PROFILE

Featured Reader

INTERVIEW BY KATIE BOTKIN

Would you introduce yourself?

Hilary Normanha. I work at a small tech company called Eezy as their product localization manager.

How did you get started in this industry?

Born and raised in the United States, I had the incredible opportunity to move to Brazil as a teenager where I ended up living for many years. One of my first jobs there was teaching English at a language school. The owner of the school got me started on the road to translation — I was hooked from day one, and the rest is history! Over the years I’ve always kept one foot in the localization industry (even when it didn’t pay the bills) because I enjoy it. It connects me back to that time of discovery when I first got hooked on languages and translation. More recently, I’ve dipped my toes into the tech side of the industry and it’s like falling in love all over again!

How long have you worked in it?

I have been in and out of the industry for 14 years.

What language(s) do you speak?

I speak English, Portuguese and Spanish. Disclaimer: although my written Spanish is pretty polished, my spoken Spanish frequently slips into Portuñol. Brazil will forever have a hold on me!

What do you like to do in your spare time?

I’ve always been a book nerd, so in my spare time I like to read. Fortunately I married another book nerd and we’ve got two little bookworms for kids so we spend our weekends reading together. Right now I’m reading In other Words by Jhumpa Lahiri, it’s about a mother who moves her family to Rome seeking an immersive linguistic experience (you should check it out).

Why do you read MultiLingual?

Multilingual keeps me connected with what’s going on in the industry. One of the things that I love about the localization industry is its constant evolution. There is always something new to learn!

Cameron Rasmusson is editor-in-chief of MultiLingual Media