Upon graduation, I moved to Toronto — aka the land of ice and snow — because of my Canadian husband, and ended up dropping out of the industry for quite a while due to the fact that back then there weren’t many appealing jobs with Italian as a language, and I needed financial stability, especially after having children. Working as a marketing project manager, event planner and executive assistant in various environments allowed me to gain some useful skills that ended up serving me well in my various roles at Shopify. I got back into the industry on a freelance, part-time basis in 2014, when I worked as translator and photography content manager for the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation for the Sochi Winter Olympics. As soon as I got back in the language game, I realized how much I missed it, and worked hard to get back to it. One day in 2016, I saw that Shopify was looking for an Italian content and localization manager, and the rest is history. It’s been a wild and happy ride since then. I feel very lucky.

What language(s) do you speak?
Italian (native), English, French, basic German and Spanish.

Whose industry social feeds (Twitter, blog, LinkedIn, Facebook) do you follow? (If any)
Technically not really social media, but I’m a loyal listener of Globally Speaking Podcast. It is fun to listen to and informative. I have learned a lot from it. I am taking a step back from social media as I have reached a bit of a saturation point, but I am still on LinkedIn and I do follow all sorts of people and organizations there. To name a few: Women in Localization (various chapters), Nimdzi, Slator and TAUS. I try not to spend time on Twitter but if and when I do, I’m always happy to see what Licia Corbolante of @terminologia is up to, and I do read her Italian blog too.

What do you like to do in your spare time?
It sounds like a cliché, but I love being a mom, and spending time with my husband and kids is the best. Watching my kids grow is such a privilege. I enjoy watching my son playing hockey, skating with my daughter and I love hiking when the weather is nice. We really enjoy traveling together. On a more personal level, I am always reading a book (real ones, because I spend enough time in front of a screen already), I love baking and cooking (it relaxes me, and since everyone needs to eat anyway, I might as well do it), and I also practice yoga. It feels good physically, mentally and emotionally.

What industry organizations and activities do you participate in?
I get around, but my favorite is LocWorld. I went for the first time two years ago in San Jose, and I plan on attending the upcoming Vancouver edition in Fall 2020. It is such a high-quality event, and very professionally run. I also attend LocLunch every month in Toronto — it’s such a fun activity and easy way to widen my local network and get to know people. It’s been lovely to see that community grow. I also try not to miss the Women in Localization’s Eastern Canada Chapter events. I wish I could travel to more conferences through the year, but between work commitments, family, kids and so on, it gets tricky. There are only so many days in a year that I can be away from home.

Why do you read MultiLingual?
Because I want and need to stay informed and know what’s happening within the industry in all of its facets. MultiLingual is a reliable source of information, trends and news from our sector, and it makes me feel connected to other professionals. I always find something new to learn when I read it, and that’s very valuable to me. Please keep up the great work.