Globally Speaking

Digital services (and digital access to information) are an increasingly important means of helping marginalized groups in emergencies. But, as you can imagine, there are many barriers preventing equal access to online information and apps. For instance, when international humanitarian organizations offer services in only international or official languages, many minority language speakers are exc...

“Companies are nowadays expected to seamlessly cater to client preferences and deliver relevant and personalized content on demand. Real-time and just-in-time localization is a key component of this hyper-personalized approach to communication”. Listen to Loïc Dufresne de Virel, 25-year industry veteran and head of localization at Intel, who couldn’t be more enthusiastic about recent AI developmen...

It's AI bingo at the moment! Everyone's talking about it - but did you know that the quality and quantity of training datasets are crucial to the accuracy and effectiveness of machine learning models? The more diverse and representative the data, the better the AI model can perform in terms of nuance. Did you ever wonder how to ensure that AI discerns what Americans would wear to a wedding? And wh...

In this second Globally Speaking Podcast, dedicated to the localization supply chain, follow Rosario de Zayas Rueda's fascinating journey as she explains how she started out as a translator and language specialist and ended up opening her own language services agency, completing a full cycle of professional development. As she explains, in her early days in the localization industry, the role of a...

There are so many things you'd miss out on if someone hadn't taken the time to translate them... the best literature, the trendy Netflix shows or the instructions for your medicine. Plus, learning a language so you can have a conversation with someone from another country that you wouldn't otherwise be able to understand, or so you can understand music in another language, is so powerful. These ar...

How can a company set up a localization program from scratch? What are the important criteria to consider, and what are the challenges? Is there a translation policy in place? What needs to be translated, and into which languages? Who is responsible for reporting and the communication around it? Find out what Renée Lemley, former Global Copy Director at Under Armour, has to say about her experienc...

‘Hurt. Soap. Blows.’ In case you are wondering, we haven't gone crazy, these are just the three words what3words uses to describe our location today. But now we're wondering what those three words would be like in French. Well, if we switch languages, it becomes ‘Gîte. Lavande. Aviron.’ There are so many situations in life where you need to tell someone exactly where you are, but you don't have th...

It’s completely natural for humans to attribute human characteristics to generative AI systems that seem to behave like us. And since language is one of the most profoundly human characteristics on earth, it explains why we tend to compare LLMs like GPT or PaLM (Bard) to humans, and even attribute emotions to them. But in the same way that we don't expect an airplane to flap its wings like a bird,...

Have you ever heard of gas technology? And how it impacts our everyday life?\ Well, Linde's gas and technologies are used, among other things, in Coca Cola, for oxygen masks and... to cool and freeze pizzas! In this latest episode of the Globally Speaking podcast, Jordan Cockrell and Dora Jakopović sit with Lauren Wojtaszek and Manja Konschak-Steffes to talk about how they trained over 8,000 emplo...

When it launched 25 years ago, coffee brand Tim Hortons did better than competitors in Quebec because it localized most of its content to make it more relevant to the market. On its coffee cups, the brand used to display the Toronto cityscape in anglophone Canada, which was replaced with Montreal for its Quebec launch. Similarly, a client in the US would like to see large streets in his advertisin...

You’d be forgiven for thinking that brands with a physical presence will always be trusted more than companies that only offer an online store. Things are now changing. According to our latest research, 58% of global consumers now trust global brands with a localized online presence equally to those with a physical presence. That’s an incredible opportunity when you think about it – over half of c...

A third of the world's websites are in English. And yet only 5% of Internet users speak English as their mother tongue. How can you, as a business, ensure that you are speaking to users in their own language and impacting their customer journey in a culturally relevant way? In this episode, Marine Esquenet talks to Zhongjun GE, head of the localization team at ByteDance, who explains how China-bas...

In France, the Big Mac, McDonald's favourite burger, has the same name as in English and doesn't have a translation. In Hong Kong, it has been given a name that no current machine translation could fathom: Gui Mo Ba, which could be translated as ‘the invincible juggernaut’. Why? Because one size doesn’t fit all when it comes to translating according to cultures. That’s when transcreation works its...

How does a well known household brand ensure that it consistently projects a strong brand image on the global stage? You might think you need to translate your all your content – particularly your product names – into local languages. But not always. Take IKEA as an example. The company’s products are listed in Swedish across many of its foreign language websites, including France, UK and Spain. I...

You’re not alone if you take pride in your culture. But do you feel that brands understand your culture, context and deeply personal preferences? A recent survey revealed that nine in ten consumers feel that brands must show their understanding and appreciation of national identity and culture – but only 23% feel brands understand are actually doing so. Given our reliance on digital – isn’t it abo...

It’s human nature to want to connect with family, friends and colleagues. This sentiment appears to extend to brands: 64% of consumers want brands to connect with them, according to research. But, to connect with consumers you need to build trust, communicate clearly and consistently – in their own language – and across their device of choice. When you have millions of customers, how can you ensur...

Your international explanation plans are ready. You’ve identified your target markets. Your team is ready to start engaging with customers. But how well do you know those markets? Japan, for instance, might seem like a prosperous country with plenty of opportunity. But will your remote-controlled garage doors take off? Most likely not – most of the population live in apartments. This crude example...

Today’s fast-moving, hyper-connected world means that customers demand relevant content, meaningful communication, accurate information, instant access, and consistent and personalised experiences. And they want of this own language, 24/7, and on any device. In short, they want to understand you – and they want you to understand them. But how can companies unlock this level of understanding? Let’s...

In this episode of Globally Speaking, Andrew Thomas connects with Vangelis Lympouridis, a specialist in Innovation by Design, Design Thinking, Immersive Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality (XR) technologies, for a fascinating discussion around cosmolocalization and the metaverse. Listen to Andrew and Vangelis introduce the concepts of the metaverse and the emerging technologies that impact the l...

In this episode of Globally Speaking, Monica Merel connects with Erji Wang, a Senior Globalization Program Manager who is an expert in leveraging business data to build the roadmap of product globalization at VMware. In this conversation, we explore how to pick relevant data metrics, working with limited data resources and budgets, how to grow your localization scope, and much more. Tune in and ge...

In this episode of Globally Speaking, Robert Jelenic connects with Francesca Di Marco, a veteran in the localization industry who currently leads the internationalization and global development program for product and marketing at Pinterest. Francesca tells us the story behind how twelve localization industry leaders came together to write the Globalization Strategy Playbook. The playbook attempts...

In this episode of Globally Speaking, Monica Merel connects with Stefan Huyghe, a localization VP and trailblazer in the industry. In this conversation, we explore the evolution of localization and if Language Operations is the right step forward for the industry. Tune in and let us know if you agree or disagree if Language Operations is the next frontier for localization.

In this episode of Globally Speaking, Esther Ashmore connects with Alfonso González Bartolessis, the founder of TranslaStars. Alfonso created an online school that offers many courses for linguists and translators, including a bootcamp course for SEO localization. Tune in and get a masterclass on what is SEO localization, how to be culturally relevant in your SEO strategy, debunking the myths of c...

In this episode of Globally Speaking, Andrew Thomas hosts a conversation between two peers from Dell, Scott Cahoon and Fernando Caro. Scott and Fernando take us behind the curtain and share their honest experience upgrading and implementing continuous localization. Tune in and learn all about the benefits and challenges Dell faces moving to a continuous localization model.

In this episode of Globally Speaking, we talk to Allison Ferch, Executive Director of the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA). She speaks about the origins of GALA and its important role in supporting its members by addressing the challenges of the localization industry. Tune in to hear all this and more.