MAGAZINE

#201 – March

Women’s History Month Special

This March, in honor of Women’s History Month, MultiLingual wants to highlight the many women who make the language industry such an innovative, creative, empathetic, and exciting environment.

Read on!

POSTEDITING

T

wo hundred issues is one impressive legacy. Yet that’s exactly the milestone MultiLingual magazine hit last month with the publication of our February issue. I’m still relatively a newcomer to this magazine — and the language industry as whole — but publishing that issue felt to me like a momentous occasion. It’s important to respect the legacy of a publication that’s about as old as I am, and rest assured that I do.

As you might have seen if you follow publisher Marjolein Groot Nibbelink on LinkedIn, a couple of typos and errors sneaked into that issue as well. While we’re proud of the quality we achieve, a mistake here and there is inevitable. We think the best way to deal with that is to identify its cause, formulate a solution, and adjust the process without letting it weigh you down. Nevertheless, critical errors are noted in our corrections this month. On the whole, I’m delighted with what our small team accomplishes. And we couldn’t do it without so much support from the wonderful professionals and members of the worldwide language community.

We have something special prepared for our readers this month. It’s Women’s History Month, and we couldn’t think of a better way to observe it than by highlighting as many women in the language industry as we could. There are so many remarkable individuals spotlighted in this issue, and we hope you take a little inspiration of your own from their stories. We know we did.

The year is starting to shape itself in some exciting ways, and we’re just getting started. Looking forward to seeing you next month, and in the meantime, take care! 

Katie Botkin signature

FEATURE

Women Driving the Language Industry

The majority of professionals within the language industry are women. Yet all too often, women don’t seek or aren’t given a spotlight for the essential work and dynamic personalities they bring to the profession. 

This March, in honor of Women’s History Month, MultiLingual wants to highlight the many women who make the language industry such an innovative, creative, empathetic, and exciting environment. Working together with industry partners, we compiled a list of women whose peers agree are shaping the profession through their knowledge, skill, experience, and personality. We then reached out to the nominated women themselves, asking them to share details about their career and perspectives on gender in the workplace. In addition, we requested that they choose another woman they admire and share some thoughts about them.

COLUMNS

INUKTITUT Inuit

“Its Proper Shape”. Writing-evolution Mythologies

By Tim Brookes

Last column I looked at a number of writing-creation myths, and I suggested they be viewed not as superstitions. Instead, I see them as a sign many cultures had a much clearer sense of the remarkable value and meaning of writing than we do — so much so that they include the birth of writing in their narratives of who they are, and how they came to be.

INUKTITUT Inuit

What’s Cooking in Life Sciences Localization

By Mark Shriner

Hello, and welcome to The Lab, a new column of updates and insights into the latest in life sciences localization. In this column, we will discuss the latest trends and innovations in technology, tools, and processes that are relevant to those working for, or providing services to, life sciences organizations. We will also look at the regulatory landscape for life sciences and introduce new business opportunities as they arise.

INUKTITUT Inuit

Leading with Empathy

By Sophie Solomon

In 2017, I was on a quest to grasp how mindfulness and emotional intelligence played a role in the work environment. I intrinsically felt that the artificial boundaries between work and home were … well, artificial. I also trusted, from my personal experience, that being humanly connected with the individuals that worked for and with me often led to an unleashing of creativity, productivity, and loyalty. It also created a work environment that was fun, emotionally safe, and unlike a traditional workspace. It felt more like a lifestyle. Our team stuck together, experienced minimal turnover, and our renewal rates with our clients were enviable. What was the secret sauce? Human connection and empathy

PROFILE

Claudia Mirza

Interview by Marjolein Groot Nibbelink

Akorbi Co-founder and CEO Claudia Mirza was instrumental in growing the company into a centerpiece of interpretation, staffing, contact center, and localization services. Today it is one of the largest women-owned companies in the industry. We spoke to Claudia about her thoughts on the industry, its future, and the working environment it offers for women.

A Conversation with Isabelle Andrieu

Interview by Cameron Rasmusson

Born from an idea shared by husband-and-wife entrepreneurial team Isabelle Andrieu and Marco Trombetti in 1999, Translated has weathered the vicissitudes of technological development to become a leading provider of translation services. With two decades of operation under its belt, Translated has served over 234,330 clients in 194 languages and 40 areas of expertise.

ANALYSIS

How to Adapt Tone for the Nordic Market

Anu Carnegie-Brown

Let me tell you a localization story — one involving the most famous fantasy world ever imagined.
I read the Finnish translation of Tolkien’s The Lord of the Rings as a teenager and fell in love with Middle-Earth. When later visiting the library to take out The Hobbit, I was stunned to discover that Tolkien’s world in that book was almost unrecognizable. Whereas the Finnish LoTR appeals to anyone from teenagers to adults, The Hobbit was localized for children under 10; it made the two parts of the epic tale largely incompatible for their mutual readerships, and this still reminds me of how localization choices can both exclude and include some readers.

BUYER’S GUIDE

BUYER’S GUIDE