring that ionizing radiation. And with ultrasound, you can get a window into the human body with mere sound waves.
Adrian:
That's amazing. So, the innovation that Butterfly Network brought to the market though is that this thing is it's a handheld device, right?
Brandon:
It is. So, I'll share the story in just a second. I'll pull it out. It lives in this case. This is a handheld device that fits in my pocket. So, let me just grab the device here. Here you go. This is the entire ultrasound probe. This is actually a special probe, the butterfly probe is a special one because it actually works with your entire body.
Brandon:
In a traditional ultrasound system, there's usually a large cart. They get wheeled in as you imagine your 1980s computer to look on a cart, and they usually have three probes with them, a linear phase and a curved transducer. Our entire probe is very different because it actually uses semiconductor technology to function as all three of those probes.
Brandon:
So, we could dive into the semiconductors if you'd like or we can just keep going.
Adrian:
It sounds really interesting and what I think is particularly cool though is that this is a mobile device and it's corded. So you can actually plug it into your phone?
Brandon:
It is. So, the device comes in lightning and USB-C, works with both iOS and Android devices. It's incredibly flexible. Some people use it on tablets. Some people use it on their phones. We fit the entire spectrum.
Adrian:
So, what's the point of developing such a product? I mean, isn't what we had before sufficient?
Brandon:
Great question. So, we talked about first of all the size of ultrasound carts. You wheeled them in, but that's not really where the problem exists. The problem exists in their cost today. Their cost and the ease of use of those systems. So, if you think about a traditional ultrasound system, you may be able to get a used system on the order of $30,000.
Brandon:
But if you go out there and you buy some of the most advanced cardiac imaging systems, they could be upwards of $200,000. And I don't have to tell you this, but you would imagine that in many parts of the world, and even in many parts of the US, it's simply not feasible to buy one of those systems.
Brandon:
So, you think about it, an emergency room today may have one. A really modern very busy emergency room may have three or four. In a smaller setting, you may have one or you may have none. Now, we talked about this a lot as actually being able to replace that stethoscope. So, 200 years ago or so, you started with the stethoscope. You could hear into the human body. You start to hear if somebody has pneumonia, an arrhythmia and now, 200 years later in 2020, we're able to look into the human body. That's sort of remarkable.
Adrian:
It is remarkable. And because you have both an iOS app and an Android app, the image is rendered in the moment on the screen of your phone?
Brandon:
Absolutely. Plug the device in, sign into the app, plug in the probe and you're ready to go. We like to say pick a preset, not a probe. So, the probe actually does all the work for you in regards to focusing, in regards to adjusting the proper frequency whether it's deeper in your body, whether it's more superficial, all controlled by software.
Brandon:
Just for anybody out there listening, just to compare that sort of with traditional ultrasound technology, this is typically done with piezoelectric crystals. So, those are actually crystals that are grown in a lab. When you pass a current over them, they vibrate and that's how you generate the sound waves.
Brandon:
In our device, we're still using sound waves. However, we're using the technology that a digital camera may use today except we've added little silicon drums on the top of it and when that electric current gets passed, those drums actually vibrate to generate sound waves. We have about 9,000 microdrums on the transducer itself.
Brandon:
A traditional ultrasound machine has anywhere between 90 and 190 crystals. And because it's all software controlled, we can adjust how those little drums on the probe resonate. This is really where the innovation started, all with the semiconductor chip and then we sort of have built out the ecosystem with the various software platforms, with the storage, with all of that.
Adrian:
Wow, that technology allows you to look at a whole range of different things inside the human body to reveal whether or not a person is healthy.
Brandon:
Absolutely. So, I think at the most positive use of ultrasound, we talked about it a lot with obstetrics. So, pregnant women. One of the most positive experiences they can have is going and seeing their growing child. So, I think a lot of people have very fond memories of ultrasound in that sense.
Brandon:
The other side of the spectrum, people are using ultrasound for everything. Cardiac arrest, it's been very popular for looking at people's lungs. We call them B-lines for the COVID outbreak. The uses are sort of endless. Things like inflamed tendons, inflamed muscles, even ocular scanning. Basically anything, and when you think about the portability and the cost, and not necessarily having to go, have radiology bring you to go get an x-ray, it really is quite exciting.
Adrian:
That's awesome. I love technology and I specifically love medical technology. My grandfather was a surgeon. My great grandfather was a surgeon. My mother is in the medical publishing space. So, it's always like really interesting to me to see all the advances in science and technology that enabled doctors, physicians, people to take scans of their bodies or to learn more about their health or condition.
Adrian:
I'm particularly interested in how as COVID-19 became this global healthcare crisis, Butterfly Network was able to utilize its technology to help people diagnose themselves or others with the infection. Is that right?
Brandon:
That is correct. I wouldn't go as far as to say diagnosing. As people were getting more ill, we're able to go and actually take a look at the lungs and get a better sense of what's happening. We still are obviously relying on the actual test. However, this was an incredible tool and remains a really incredible tool to track how serious people are doing.
Brandon:
Often time, someone may say, "Hey, I'm not doing that bad or I don't feel that badly." When the labs come back, when the imaging comes back, you see something different and vice versa. So, this is just a massively helpful tool. When you think about COVID also, one of the big things they talk a lot about is contamination and the spread of it obviously.
Brandon:
Talk a lot about getting a CT scan for somebody's chest, those rooms that those CT scanners are in may be done for 45 minutes or an hour between patients while they get sanitized. With this, you drop it in a probe cover, covers the entire cord, covers the mobile device. You're ripping off that covering, you're patient to patient very quickly.
Brandon:
In COVID where every minute matter, this really became an incredibly powerful and versatile tool.
Adrian:
So, where, Brandon, does language translation fit into all of these?
Brandon:
It's a great question. So, language translation is an essential part of our business, I would say. So, if you go all the way to the top and you think about our mission from our founder, Dr. Jonathan Rothberg, his mission, our mission is to democratize medical imaging.
Brandon:
And to do that meant a couple of things. The first meant getting some groundbreaking technology. If you are going to democratize something, you probably need to do a little bit differently than it's being done today. So, they've been working on this technology for six or seven years.
Brandon:
The other thing meant, "Okay, now that we have the technology, how do you share it with the world?" And that's everything from education to commercialization and everything in between that. So, when you think about that and we've talked about this before, you really think about, okay, if we're going to give education, there has to be multiple languages. Not everybody around the world speaks English.
Brandon:
If you're going to sell in other languages, you obviously need to have information that's relevant, that's correctly translated all in those languages every other area of the business. So, from shipping, making sure that people's shipping information is communicated to them in a way that they understand.
Brandon:
I think we take for granted quite a bit that fortunately many people in the world speak English. However, democratizing this technology really means we hope to be in rural insert X country. And you could imagine that in those countries, they don't speak English. I guess the other point that I would be remiss if I mention was just about the regulations.
Brandon:
So, we are a medical device. We are FDA cleared, and obviously, we have CE mark and clearances in every country we ship in but part of that clearance, part of those regulations for us, especially as a medical device is that our labeling, that our information for use is in the appropriate language. And again, that's for safety reasons.
Adrian:
Yeah, so when did this translation journey start for you? What was it like? How long ago was it?
Brandon:
Yeah. So we started this, I guess, almost a year ago now. I've been asked to look at our international expansion as a company. So, everything from how do we store data safely in the cloud in other countries through how do we ship these devices and make them appear on people's doorsteps. We are sold largely via an ecommerce model, so unlike a traditional ultrasound system today, you're going online. You're certifying that you're a medical professional and you're paying and that device arrives at your door.
Brandon:
So, there was a lot of work streams that went on here and one of the big ones is obviously translation. And it sits, as I just described, over all of those. So, part of my role was overseeing that entire project. So, at that point, as we started looking at this, we realized it was going to be critical to our success and frankly, critical to even being able to do it.
Brandon:
The place we always start is at regulatory. So you can go to market and do a bad job marketing something but you're not hurting or breaking any rules. You may just not achieve your goals. For us, it really started with how do we legally sell this device? How do we meet the regulations so that we're not getting in trouble and we're not hurting anyone? And that started with regulatory.
Brandon:
From there, it moved on to things like data privacy and then it moved on to other work streams, how do we sell it, how do we market it, what do our websites need to look like? But our first goal is meeting those regulations and really finding a translation vendor who is going to be able to run with us.
Adrian:
What content did you have to translate to meet regulatory demands?
Brandon:
So, the information we have to translate is what they call the Information For Use, the IFU. And like many guidances you see today, it doesn't get hyper-specific. So, it says any directions that are needed to use the device in a safe and effective way.
Brandon:
For us, it became really important. Obviously, the instruction manual was the first place we looked. And then after that, of course, the UI of the system.
Adrian:
The mobile or the-
Brandon:
And mobile app and/or desktop app. After that, everything was sort of from there, it was about how do we commercialize it and how do we get our messaging into the right languages.
Adrian:
You started with how to use the product and actual product content. That was the baseline that you needed to translate to meet regulatory concerns. And then after you accomplish or started thinking about how to tackle that, you would move on to go to market content?
Brandon:
That's actually right.
Adrian:
Cool. That's still a pretty significant volume of work, I would imagine. Like I get products all the time and sometimes the user manuals are super thin and sometimes even for a simple device, they're really thick. What were some of your priorities when you started to consider how to go about accomplishing this project? What was important to you?
Brandon:
Yes. I think there were a couple of things and to be honest, not all of them were apparent to me when we started. I think first and foremost, we needed to make sure that the translations would be of high quality. So, again, if you think about the regulatory side of things and just the quality side of things as a brand, focusing more on the quality and the regulatory means that the translations are accurate. It means that people are "brought up to speed" with your product. What are they translating? Is it giving context making sure that they're familiar with it?
Brandon:
So, ours is obviously in the medical space. There's a lot of big words in our app. There's a lot of very scientific words in our app. Just last week, we were translating stuff about our fetal calculation packages which are the short name would be OB calc, so for obstetrics calculations, for measuring the size of babies, there was all kinds of abbreviations in there.
Brandon:
So, having translators that could work with that and understand it and ask questions when they needed to was really critical for us. So, the first thing was making sure that people had the right domain expertise. The other things were things like having a team that we could tightly integrate with and basically become part of our team.
Brandon:
There's nothing worse than buying a service and then you're only told, "Hey, the only way I can get in touch with these people is file a support ticket." Like that, at the volume we were running, at the rate we were running with, it would never work that way frankly.
Adrian:
Yeah. What were some of the things that you had to prepare as you went out to start translating all of those content? You talked about having two mobile apps, an iOS app, an Android app, you have a help center that you needed to translate and also support documentation that it sounds like it was user manual, maybe offline content.
Brandon:
It is offline content, yeah.
Adrian:
Offline content.
Brandon:
We did it in phases when you talk about that. Where we really started was two things. We've spoken with a couple of vendors. We had even tried a couple of passes just with some vendors in the industry as we're honing in. We wanted to understand a little bit about how they work and nobody on the team was particularly familiar with translations.
Brandon:
So, we would send out little bits of content and we would get them back and we would think about the experience. I'll be honest, we didn't have a lot of time. So, just given our company goals, given our volume of work, we had to move fast. When we got to Smartling, all of those things that I just mentioned, the expertise in the domain area, the reliable support team and I would say they sort of swarmed us. They sort of encapsulated us and said, "Here's the plan. Here's how we're going to implement this." And it worked.
Brandon:
And then obviously, the technical expertise was a big one for us. So, I personally had never thought about how this really works, but certainly putting a bunch of strings in a spreadsheet, sending them off to get translated and getting those back and pumping them in is not how it works.
Brandon:
There's a lot of really complex integrations that need to work seamlessly if you want this to just become part of your everyday process.
Adrian:
That is sort of like a requisite for a fast-moving company because the way I sometimes think about translation is it's a very layered process. From the surface of your phone like you see one language but if you turn it to the side at an isometric sort of view point, there are a lot of layers that go behind it that are each of the different languages that I don't use. I speak English.
Adrian:
But the Spanish user of your tool or the German user or the French user of your tool, they need to access the versions of the content that are behind the English version, right? Was that a significant technology challenge for you all to think about solving?
Brandon:
I will be honest. I'm thankful I wasn't the person who had to do that. I was the person sort of overseeing it. If you talked about the steps we took, so we found somebody who ... We got recommendations internally. We had one of our engineers actually recommend Smartling as they had worked with them in another company. We got, I call it swarmed on the overview. We got so many questions answered.
Brandon:
Everything from our quality team, how is this done? Why should I believe that these translators know anything about healthcare? Through how do you guys do your translation and edit steps? Somebody is translating it. Somebody is editing it. So, nothing is getting to us before there's at least two sets of eyes on it. Through people like Sergio as our technical solution architect, going and sitting with our engineers and looking at how our strings were set up.
Brandon:
For the year before we started doing this, the engineers always said to me, "No problem." When we're ready to translate this, we were wrapping our strings. We wrapped them in a special ID that says, "They're ready to translate." I said, "Great." We decided we're going to run a test. We sent something up to Smartling. They sent us back what they called pseudo-translated files, and those files basically take all the strings in the app and they doubled them.
Brandon:
And we found out two really important things. One, there is about 10% of the app that we just didn't have wrapped in those strings, in those IDs. So that was a bit of a project to find those. That was great, solved pretty quick. The second one was more of the important one. And that was what happens to the UI when German is doubly as long as English?
Brandon:
And at that point, we found out there were places were things broke. They didn't wrap properly. Buttons were pushed off the screen. That was another project that we implemented and we went through and we took an inventory of everything that broke. At that point, we had decided to go with Smartling. We were moving along on the API integrations and then we really begin to work through automation.
Brandon:
How do we automatically send those strings up? How do we pull them back? How do we merge that code back into our code base? And then I guess the other one would be what you just mentioned is how do you actually display those on the screen? So that required a couple of changes in our app. But it all happened. It was very quick. It was a little bit stressful but we had a really good core group of people focused on it and I think that that was critical to our success and to meet our very, very aggressive timelines.
Adrian:
What was the timeline? Because oftentimes, translation does sort of come in, in the last minute, and people like you are expected to make miracles happen and you do because you work hard at it but it can be a very stressful time. What sort of time were you working on?
Brandon:
I wish I could be lying to you and tell you it was longer. I believe these conversations started late in July and we went live October 1st in 13 countries. So, those translations were actually done, I believe our internal deadline was September 15th, and that was because for all regulatory purposes, did our own QA actually sent devices out to people in those countries and had them run QA on it to make sure everything we were sending to the public was safe and accurate. It came back really cleanly thankfully because I think otherwise it would have been really tight to hit that deadline.
Adrian:
That is an awfully fast deadline and it makes a whole lot of sense to me that you would have sent that out to experts for quality assurance given the value of the content and the type of content and complexity that it carries. Why do you think it went well?
Brandon:
I think it went well for a couple of reasons. I'll talk about us first then we can talk about you. Internally, it was a priority. It was not an option, as are many things at Butterfly. It was not an option to fail. So one way or another, that content was going to get translated. Joking aside, what that really translated to was a lot of people focused on it.
Brandon:
So it was a top engineering priority. It was a top priority to get the contracts with you guys through legal. It was a priority for me to be on top of it every time an issue was opened with the translators to respond to it quickly because we knew if we drop any of these balls, we weren't going to hit our deadline.
Brandon:
On the Smartling side, you guys really excelled in basically understanding the importance, the significance and then really running with us. And I think a lot of times you don't find that. We had a CS manager. We had a solution architect. We had someone on the language services team. We had our account manager when we realized we left something out of the initial order, we would be able to add that on. It was a really well-oiled operation, I would say, from that front. And there was daily check-ins and things were clicking.
Adrian:
So, you started this project in July. You finished the initial effort in September, to send devices out so that they could be tested for quality. You got thumbs up from the people who you sent the devices to. You go live with your, how many languages?
Brandon:
I think we got a bonus because I think we got Austria using Germany's. So I think it was 11 non-English speaking languages. I think we did adoption into English for the UK, and I think it was 13 countries. So, 11 languages, 13 countries.
Adrian:
Okay, so you've translated content to 11 languages ready to deploy for 13 countries. You deployed this experience in October, what happens next?
Brandon:
That was really the start of a lot of really exciting chaos. It was a really good problem to have. We had been building excitement for Butterfly to go global for a while. So, at that point, we activated all of our channels, marketing, digital marketing. And at that point, the requests, the sales started coming in for devices and we very quickly became a global operation. But we also learned a ton.
Brandon:
So, you jumped to the punch a little bit before, but things like our knowledge-base, things like our website and our website was actually part of that initial push. But things like our knowledge-base, things like video content, all of that still had to be translated. And I think one of the things that you and I have spoken about previously is, it's one thing to meet the regulations. It's one thing to launch internationally. But I think to be a global business and a global brand is a totally different ballgame.
Brandon:
I think it's nice to be able to say, yeah, we excel internationally. But people don't want to read your English content. They don't care. Even if they speak English, they want to see it in their language. It would be like I read a very little bit of Spanish, and even if I could get through the passage, I'm going to be more comfortable with it in my native language.
Adrian:
It's so interesting that you say that because all I speak is English. And the language translation problem for me is far less visible because English is my native language and so much content is in English. And when I think back as to like when I've been challenged most, it's when I'm forced to try and buy something that's not in English. I'm thinking about like holidays that I've booked in Italy or in Spain, Airbnb's or before Airbnb with a real bnb or a hotel and you're trying to decipher their content, a double bed is that two beds versus like a single bed that's a little ...
Adrian:
All of those things come into play and it certainly rings true with me that the effort to translate the content does have meaning that may be a little bit harder to understand for those of us that are English native speakers and don't think about language on a daily basis.
Brandon:
I agree with that fully. And I think we're given a lot of really amazing tools. When I read something when I get an email that's literally in Mandarin and this happens, I'll pop into Google Translate and in five seconds, I have an idea of what that email is saying. But I would say us trying to sell something and say, "Hey, Butterfly is in these countries," or not even, forget selling. Saying, "Hey, Butterfly is in these countries," but not giving the tools for the experience that, "Hey, we're really here and, hey, we've really invested in being here," I think is a whole other discussion in itself. And I think that was really important for us.
Adrian:
And I want to ask a question about that but before we do, I want to go back for a minute because you said something that really was interesting to me about how when you launched, it was not just that you flipped a switch and all of a sudden your translations were available through the app and on your website. It was a fully integrated company wide effort.
Adrian:
You're on the product team, you spearheaded and centralized this whole process. What was it like working with all of these different teams to coordinate a launch that's company-wide?
Brandon:
It was really fun. It was really challenging. I felt like I was running a flight crew at NASA although let's be clear it wasn't that fun. I think the last email I sent out on the night of September 30th, I think the subject line was something like "All Systems Launched."
Brandon:
So, it was a little bit of everything. It was excitement. It was frustration. It was everything. We're trying to meet regulatory requirements. That's our top company priority, above everything else is don't break the law and don't hurt anyone. Those are, I think, any company's priorities or if they're not, they should be.
Brandon:
So, make sure we meet our regulatory priorities but then it's things like you're getting pulled from the marketing team. I need this email translated or we need to start doing this. It was really a prioritization thing. We said we can do it all, we just needed to sort of stagger it. And we looked at it and we said, "Okay, regulatory, check." Now, we start getting emails in other languages for support, making sure that we can start to get that content actually sent over to them in ways that they understand. It was a little bit of everything.
Brandon:
Making sure that we're dealing with sending our shipping information in the right language, getting our quotes translated, it touched really on every bit of the business and I think the one thing we had going for us amongst a lot of things but the really important thing was everybody saw the importance. And while there may have been a lot of challenges, everybody was driving towards expanding imaging, expanding this device to other parts of the world.
Adrian:
You sure chose a great time to do that.
Brandon:
I promised it was completely by accident. It is really humbling and exciting to know that our device is making a difference. Our founder, Jonathan, whenever he's in the office, he loves to say he measures our success by the number of lives saved. And for anybody who's in business, I don't know that everybody can do that and I think it's really cool.
Brandon:
One of the things we love to do is to share those experiences, and a couple of them come in yesterday. And it just makes everybody remember how important all of these is.
Adrian:
Well, certainly, the product and the mission of the business is quite aspirational and humbling. So that's a really strategic advantage that you have and your colleagues have working there and serving the global community. I think that's really cool. The effort that you had to undertake to get this initial push out the door or the "All Systems Go" email that you got to send, that was just the beginning. I mean, you were able to get through that sprint. But that's not where the story ends, I assume.
Brandon:
It's not. Translation and localization today, I don't want to say are a part of our workflow, I would say are very close to becoming. So, on the technical side, things are running smoothly, I mean almost no thought which is great. The only thought is, "Hey, do we make sure that we merge all those strings before we send out the app?"
Brandon:
On the marketing side of things, things are really, really close. And that's not for lack of trying, it's that we are moving so quickly that the only thing I have to keep reminding that team is I need 24 to 48 hours to get that stuff translated. And to be honest, I think I've pushed the Smartling team really, really hard and they have not yet disappointed. I hope they don't hear this.
Adrian:
They probably will, Brandon.
Brandon:
I probably shouldn't have said that. They always deliver it and what I'm really saying is just getting people to remember there are humans looking at these strings and we can do it really quick. Just give us 24 or 48 hours before you plan to send this thing out and you'll get a really great result.
Adrian:
You're exactly right, like there is a human process here that has to be considered. But what you're also sharing with me is that you're still translating a lot of content. It's not like you had this initial push and then you're done. You're translating on a daily basis, weekly basis?
Brandon:
Absolutely. So, the way our tech systems work, actually every time code, we use GitHub for it to manage our code. Every time, what we call pool request, which is a bit of code gets pushed into our system, it actually triggers a process and that process actually calls the Smartling systems and sends those strings.
Brandon:
Every time every night, I believe it is, we automatically call Smartling and we say, "Bring these strings back, anything that's been translated that day." And that's where we talk about that app automation working.
Brandon:
On the support side of the house are knowledge-based just actually in the last few weeks. We've set that up to fully automate. We rewrote the whole thing and it's just about done. I think tomorrow everything will be back. And then we have some more ad hoc stuff. We have subtitles. I'm working with our video marketing team. We're working to get a bunch of our videos subtitled. We've done a little of it already. We're trying to scale that up.
Brandon:
We use the GDN, Global Delivery Network, to handle our websites, so making sure that that content, the right content is served. That's something that just runs because we're doing our user manual, I would be hard-pressed to find a service that we're not using at Smartling.
Adrian:
So, how do you report back to your team on the efficacy of this translation program that you're running for Butterfly?
Brandon:
Yeah. I think I said this jokingly to you before, the best report that I can give, no report, which is nothing is broken, nobody has said the word is wrong. We have forgotten a string, like that is my goal from a quality perspective. From an overall perspective, what do I say to people? I tell people all of our tech systems are translated. If we add a new piece of content, so the announcement that I'll be making next week when we launch it is that our knowledge base is translated.
Brandon:
It is now so ingrained in our processes that there's not a lot to say thankfully. And I think this is one of those things that is the less you say, the better. I don't think anybody is going to say, "Oh, wow, that's in French." But if it wasn't in French, I promise you we would hear about it. Just like if you go to Amazon.com, you're not going, "Wow, thankfully, they put it in English," but if the only way you could get to Amazon.com was in French, I bet you your top complaint would be that's it all in French.
Adrian:
So, measuring in terms of the number of people who can access your product or service is one of the most important benchmarks that you have as a company for language translation?
Brandon:
Absolutely. I think that's really well stated.
Adrian:
So, I think this is all really fascinating. The products now are available effective in October. How have the results been? Have you been able to ship devices around the world with some level of success and you get app downloads so that people are using those devices? Are you tracking this?
Brandon:
We have. It's obviously really important to our mission. So I believe we have global clearance in 22 countries, 23 possibly. And these devices are having more impact that we can ever imagine. You probably saw us tweet out the other day. Our probes are in every corner of the globe on the Mars desert testing, understanding what they can do in space. I know they went to Base Camp at Mount Everest. Whether they went up higher than that, I'm not sure.
Brandon:
Every corner of the globe, and it's amazing to me where we see people we can sell in those countries and deliver it at scale. But when you hear about these stories of people taking their probes with them missions all over the world, that's really where things get very interesting and I think the most exciting for me.
Adrian:
Yeah. Brandon, when you look back on all the success that you and Butterfly have had in delivering solution to all of those different countries, what do you wish you had done differently?
Brandon:
What do I wish we had done different? That's a great question. I wish we had more time. Anyone listening and any company who's about to do this, one of the reasons that we were very thoughtful about it is because we know that taking on translations, taking on localization, taking on support in other languages is a new thing that you have to account for. It's not always easy and I think having some time to develop that strategy, having some time to educate the company, your peers, your coworkers about it would be really important.
Brandon:
I think the other thing would just be to know a little bit more about how translation works. So, one of the things that was exciting to us about Smartling was the language pre-flight we did. It was a little painful for me in the sense that I had to go through our app and actually capture screenshots of all of our error states and everything. But being able to send up that context to the translators so that they can say, "Oh, this is what the word means in this context," improved our quality and actually, I think shortened our time to deploy so much.
Brandon:
I think having a platform, a transparent platform that I can go in and click through. We started this session talking about how if I had to do this over email, it would have never worked. I mean, how many emails a day could I send versus how many times do I go into the Smartling platform and actually look at something or adjust something? Doing it without that, I think, would be impossible. I would urge everyone to think deeply about their technology and the technology that they want in their partner. I think those would be the big things.
Adrian:
The first takeaway that you have, I think, is it's almost like a poetic one which is it's more than just setting up the integrations, translating the content and getting it out to the users. It's a commitment to your business and to your customer base that you are going to support them no matter what. It's a lot easier, let's put it in another way, Brandon. It's probably a lot easier to say you will support a new market than it is to take away that market.
Brandon:
I agree with that. The one thing I did know about translation when we started all these is once you start, you can't stop because people do notice. And you hold a commitment to your customers, to your users, to your patients that that content will remain high quality and frequent. And all of the things that you could imagine are really sort of prominent company.
Adrian:
And this is a question that probably would have been well-suited at the beginning but how did you choose the markets that you currently support?
Brandon:
Yeah. It's a great question. So, we looked at a couple of things. Like everything, it was multi-faceted. So everything from number of physicians and medical professionals, so looking at the biggest impact we could make, places where we were able to get regulatory clearance.
Brandon:
So for example, Europe, everyone in Europe or all countries in Europe use the CE mark. CE mark was something we had worked for, for many, many months. And we knew it was going to be really exciting because when you got CE mark, it opened all Europe. It also opened to all of Australia and New Zealand.
Brandon:
So, impact regulatory clearance developed ultrasound programs so we know that we're still in early days and we have a long way to go on how do you educate these users and how do you move past just ultrasound experts but also enabling people who are not familiar with ultrasound. And in a lot of the European markets and the Australian market, it's quite developed. So, this got a jumpstart to this democratization and now obviously, we circle back and are deeply committed and deeply focused on that educational aspect.
Adrian:
Wow, Brandon, I feel like I've learned so much from this conversation. And I am so impressed by all the amazing work that you and your team have put into delivering this solution to the global marketplace. Thank you, thank you for being on The Loc Show.
Brandon:
Of course, thank you for having me. It's fun.
Adrian:
Yeah, it was great to have you. And we're going to make sure that people know how to find you. The URL for your company is?
Brandon:
Butterflynetwork.com.
Adrian:
Butterflynetwork.com?
Brandon:
Yes.
Adrian:
And I really encourage everyone to go to their website and just check it out. First of all, for those of you who are marketers here, they've got a beautiful website. There's great product marketing. You can really understand the solution that they offer, see images of the product, see images of the image that the product shows on the mobile app. There's just so much cool stuff there. Brandon, we'll make sure that people can find you too on LinkedIn.
Brandon:
Perfect. Yeah, feel free to reach out. Lots of info to share, a really fun journey, really excited. There's more coming, so stay tuned.
Adrian:
We will do that. Thanks again, Brandon.
Brandon:
Thank you.
Adrian:
I hope you enjoyed that conversation with Brandon as much as I did. If you like this episode of The Loc Show, hit the Subscribe button so the next episode will be waiting for you. And if you loved this podcast, please leave a review. Five-star reviews go a long way. If you're not ready to give a five-star review, give our next episode a shot. We appreciate you're listening. If you have any feedback or want us to interview one of your favorite people in localization, just email me, acohn@smartling.com.
Welcome to The Loc Show. I'm your host, Adrian, from Smartling. This podcast exists to help you become an expert in all things translation and localization so that you can connect your products and services with people anywhere, today. We're going to interview some of the brightest minds in localization. Hit the subscribe button on your favorite podcast player so that every time we release an interview with leaders from top companies around the world, you can put their ideas and experience into action right now. Thanks for listening.
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Transcript
*We automated the transcription of this epsidoe, so there is a 100% chance of spelling and gramatical errors below. We appreciate your not holding this against us 😃
Adrian: The digital revolution instantaneously widened the reach of your products and services. Anybody with an internet connection is now a potential customer. So the answer is simple, right? Put together a compelling product, start marketing it online, and watch your company grow.
In today’s reality, it isn’t this simple. Competition is fierce. Margins are slim. Consumers have more choice, and anything from natural disasters to social media disasters can upend years of hard work.
There’s also a dependency on content to support today’s product journey. Websites, marketing automation, web and mobile applications, documentation, video, podcasts, and more. These mediums not only enriches the customer experience, but are also the key ingredients of tomorrow’s competitive advantage.
Why is this important? This is important because 90% of the online consumer buying power in 2022 requires support for 16 written languages worldwide. Language translation is a bridge to these consumers - a pathway that enables people to access your products and services. It is the wildcard that some people underestimate and many people seem to forget about when it comes to delivering a global product.
Language translation is not new. It’s been done for centuries. The Bible was translated. Important pieces of literature, like The Odyssey, have been translated. In the 20th century, the world’s largest businesses started translating; and in the 21st century, businesses of all sizes that can deliver a service to people anywhere in the world are translating.
Obviously, translating content makes it easier to communicate with more people. The challenge is knowing how to master language translation and localization efficiently. That’s why I’m here - Adrian, from Smartling (nice to meet you). This podcast exists to help you become an expert in all things translation and localization so that you can connect your products and services with people anywhere, today.
How are we going to do this? We’re going to bring you interviews with real people who manage real localization programs at companies of all shapes and sizes. I can’t wait for you to meet our guests.
Hit the subscribe button on your favorite podcast player so that every time we release an interview with leaders from top companies around the world, you can put their ideas and experience into action right now. See you on the podcast.