This episode dives deep into Olga Beravaya's journey from St. Petersburg to driving cutting-edge research and enterprise impact in California and beyond.

Whether you work in translation, language services, or artificial intelligence, this in-depth conversation covers practical career progression, the role of knowledge graphs and machine translation, and strategic advice for business leaders embracing AI in global content strategy.

Discover the latest trends in the language technology industry and insights into localization, NLP, and AI translation in this exclusive interview with Olga a leading expert currently spearheading innovation at Smartling.

This episode of The Language Worker Podcast features translator Laura Jones, who specializes in French, Spanish, and Welsh to English, as well as English to Welsh translation. Laura shares her unique insights and experience working with clients in the beauty, travel, and lifestyle industries—exploring how translation and proofreading can enhance brand storytelling and resonate with target audiences across cultures.

Listeners will discover how Laura crafts engaging and authentic content that reflects brand personalities, as well as practical advice for linguists entering the world of luxury, fashion, and lifestyle translation. The episode also highlights community-building among translators, the challenges of working in specialist industries, and the importance of collaboration and knowledge-sharing within the ITI Beauty, Fashion and Luxury Network.

This episode offers valuable perspectives for translators, freelancers, and anyone interested in effective multilingual communication within the luxury, fashion, and lifestyle sectors.

This episode of The Language Worker features a conversation with Anja Jones. We discuss her background, her views on the language industry, and her new project, Human(e) Language.

We talked about Anja's journey in the industry, starting with the launch of AJT in Cornwall in 2010 and building it into one of the UK's most respected language service providers.

She shared how her start as a freelance translator shaped her vision for AJT. She wanted to create pathways for graduates and newcomers by offering them meaningful work and mentorship in an industry that can be difficult to break into.

As the industry evolved, so did AJT. Anja discussed the impact of AI and large language models, emphasizing the ongoing need for human creativity and cultural sensitivity. She also emphasized the ethical dilemmas posed by AI, from copyright issues to the environmental footprint, and called for greater regulation and responsibility within the sector.

Following the closure of AJT, Anja reflected on what truly matters in language services. This led to her latest venture, Human(e) Language. Although details are still emerging, Anja described Human(e) Language as a project grounded in her core belief that language work must be human-centered, ethical, and sustainable.

Tune in to hear Anja’s insights on leadership, ethical entrepreneurship, and the future of the language industry. Her story is a powerful reminder that success is not just about growth, but also about making a meaningful, positive impact.

After other adventures in the area of Language Services, William Hartley created his company Certling.

Certling is reshaping the way you access certified translations for your study, work, and immigration needs.

Gone are the days of lengthy processes and high costs. With Certling, it's as simple as a few clicks to get your certified translation. The platform streamlines the entire experience, from instant quotes to rapid delivery. No more waiting weeks for essential documents.

According to Mathijs Sonnemans, his job is to make people happy by building awesome products:

What’s the value of innovation if no one can access or truly benefit from it? After studying computer science and philosophy, and spending years developing software, I’ve learned that "coding" is the easy part. The real magic happens when you turn that code into a product that genuinely helps people, excites them, and is supported by a sustainable business.

Language technology is where I’ve found my home. It’s a field that brings together the subtlety of human communication with the precision of tech—something that’s far from easy. I’ve become an expert in this space, and my mission is clear: to make language technology more powerful, intuitive, and accessible, so it can keep making a positive impact.

As a woman in the Language Business myself, I feel it’s very important to showcase the work other fellow women who have been forging the path for present and future generations of girls to understand how powerful they are.

I thought it would great to have two women who have their own companies to share their experience and also the ins and outs of their specific fields – Life Sciences and Fashion/Beauty.

Mafalda Cortes Pereira

Mafalda is the Managing Director at MULTIvertentes, a LocLunch Ambassador, and manager at Women in Localization (Portugal)

Tiziana Bottone

Owner of Translate With Style, dedicated to Language services for beauty and fashion brands with a creative touch, and manager at Women in Localization (Madrid).

Marina Gracen-Farrell is a Global Human Advocate, Reinvention & Age Diversity Champion, Training & Community Builder

With a background in localization, international desktop publishing, and Higher Education course development, Marina has dedicated herself to building bridges between cultures, languages, and industries, always keeping the human element at the forefront. Today, as a Localization consultant and Reinvention mentor, her focus is on creating global solutions and the emotional intelligence that guides humanity.

Milijana Trobradovic is a Recruiter, Career Mentor and HIPAA Trainer

With over two decades of experience in the language services industry, Milijana has worked as a freelance interpreter, recruiter, and is now the founder of Language Talent Pool. Her journey has been driven by a passion for connecting people and creating opportunities within the ever-evolving world of language services.

After talking meeting in person months ago and talking many times about recording a podcast episode, here’s the result of our fun, lighthearted conversation!

Jan Hindrichs wears many hats in the language industry and has a strong social media presence.

As the Founder and CEO of Beluga, Jan has spent over two decades helping fast-growing SaaS companies and global brands expand their reach across borders through expert localization strategies and language technology solutions. Beluga is more than just a localization provider and offers a boutique approach that ensures quality, speed, and adaptability.

Jan is also the founder of LocLunch—a global community of localization professionals and enthusiasts. What began as a grassroots movement is now a vibrant, international network that fosters collaboration, knowledge-sharing, and friendships across the globe.

Lamiya Mukadam is the co-owner with a demonstrated history of working in the marketing and advertising industry with a focus on Content Management, Business Operations, Business Development, and Marketing Strategy.

Vikram Manghnani is the co-founder, Creative Operations and Business Director at VMC. He the driving force behind VMC’s new vertical - Transcreation and Localization - with a focus on localizing global brand campaigns and communications in to regional Indian languages, without diluting its true essence as it travels across India.

Vikram and Lamyia founded VMC in the year 2005 as Bombay’s only agency that did Copywriting. After proving itself as a successful module in the then conventional world of advertising, VMC grew up to be recognized as a dependable outsourced copy support and content partner to some of India’s top agencies and global brands. In the years to follow, VMC expanded its portfolio by introducing services such as Designing, Brand Consultancy, Digital Solutions, Photography and Events – cohesively strengthening its core service of Copywriting.

Women in Localization (W.L.) is the leading professional organization for women in the localization industry with thousands of members globally.

Its mission is to foster a global community that inspires professional equality in the localization industry and supports women through all phases of their careers. Started in the San Francisco Bay Area in 2008, W.L. has expanded its membership to include women across the globe, encouraging members to meet in other local geographies.

Many Chapter have been created recently and I decided to invite my fellow volunteers to talk about this adventure in Portuguese.

Thank you Marta Boer, Helena Sanhudo and Dulce Vaz.