Becoming a Language Professional

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Always check-in with your intuition

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Common terminology status values include preferred, admitted, deprecated, and forbidden. In the context of Language Services, this helps translators, writers, and reviewers decide which term to use. A glossary shows you what term to use and what term not to use. That’s where forbidden terms come in: designations explicitly marked “do not use” or "forbidden" within a defined context. Imagine a company making this terminology decision: 🚫 Artificial Intelligence → ✅ Super Intelligence Adding the new designation isn’t enough. The glossary should explain where the replacement applies, why it was introduced, and what anyone dealing with content should use instead. Terminology reflects your brand and your communication choices, and... so many more things about you! #Terminology #Localization #AI #superintelligence #forbidden

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Terminology decisions are business decisions and leaving them unmanaged can come at a cost. In this episode, I explore why terminology management matters and how inconsistent language can lead to repeated corrections, unnecessary translation costs, delays, and confusion for your customers. I also talk about why you need to create language assets before you start translating and localizing your content. From glossaries to termbases, language assets give your teams a shared foundation for making language decisions, rather than resolving the same questions in every project. Tune in to explore: The financial consequences of unmanaged terminology. Why terminology work belongs before translation. Which language assets help translators, reviewers, and content creators work toward the same goals. Shift from fixing recurring language issues to preventing them.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Terminology management doesn't happen in isolation. In this episode of The Language Worker, we look at the importance of the workflow.From understanding the client's industry, their audience, their voice, and the materials they've already built (style guides, past translations, product documentation) before a single entry gets added to a glossary. Project managers, in-house terminologists, freelancers, and reviewers all need to be aligned, informed, and working from the same source of truth. Miscommunication at this stage slows things down, and it shows up in the final product. And ultimately, it comes back to service — not just to the client, but to the client's clients. Whether the project is simple or highly complex, the goal of a solid terminology workflow is the same: consistency, clarity, and content that genuinely serves the end reader, in every language. Whether you're a freelancer building your first glossary or a project manager coordinating a multilingual team, this episode is here to tell you that no matter the scale of the project, you need a glossary!

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of The Language Worker, I sit down with Sonia, a German and Italian native speaker and performance marketing specialist for small and medium-sized businesses. She combines her linguistic skills with hands-on expertise in Google Ads, Microsoft Ads, Meta, and LinkedIn to help SMEs scale sustainably across markets. We talk about how Sonia manages and optimises multi-channel ad campaigns, what meaningful performance tracking looks like in practice, and how she turns reporting into clear, actionable insights for her clients. She also shares cool stories about her multilingual upbringing and how her career path has been evolving. If you’re a language professional, marketer, or SME owner who wants to market products and services more efficiently in an ever-changing digital landscape, this conversation will give you concrete ideas on how to align language, data, and paid media.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!The real backbone of sustainable language operations is terminology governance. We need to look beyond term lists and databases to explore how organizations can build clear decision‑making structures around their key concepts, who should own what, and how to keep everyone aligned from marketing and product to localization and technical communication. Before we implement a terminology strategy, we must think about practical governance models, typical stakeholder roles, and approval workflows, connecting them to the everyday reality of translators, terminologists, and LSPs. What goes wrong when governance is missing? You tell me! What starts working when terminology becomes a managed corporate asset instead of an afterthought? It's a terminology dream you can make possible. If you work in the language industry and want your terminology to stop being a firefight and start being a strategic tool, this episode is for you.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of The Language Worker, I talk about corporate terminology in simple, practical terms: what it is, how it shows up in your daily work, and why it’s not “just jargon” if you treat it with care in every scenario. From internal emails and training materials to contracts, marketing copy, UX text and multilingual content, the words your organization chooses shape how people understand what you do and how you work together. I connect this to terminology management because having a simple term list or termbase helps your brand voice stay consistent across products, services, and languages. Inconsistent terminology creates problems for teams, clients, and translators, especially when you’re working on localization and global content. A set of agreed-upon terms can reduce misunderstandings, speed up reviews, improve translation quality, and even strengthen your SEO content strategy by aligning keywords with how you actually talk about your business. Every company (large or small, public or private, product or service) should look at terminology as part of strategy, not as an afterthought at the end of the content or translation process. If you care about clear communication, customer experience, international markets, or being found online for the right keywords, this one is for you.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!In this episode of The Language Worker, I talk to down with Italian translator and B2B case study writer Chiara Vecchi, MA AITI, to explore how case studies can become one of the most powerful marketing assets in a language or B2B business. Drawing on her background as an English and German into Italian translator in beauty, cosmetics, medical, travel and hospitality, Chiara explains how she helps B2B brands showcase real-life client stories that resonate with Italian decision-makers and drive new business. We unpack what a B2B case study service actually looks like: from selecting the right clients to interview, through gathering information in a structured way, to writing polished narratives that can be repurposed across websites, blogs, newsletters and sales conversations. Chiara walks us through her process for stepping into the end client’s shoes, asking the right questions, and turning a successful project into a story that builds trust, proves ROI and positions her clients as the obvious choice in their market.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!Interpreting is one of those jobs in the language Industry that are becoming more and more talked about.I invited Doris Pingi, an OPI - Over the Phone Interpreter - because I think it's about time to bring this profession to the forefront.I heard about it for the first time almost 20 years ago, while living in California, one of my clients was looking for OPIs to create a new team that would cater the needs of Portuguese speakers who needed linguistic support in the US.Talking to Doris was an amazing opportunity to learn more about this very particular skill from the point of view of someone who lives and breaths Language and Emotional intensity while living her professional dream.Buckle up, this gets real and intense.

Got something to say to this podcast? Send a voicemail, and you might hear yourself on the next episode!How is AI changing the way companies think about translation, quality, and multilingual content? In this episode, I talked to Hristina Karagueorguieva, localization manager, to see what goes on before choosing tools, vendors, and workflows. We explore questions like: What really changes when a company starts using AI for translation instead of relying only on humans? How do you decide who should translate your content: freelancers, small agencies, or big providers? What do you need to have in place before you choose tools and partners, and how do you prepare if your company suddenly needs to grow into many new markets? I also ask Hristina what “good quality” means now that we expect basic things like spelling and grammar to be correct by default. We talk about why simply counting errors is no longer enough, how people actually read and feel content, and why we need to rethink quality so it reflects real user experience and business goals—not just word‑for‑word correctness.