Move the World with Words

We’ve come to the end of season 1 of the Move the World with Words podcast.  We’ve talked to dozens of translators, interpreters, and transcreators from all over the world, and all over the industry.  The bad news is, we’re taking a break for a bit.Because this show takes time to produce, and we want to make sure we’re delivering the highest quality content possible.  The good news is, we’re coming back with another podcast in the meantime. Welcome to The Loc Show.  A podcast all about translation and localization. All in one podcast.  This is different, because it doesn’t feature translators. It features the customers, the localization managers, the product owners, and the marketers who are managing translation for amazing companies. Like Fitbit, Subway, & FedEx.  We appreciate  every single person who has listened to Move the World with Words.  And we can’t wait to hang out with you on The Loc Show.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

It can be really easy to paint a particular group of people with a broad brush.  All engineers have a hard time with people.  All artists are cerebral and in their own heads all the time.  And while there may be a shred of truth to some of those assumptions, for the most part one can’t label an entire group of people in any certain way.  And over the course of the last 32 interviews with translators, we’ve certainly seen that reinforced.  Ella Wexler was a guest on the Move the World with Words podcast, and was kind enough to talk with us about a number of things very personal to her.  -Why she carries a table tennis paddle with her when she travels. -Why her husband doesn’t play table tennis with her -Her love for the Beatles & poetry -Why she thinks communication is the most important thing on earth.  -Why we all just need to listen more to one another You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

What do you do when you have to translate with no context?  When you have a job to do, but perhaps you’re working with an agency, and you don’t know how your translation is going to be used.  Or where it’s going to be used.  Or who is going to be accessing it.  Unfortunately, it’s part of the job, but that doesn’t mean that it ever gets easier.  “As a translator, you’re not creating content. You’re working with what you have. The good and the not so good,” said Eugenia Tietz-Sojolskaya. On this episode of Move the World with Words, Eugenia talks all about:  -Her journey into the world of translation -Translating without context, and why it can be so difficult -How she still gets that “puzzle piece” feeling when she finds the perfect sentence -What Move the World with Words means to her. You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

If you’re a parent, you know there are few things more beautiful than watching a child come into the world. One minute, they’re not here.  And the next, the new reality is one that includes them.  It’s this respect and awe of the miracle of birth that actually led Julie Burns into the world of translating & interpreting.  Julie was a guest on the Move the World with Words podcast recently, and what a story she has. She talked all about:  -Fleeing Guatemala with her family due to political tensions -Her time as a midwife and how that prepared her for a career in translation -Why she doesn’t stress out about staying on top of the latest trends -What Move the World with Words means to her You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Do you dream in a different language?  Most of us don’t even think twice about the language we dream in, but on a recent episode of the Move the World with Words podcast, we talked with Meghan Konkol about just that.  Living abroad, and dreaming in another language.  How did she know that a career in another language was for her?  She started dreaming in french.  Meghan was a guest on the Move the World with Words podcast recently and talked with us all about:  -Her first time dreaming in another language -Why living in a home that spoke no English was the best possible thing for her career -What Move the World with Words means to her You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.  

What makes a high school student pursue a career in translation?  For Jennifer An, it was a move with her mother.  Jennifer says, “We were watching a Korean drama, and the English subtitles were so terrible. I looked at my mom and said, ‘I could do better than that.’”  “So she said, ‘Then why don’t you?’” So began Jennifer’s journey into the world of translation & interpretation.  Jennifer was a guest on the Move the World with Words podcast recently and talked all about:  -Why she still does math in Korean -Her experience translating for a North Korean defector in college -What it was like spending 3 days in a windowless room translating for the military -What Move the World with Words means to her.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.  

The doctor’s office is a vulnerable place.  It’s like going to the car mechanic.  Nobody goes to the doctor because they enjoy going to the doctor. Typically, they go because something is wrong.  Now imagine you’ve got to go to the doctor and you don’t speak the language.  You’re scared, vulnerable, and something is wrong, but you can’t understand what the technician is saying or communicate what you’re feeling.  That’s where someone like Janna Davis comes in. She was a guest on the podcast recently and talked with us all about:  -Her time living in Spain, and how the language just “clicked” for her -Why she’s devoted her career to medical translation -What Move the World with Words means to her   You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.  

We’ve all read them.  Translations that are dry, lifeless, and to be honest, kind of boring. Maybe it’s the fault of the original text. After all, medical or legal translation can only be so creative.  But every now and then, someone like Delfina Morganti Hernández comes along and breathes fresh air into the industry.  Delfina is a transcreator, and an advocate in the industry for everybody that makes their living with words. In her own words, “If we don’t market ourselves, who else will?”  On this episode of Move the World with Words, Delfina talks all about:  -What transcreation is and how it differs from translation -Her advocacy in the industry -How her creative hobbies have fueled her translation career -What Move the World with Words means to her.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

We’ve talked a lot on the podcast about how the translation industry has changed.  Over the course of the last 35 years, it’s evolved in ways that we never would’ve thought possible.  But one thing that never changes is the need for translators. As long as there are words, there will be translators.  Which begs the question, what do you need to know if you’re heading into translation as a career?  What are the most important things to know?  We talked with Karen Leube about  -What she thinks are some of the key things you should know if you’re pursuing a career in translation.  -How she landed in the translation industry -How the industry has changed in the last 35 years -What Move the World with Words means to her You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

What are the two most important pieces of a quality translation?  More than anything else, these 2 pieces will take your translations from blah to brilliant. From flat to phenomenal.  Odds are if you ask 100 translators this question, you’ll likely get a lot of different answers. After all, translation is an art form, not a science.  But for Marina Ilari, the answer is simple.  Context & localization. Marina was a guest on the Move the World with Words podcast recently, and we talked all about:  -Making the move from Wisconsin to LA -Why she prefers her home office to a co-working space -Why context & location are the two most important pieces of a good translation -What Move the World with Words means to her You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.  

Let’s talk about qualifications.  As a translator, specifically one that’s ATA certified, you’re incredibly qualified. You’ve got to go through a lot to get that certification.  But what do you do when you start to doubt those qualifications?  When you think, “I study language, what qualifies to me to interpret medical documents? I don’t know the first thing about medicine.”  It happens to everyone.  That’s why we loved our interview with Victoria Bañales on the latest episode of the Move the World with Words podcast. She talked all about:  -Attending a German school in Spain -Her goal to live on every continent for at least 6 months -How to deal with the imposter syndrome that comes with the job -What Move the World with Words means to her You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

They say that poetry is the language of love.  There are so many things that are hard to say, so they are said with poetry.  So many writers and poets will tell you that they don’t know what they think or what they are trying to say until they write it down.  So when we met Sharon Neeman, we knew we had stumbled on someone truly special. We got to sit down with Sharon and talk all about:  -Her love of poetry and translating poetry -Why she used to wake up at 3AM and work a half a day before the sun was even up -Her promise to her spouse to cut back to 35 hours a week when she turns 70 -Why she refuses to use any CAT tools -What Move the World with Words means to her  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

What technology are you resisting?  30 years ago, translators were using typewriters, and were hesitant to make the jump to computers.  10 years ago, those same people were hesitant to utilize CAT tools.  Now? What are translators hesitant about today?  It’s machine translation.  Why? What are we so afraid of?  Anne-Marie Colliander Lind was on the Move the World with Words podcast recently, but she has one thing that sets her apart from the rest of the guests we’ve had on. We talked all about:  -Why technology should be embraced, not feared -Her work as a translation consultant -Advice she gives to companies struggling to adapt to an ever-changing world -What Move the World with Words means to her You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Translators should be invisible.   Not in a “Harry Potter cloak” sort of way (though that would certainly be handy at times.)  But in an ideal world, the translator’s work should fade into the background, and it should appear as if there was never a translator at all.  It’s why translators truly are the unsung heroes of the world. Because the world wouldn’t function without them. Take our latest guest, Jill Sommer for example. She came on the show recently to talk all about:   -Why she prefers to work until 2AM -How she stumbled into translation as a career -How her time as a contract linguist has shaped the way she markets herself -Why she really does believe that good translation should make the translator seem invisible. -What Move the World with Words means to her.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

As translators, we spend a lot of time sitting.  At our desks, at coffee shops, at conferences, in the car, or on airplanes. Most of our job is sitting.  So it should come as no surprise that a lot of us would end up with posture problems. Chronic pain in our backs, necks, shoulders, and joints.  But what do you do if you feel like your chronic pain is keeping you from doing the work that you love? Eva Stabenow, was a guest on the Move the World with Words podcast recently, and talked all about:  -What she did when she realized her pain was keeping her from working -How she found a second passion in teaching corrective Pilates -How she’s married her two passions, translation & pilates.  -A horror story from her early days of translating involving a 700,000 word document -What Move the World with Words means to her You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

It all started with a pen.  Do you still use a pen to write?  Not a cheap, dollar-store pen, but a proper pen.  There is a weight to the words when you use a proper pen, like a Mont Blanc, to write words on a sheet of paper.  They mean a little more than they normally would.  We chatted with Cristina Silva on a recent episode of the Move the World with Words podcast, and discussed:  How she fell in love with language Her response to her dad making her get a job at 15, and why she chose one in language.  Her first paid writing assignment for Mont Blanc What Move the World with Words means to her. You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

We’ve talked to a lot of professional translators on the Move the World with Words podcast.  One demographic we haven’t spoken with, at least not yet, is a student.  Someone who is studying to be a professional translator or interpreter. Someone who spends their days not working with clients, but going to class, studying, and practicing the art of translating in hopes of making it their profession.  We sat down with a graduate student from Middlebury Institute of International Studies recently, because we wanted to hear from someone just getting started. We talked all about: Making the jump from Civil Engineering to translation What her day to day life in school is like What surprised her most about her move to the United States (it may not be what you think)  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Machines can do all sorts of incredible things.  They can turn on your lights, set your heat, or give you directions in the car.  But can you rely on them to translate?  As technology continues to evolve, machine translation is becoming more and more inevitable as a service.  Thankfully, Jennifer Mosby, along with a host of other translators, doesn’t think it’s time to panic just yet. She was recently a guest on the Move the World with Words podcast and talked all about:  Why she only translates TO her native language Some of the amazing things she’s learned over the years translating engineering documents Why she doesn’t think human translators are going anywhere You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

What’s that old saying? Love what you do, and you’ll never work a day in your life? Most people will tell you that that quote is misleading. Of course you can love what you do, but it’s still work, right? It depends on who you ask. Diana Biser was a guest on the Move the World with Words podcast recently, and our conversation was incredible.  She talked to us all about: loving the work so much that she used to do it for free, why it’s challenging to read books without wanting to translate them, why she watches English movies with the Spanish subtitles, and what “Move the World with Words” means to her.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Context is king.  So often, particularly in the world of translation, translators are asked to translate without any context. Maybe they’re given a set of phrases and have to translate those. But they might not have any idea HOW these phrases are being used, or in what context. This is especially true when it comes to marketing translation. Susanne Kraetschmer is a freelance translator specializing mostly in apparel and marketing translation for some of the largest companies in the world.  She was a guest on the podcast recently and talked all about; when she knows she’s nailed an assignment, how she keeps her German language skills fresh while living in Portland, her favorite German tv shows, and what she would change about the translation industry. You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Transcreation. Wait, what? Are we just inventing new words now? Not exactly. On a recent episode of the Move the World with Words podcast, we sat down with Robin Limmeroth to talk about: what exactly is "transcreation?" what it was that got her hooked on translation as a career, how she stays on top of the trends in Germany, and what "Move the World with Words" means to her.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

We’ve not talked a lot about mistakes. And it makes sense why. Nobody likes to think about their mistakes. Often times we dwell on them, beat ourselves up over them, and go out of our way to avoid even the hint of a mistake. But when you’ve been in the translation business for nearly two decades, mistakes are bound to happen. Because translation isn’t an exact science. It’s an art form.  On a recent episode of the Move the World with Words podcast, we sat down with Dagmar Jenner, and talked all about- learning from your mistakes, the most important lessons you can learn from your mistakes, what it’s like the president of the Austrian Translators & Interpreter’s Association, and what Move the World with Words means to her You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World With Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

How does the old saying go? "Those that can't do, teach?"  While that may be true for some things, it most certainly isn't the case for our latest guest on the Move the World with Words podcast. Alan Campbell might spend his time these days teaching and training the next generation of translators, but his background proves that he has a wealth of experience. He was a guest on the Move the World with Words podcast recently and talked all about: his time in the Army that led him to translation, why he thinks that speaking to someone in their language is so important, why it is the most people have never thoughts of translation or interpretation as a profession, and what Move the World with Words means to him.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Are you sharing what you're learning? And if not, what's holding you back? We sat down with Dr. Hadeer Aboelnagah on a recent episode of the Move the World with Words podcast. She spent 30 hours traveling across the world to be at a conference, so we jumped at the chance to learn from her.  We talked about; why machines translation isn't the enemy, her role as a university professor and how she helped her students, and why sharing your learning is the most crucial element to translation.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

We talk a lot on the Move the World with Words podcast about freelancing. An awful lot of translators have made a very respectable career out of freelance translating. But it's not without its headaches. The headaches can come with things like accounting, invoicing, chasing clients down, and periods of having no work. But on the most recent episode of the podcast, we talked with Rosalie Henke, who does a lot of her freelance work with us here at Smartling.  We talked about: the bonuses of working with an agency, why she doesn't want to translate medical or legal projects, and what "Move the World with Words" means to her.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. 

"We tell ourselves stories in order to live." The prolific author Joan Didion said that, and nowhere is that more true than in the world of interpretation and translation. On a recent episode of the Move the World with Words podcast, we talked with Ibrahim Alkhaldi about: What makes a good translator, what makes a good listener, and the challenges of a career focused in Healthcare interpretation.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. 

We talk a lot on the Move the World with Words podcast about translation. Obviously. But what happens when you're a translator for a part of the world where a LOT of English words and phrases just simply don't translate? Not that there aren't words for the things you're using. But culturally, it just doesn't make sense.  This is something that Tess Whitty runs into an awful lot, being an English to Swedish translator. She was a guest on the show recently and talked all about: what sort of phrases and ideas don't translate well to the Nordic language, how she stays connected to Nordic culture while living in the US, and what she would change about the translation industry.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcast, on Spotify, or here. 

Those that can't cook pastries, translate. That's not how the saying goes, but at least in Liza Tripp's case, that was exactly what happened. She left after chocolate, but before wedding cakes.  It wasn't until graduate school that she found Denise Jacobs, and began a partnership that would take them both places they never dreamed. The world of fashion translation.  They were both guests on the Move the World with Words podcast recently and talked all about: their journeys into fashion translation, the not so glamorous parts of translating museum exhibits, and why a coat is never just a coat.  You can find more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. 

Wake up. Put on your fuzzy slippers, and walk down the hall to your home office. Fire up the laptop, pour the coffee, and settle in for the day. Sounds like the ideal work situation, right? Not for everybody.  Corrine McKay started her career as a freelance translator with her sleeping baby on her lap, cold calling every translation company in Colorado asking for work.  She was a guest on the podcast recently and talked all about: her time as ATA President, her advice on getting into translation as a profession (you don't need to know more than one language), and why she got tired of working from home. You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. 

What do you do when you encounter a word that you need translated? Odds are, you open the Google Translate app on your phone and get your answer, right? It's quick, east, and will get the job done.  But no matter how good machine translation gets, there's one thing it lacks. One thing that it will never have. Humanity.  On a recent episode of the Move the World with Words podcast, we sat down with Sandy Jones to talk about: the life of a patent translator, how she keeps herself educated about patent law, and the one thing she wishes people knew about translators.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. 

When was the last time you thought about an interpreter? Odds are, unless you've been arrested in a foreign country and needed a good court interpreter, it's probably been a minute.  Right? But Judy Jenner is out to change that.  She was a guest on a recent episode of the Move the World with Words Podcast, and had a lot to say about: the role of the interpreter in our current culture, the times in her life when she's had to own up to her failures, and how she decided in Middle School that she wanted to own a cross-cultural consulting firm.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here. 

When was the last time you cursed in front of a judge? If you're Pency Tsai, and your job is to be a full-time language interpreter, it probably happened more recently than one might think.  Pency was a guest on the Move the World with Words podcast recently, and talked to our team all about, among other things: life as a full-time interpreter, why she leaves in all the swear words- no matter who she's talking to, how she rests and recharges, and why she thinks competition in the industry is overblown and damaging to the industry as a whole. You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

Portland, Oregon is a predominantly English-speaking city. In fact, most of the Pacific Northwest is anchored pretty solidly in English. So how does a freelance Spanish-to-English translator stay connected to the language? In a part of the country where it would be so very east to get by with English, how do you stay sharp? Emily Safrin was a guest on the Move the World with Words podcast recently and talked all about: why she prefers her home office, how she stay connected to the language, her favorite words, and what she looks for in a CAT tool, among other things.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcasts, on Spotify, or here.

We know very little about the farmer who grows our coffee beans. We're probably not entirely sure how our clothes are knit together. We may not know the engineer who designed our smartphones. But here at Smartling, we're on a mission to uncover the lives of at least one contributor to global commerce- translators.  We're elevating not just the work, but the everyday lives of translators around the globe. We want to know: what are their hobbies? What are their favorite restaurants, their favorite movies? What are their passions? So, on this first episode of the Move the World with Words podcast, we caught up with two translators who work in Buenos Aires- Gabriela Ortiz and Ariana Loker.  What we talked about: speaking the buyer's language, translating the intended message of the seller, dialects, passion in words, and brand.  You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcast, on Spotify, or here.

If commerce is driven by words, global commerce is fueled by translation.  But have you ever met a translator? They have interesting and challenging roles to play in our global economy.  When you spend your life and career helping other people tell their stories, you often don't get the chance to tell your own. To let the world know that you've got things to say as well.  That's where the Move the World with Words podcast comes in.  In addition to writing and releasing a book, we talked with hundreds of translators from all around the world, and picked 35 to sit down and interview. We went deep with them learning: what got them into the translation industry? What do they wish people knew about translators? What are their favorite words? Movies? Books? What are the daily pitfalls and challenges that they face? You can find out more about the passionate translators who Move the World with Words by subscribing to our podcast on Apple Podcast, on Spotify, or here.