VistaTalks

In this episode, Host Simon Hodgkins is joined by Alex Bernet, Manager of the Master Class Program at The Localization Institute and Co-Producer of LocWorld's Process Innovation Challenge (PIC).

Alex shares information on the PIC, a platform for innovations and innovators in the localization and translation industry. The Process Innovation Challenge is an event held during the Localization World conferences. It comprises a challenge event where innovators have a chance to pitch their ideas to peers and experts—the audience votes for the Process Innovator of the Year.

Alex and Simon discuss current and future innovations, including an increased interest in AI, the LocWorld conference, Lean Localization, the Process Innovation Challenge, EDUinLoc, and more!

In this episode of VistaTalks, Host María Roa is joined by the Founders of Women in Localization, Anna N. Schlegel, Silvia Avary, and Eva Klaudinyova. Women in Localization is proud to be celebrating its 15th anniversary. Anna, Silvia, and Eva share information about this important milestone and the planned event celebrating the now global organization.

In this episode, Host Simon Hodgkins is joined by Pedro Guerra Ribeiro, Localization Analyst - Vendor & Project Management at Qualtrics, the leader and creator of the experience management category. More than 18,750 organizations around the world use Qualtrics’ advanced AI to listen, understand, and take action.

In this episode, Host Simon Hodgkins is joined by Elliott Rayner, Chief Marketing Officer at ARION. Elliott’s career has taken him from sporting giants like adidas and ASICS to his current role. Rayner's passion for marketing and innovation, particularly in the sports industry, is evident in his professional journey. Prior to ARION, Rayner headed the global product marketing function at Babbel, a renowned language learning platform. There, he led a team of product marketers, shaping the product roadmap and communication strategy behind Babbel's latest innovations.

In this episode, Host María Roa is joined by Carolene Méli, a renowned operations coach and consultant for events and entertainment companies. Carolene has spent a significant portion of her career specializing in VIP experiences for global entertainment giant Cirque du Soleil.

She has led over 50 guest experience teams in 17 countries throughout her journey and continues to do so today from her base in beautiful Cyprus. Carolene has a unique flair for creating engaging events and creative and highly practical keynotes that help audiences to enhance the operational excellence of their events and entertainment experiences.

In this episode, Host Simon Hodgkins is joined by Beth Dunn, a visionary Product Content Leader, Author, Consultant, and Coach. Beth pioneered the content design practice at HubSpot, including developing and leading the global HubSpot content design team. Her book, Cultivating Content Design, established Full Stack Content Design as the engine for content-driven, product-led growth. The discussion covers Beth's journey in content, working with HubSpot's content design team, and assisting in propelling the company's growth from 50 to 8000 employees. Simon and Beth discuss the impact of AI on content and Beth's views on the world of delivering content that delights and drives positive outcomes and results.

In this episode, host María Roa catches up with Dave Ruane, a dynamic individual who has significantly contributed to the localization industry. Dave is the Director of Marketing at XTM International and serves on the Board of Directors for the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA). He is also the Co-founder and Chair of the Process Innovation Challenge (PIC), an exciting platform that fosters innovation in the language industry. 

In conversation with Dave, we discuss his transition from being a software engineer to becoming a problem solver and solution developer in the localization industry. Dave shares his insights into how his technical background gave him a solid foundation for understanding the intricacies of localization processes and sparked his passion for finding innovative solutions. His unique perspective and expertise have enabled him to bridge the gap between technology and language, driving growth and efficiency in the industry.

Dave's involvement as the Co-founder and Chair of the Process Innovation Challenge (PIC) highlights his dedication to driving innovation in the localization and translation industry. The PIC platform serves as an innovation hub, providing a space for industry innovators to share ideas, compete, and learn. Held up to three times a year during the Localization World conference, PIC is supported by XTM International and Localization World. Dave and the advisory board set the vision and values of PIC, ensuring the event's success through advisory group support, event management, and session moderation.

Dave and María discuss the topic of language technology tools and what companies should consider when searching for the right solutions. Dave shares his expertise and provides valuable insights on the top three factors companies should prioritize. From seamless integration with existing systems to scalability and robust functionality, Dave emphasizes the importance of finding tools that align with business objectives and facilitate efficient localization processes.

Artificial Intelligence (AI) has become a game-changer in various industries, and localization is no exception. Drawing parallels with a previous VistaTalks episode featuring Sharon O'Brien, Associate Dean for Research - Faculty of Humanities and Social Science at Dublin City University (Ep 118), María Roa asks Dave about the impact he believes AI will have on the localization industry. With his understanding of technology and localization, Dave provides thought-provoking insights into AI's opportunities and challenges. From machine translation advancements to automated content creation, he explores how AI can enhance localization processes while emphasizing the continued importance of human expertise and cultural context.

About VistaTalks

VistaTalks has an incredible lineup of guests from around the globe. We love to feature interesting discussions with interesting people from all around the world. Follow VistaTalks on Spotify for all the latest episodes, or subscribe to the show on Apple and Google podcasts. VistaTalks is available on many other podcast platforms. To learn more about VistaTalks, please visit https://www.vistatalks.com.

In this episode, Host Simon Hodgkins is joined by Niall O'Driscoll, the Chief Executive of vStream Health. Niall shares the importance of culture, localization, and storytelling in healthcare. At vStream Health, the emphasis lies in crafting patient-centric, virtual reality experiences that redefine the relationship between patients, healthcare professionals, and the broader healthcare and life sciences industry. The company boasts a dedicated team of 3D medical animators, writers, directors, designers, and consultants collaborating to create beautiful visualizations, compelling storytelling, and digital mental health initiatives. Their goal is to revolutionize how patients and healthcare providers interact and engage, ultimately enhancing the healthcare experience.

About VistaTalks

VistaTalks has an incredible lineup of guests from around the globe. We love to feature interesting discussions with interesting people from all around the world. Follow VistaTalks on Spotify for all the latest episodes, or subscribe to the show on Apple and Google podcasts. VistaTalks is available on many other podcast platforms. To learn more about VistaTalks, please visit https://www.vistatalks.com.

In this episode, Host María Roa is joined by Sharon O’Brien. Effective translation and localization services are critical in a world where communication and understanding are paramount. Sharon O'Brien, the esteemed Associate Dean for Research in the Faculty of Humanities and Social Science at Dublin City University, is a leading expert in translation technology, crisis translation, and machine translation. In this engaging podcast episode, we had the pleasure of discussing O'Brien's groundbreaking work and exploring topics such as the role of translation in crisis response, the human factors in machine translation, and the potential for human-machine collaboration.

About VistaTalks

VistaTalks has an incredible lineup of guests from around the globe. We love to feature interesting discussions with interesting people from all around the world. Follow VistaTalks on Spotify for all the latest episodes, or subscribe to the show on Apple and Google podcasts. VistaTalks is available on many other podcast platforms. To learn more about VistaTalks, please visit https://www.vistatalks.com.

About Vistatec

We have been helping some of the world’s most iconic brands to optimize their global commercial potential since 1997. Vistatec is one of the world’s leading global content solutions providers. HQ in Dublin, Ireland, with offices in Mountain View, California, USA. To learn more about Vistatec, please visit https://www.vistatec.com

In this episode, host Simon Hodgkins is joined by Lee Densmer. Lee helps companies create content experiences that bring their global customers closer to the brand. She believes that content can make or break your brand and that content builds relationships, and relationships drive revenue.

In this episode, Annette Lawlor, CEO and Founder of Lion People Global, a localization-specific recruitment company, joins host María Roa. Annette is responsible for making connections to drive revenue growth within the global language industry, digital media, and, lately, the AI industry through its mergers & acquisitions and talent & training solutions.

In this episode, Peter McNally, a Senior Consultant at the User Experience Center at Bentley University, joins host María Roa. Peter shares information on his background and how he got into the field of UX design. He started out studying graphic design in college but quickly realized that he was more interested in the user experience aspect of design. Peter was always fascinated by how people interacted with technology and how design could be used to improve those interactions.

In this episode, Maciej Kranz, EVP and CTO, Member of the Executive Board at KONE Corporation, joins host Simon Hodgkins. KONE, a Finnish company specializing in elevators, escalators, and automatic building doors, is using technology to solve issues related to transportation and logistics. Maciej discusses the company's use of sensors and data orchestration to create smoother experiences for people. KONE Corporation has a presence in over 60 countries and 60,000 employees, providing services to approximately one billion people daily.

In this episode, Karen Jones joins host Simon Hodgkins. Karen is the Director of Consulting and Partnerships at Denison Consulting Europe. Karen works with clients to explore their organizational culture, define their current state, and prioritize action to drive delivery.

In this episode, Anne-Marie Colliander Lind joins host María Roa. Anne-Marie is a recognized force in the global language industry landscape.

In this episode, Angelica Palli joins host María Roa. Angelica is a Product Localization Manager at Babbel. Angelica is a passionate learner with a fondness for foreign languages and personal growth. She strives for efficiency and clarity in everything she does, and although her background is 100% localization, she is very marketing-oriented. Babbel has 13,000 hours of content and more than 50,000 lessons across 14 languages. Babbel was the world’s first language-learning app and is also the best-selling. It has intuitive, user-friendly lessons, which have seen the company grow to over 10 million subscriptions, centered on learning a language through real-life conversations.

In this episode, Alfonso González Bartolessis joins host María Roa. Alfonso is a localization professional who has developed his career as a translator, translation manager, and university teacher. He has founded and co-founded several companies and currently works as a Senior Localization Manager in Germany for Sinch. Alfonso has created the localization department for more than nine languages and developed the current translation workflow. He is also TranslaStars CEO, an online learning platform for language lovers with translation, localization, globalization, and interpreting courses. Alfonso shares how he got into the world of language, translation, and localization, including his early experiences in Spain and the United States.

In this episode, Elizabeth Doss joins host María Roa. Elizabeth is an animated GIF sticker artist. She helps brands and businesses create gifs that lead to greater awareness and engagement on a local and global scale. Whether through social media marketing, email marketing, or even a website. Elizabeth's work in animated GIFs has already grown to over 4 billion views.

Elizabeth shares how she got into the design world of animated GIFs and her Izzyink studio business, which now works with many well-known individuals, small businesses, and global brands. Elizabeth’s work transforms how people interact and engage with images across multiple platforms.

In this special episode, Simon Hodgkins shares insights into the Think Global Forum Roundtable events. Take a listen to this special episode of the podcast!

In this special episode, Simon Hodgkins, María Roa, Meredith Hutchinson, and Daniela Fogaça look back over the previous 12 months of podcast episodes. Simon, Maria, Meredith, and Daniela highlight examples of their favorite topics and discussions. Take a listen to this special episode of the podcast!

In this episode, Patrycja Maksymowicz joins host María Roa. Patrycja has over three decades of experience in successful partnerships built around compassionate, empathy-driven business relationships. She was awarded “Quality of the Year” for management and innovative training and has gained numerous industry accreditations. Patrycja is the Founder of Open Solutions Global and the London Business Academy. She is also Chapter Director at Startup Grind, supporting the tech ecosystems in the North of England. Startup Grind was founded in Silicon Valley and currently counts chapters in over 600 cities across 125 countries. Patrycja supports the growth of companies and organizations and has worked with blue-chip clients such as Lego, BMW, Scania, Pirelli, and Carlsberg, as well as banks, armed forces, and government agencies.

In this episode, podcast hosts María Roa and Simon Hodgkins discuss the latest year of the Think Global Awards. María shares news about year six of the global awards program, including the ten categories, who can enter the awards, and the importance of the awards to companies of all shapes and sizes.

In this episode, Kathryn Read joins host María Roa. Kathryn is an international sales and marketing consultant with over 25 years of experience developing products in more than 150 countries. Kathryn helps companies to break through international barriers, creating successful entrepreneurs and a thriving global marketplace. She is a partner at Uniconsult-Wick & Partner Consulting, focusing mainly on countries east of Austria, especially Asia!

In this episode, Dr. Simon Moore joins host María Roa. Simon is a Chartered Business and Consumer Psychologist and CEO of the award-winning psychology strategy consultancy, Innovationbubble. Simon and his psychology team have advised well-known global brands such as FedEx, Pfizer, Microsoft, Sony, Aviva, Ericcson, Sony Music, Virgin Atlantic, and Bupa about understanding human decision-making, behavior, and decisions.

In this episode, Dominika D'Agostino joins host María Roa. Dominika is a localization expert and problem solver with fifteen years of experience in the translation, media, and telecommunication industries. She currently lives in Austin, Texas, and is the sponsorship manager for the Woman in Localization Texas chapter. 

About VistaTalks:

VistaTalks has an incredible lineup of guests from around the globe. We love to feature interesting discussions with interesting people from all around the world. Follow VistaTalks on Spotify for all the latest episodes, or subscribe to the show on Apple and Google podcasts. VistaTalks is available on many other podcast platforms. To learn more about VistaTalks, please visit https://www.vistatalks.com

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In this episode, Doyle Buehler joins host Simon Hodgkins. Doyle has consulted, coached, taught, and inspired many in the areas of digital leadership and strategy. He is the author of the book #Breakthrough: Unleash Your Remarkable Brand Value, Influence, and Authority. He is an active member of the Grey Swan Guild and has been a judge at the Think Global Awards. Doyle is a Chief Expedition Officer and has worked with organizations worldwide.

In this episode, Jessica Huie MBE joins host Simon Hodgkins. Forbes describes Jessica as one of ‘UK's Most Influential Women On True Success.’ Jessica is a PR powerhouse and maverick entrepreneur and has an MBE for Services to Entrepreneurship and contribution to diversity. Jessica's acclaimed first book, PURPOSE, was published by Hay House and named 'One of the UK's Best Business Books Written by Women' by The Telegraph Newspaper. The PURPOSE Retreats take place twice each year in Jamaica and the UK. Her expertise is sought broadly, from discussions at No.10 Downing Street to company and board-level positions.

Is your company looking to expand globally? In this episode, guest Diana Georgieva joins host María Roa. Diana is the Senior Localization Manager at Pleo. An expanding unicorn company, Pleo is the spending solution for forward-thinking teams everywhere. The Pleo smart company cards empower thousands of businesses across Europe. Diana is responsible for building the localization team and Pleo’s localization program to help scale Pleo internationally.

What does it take to plan and execute a world-class event? In this episode, guest Elaine Sugar joins host Simon Hodgkins. Elaine has over two decades of financial industry experience and 15 years of direct leadership and coaching experience. She is a top achiever managing treasury services portfolios of commercial and corporate banking clients with revenues of $20M-$1B at Wells Fargo.

What effect will Machine Translation (MT) have on the Localization Industry, and how can you prepare? In this episode, guest Poppy Middleton joins host María Roa; With over 8 years of experience in the localization industry, Poppy has acquired great experience in a number of customer service roles, ranging from localization, quality assurance, project management & machine translation deployment in a multi-language environment.

How can the design methodology help you grow your business? In this episode, guest Ainslie Peters joins host Simon Hodgkins; Ainslie is a designer, educator, and lecturer. She teaches in the areas of industrial design, design thinking, and design history. She has worked as a mentor and consultant for businesses looking to implement design strategies and design thinking processes.

How has Vistatec helped shape the localization industry over the past 25 years? In this episode, host Simon Hodgkins is joined by guests Thomas Murray, Vistatec CEO, Patrick Kelly, CCO, Siobhán Gantly, CHRO, Unn Villius, CSO, Phil Ritchie, CTO, Jerry Lane, IT Director, Adam Thompson, CFO, and Yvonne McNamara, COO. The Vistatec CEO and executive team share their thoughts on being 25 years in business, including changes they have seen from a company and customer perspective and how the industry landscape is changing. 

How do you use storytelling to boost brand identity? In this episode, guest Timea Kadar joins host María Roa. Timea is an open-minded, fast-thinking, and experienced marketing professional. She recognizes good ideas, the potential in people, opportunities, and marketing strategy. Timea is currently the CMO at Francis Cooper Consultancy, helping companies of all sizes be successful with their marketing activities.

How to build brands, partnerships, and expand internally. In this episode, guest Valerie Brown joins host Simon Hodgkins. Valerie is the CEO of the Val Brown Group, where they work with CEOs, CMOs, Entrepreneurs, and Business Owners to drive company growth through brand strategy. Valerie has helped brands like Hard Rock Cafe, City Winery, Nashville’s Country Music Hall of Fame, MTV, and many more.

What are the inherent benefits of being multilingual? In this episode, guest Tatyana Sergeyeva joins host Simon Hodgkins. Tatyana is the Vice President, Credit Cards & Retail Services at Wells Fargo and is on the WorldChicago Board of Directors. She is fluent in five languages and has lived in five countries. Tatyana's experience includes international consulting, financial services, content strategy, e-learning, and publishing.

Building your brand presence is vital in the digital age, but how exactly do you build a brand effectively? In this episode, guest Carolyn Kremins joins host Simon Hodgkins. Carolyn has played a vital role in launching and rebuilding some of the most well-known media brands, including Epicurious, Condé Nast Traveller, The Week, Cookie, Brides, and Maxim.

How has the print industry adapted to the digital transformation movement? In this episode, guest Bobby Power joins host Simon Hodgkins. Bobby is the creator and publisher of Go Wild Magazines. Seven Tourism & Food magazines throughout different and individual tourism regions in Ireland. Go Wild Tourism Wild Atlantic Way, Go Wild Northern Ireland, Go Wild Dublin, Go Ancient East, Go Wild Food Experience, Go Wild on the Lakes, and the latest title Go Wild Staycation.

What is impostor syndrome and how do you deal with it? In this episode, guest Frederique Murphy joins host Maria Roa. Frederique is a highly engaging, leading global voice around mindset transformation. She inspires and equips people to move through extraordinary change with her Mountain Moving Mindset platform and is a multi-award-winning keynote speaker and consultant.

How will marketing change in the future? And how does that impact the work we do? guest Gregory Twohig joins host María Roa. Gregory is a driven and enthusiastic marketing professional with experience across B2B sales, brand management, and content creation. Gregory works as a Marketing Solutions Manager at Vistatec. He is also the Program Director for the Think Global Forum and Creative Director for VTQ Magazine.

In this episode, guest María Roa joins host Simon Hodgkins. María is an enthusiastic marketing professional specializing in events and communications with over 17 years of experience. She has worked across B2C and B2B companies such as GRUPO PRISA, the global leader in Communication Media in Spanish, and SModa Magazine. Maria has in-depth knowledge of managing a 360º marketing strategy, including rebranding, customer engagement, funnel creation, and brand awareness.

How do you integrate localization into your product management strategy? In this episode, guest Ulrika Fuchs joins host Simon Hodgkin. Ulrika is an experienced localization professional with proven strong leadership skills and a track record of building high-performing teams of motivated individuals. She is an active contributor to the localization community. A former Women in Localization volunteer, Ulrika works as a Product Marketing Manager at Vista.

Have new technological advances revolutionized the localization industry? In this episode, guest Michael J. Asquith, Global Solutions Executive at Vistatec, joins host Simon Hodgkins to discuss the localization industry, hosting X Cultural and being a Mentor for the Mentee Program at Women in Localization.

What is the world’s leading framework for business agility? In this episode, guest Yuka Kurihara, Director of Globalization Services at Scaled Agile, Inc., joins host Simon Hodgkins to share her experience in helping teams to design and build software products, websites, marketing, and communication content with a global audience in mind.

In this episode, guests Anna Schlegel, Silvia Avary, and Eva Klaudinyova from Women in Localization join host María Roa to discuss empowering women, diversity and inclusion, and localization for International Women’s Day.

Our special guests for this episode share a wealth of experience and have an incredible story to share around the Women in Localization global network of over 5000 members.

Are you getting enough sleep? What is a Chief Sleep Officer? In this episode, guest Alen Juginović, M.D., Harvard Medical School Postdoc (Sleep Neurobiology), joins host Simon Hodgkins to discuss his role in sleep medicine, more specifically, the effects of sleep medicine and sleep deprivation on health.

What steps is Microsoft for Startups taking to level the playing field for underrepresented founders? How do you effectively manage teams across the Americas, EMEA, and APAC? In this episode, guest Andrew Macadam, Global Field Director, Microsoft for Startups, joins host Simon Hodgkins to discuss his role in working with worldwide teams. Andrew was previously the Managing Director of Microsoft Startups in Western Europe, covering 29 countries.

How did the Localization Institute, LocWorld, and Brand2Global get started? In this episode, guest Ulrich Henes, President, Localization Institute, joins host Simon Hodgkins to discuss Localization World, The Localization Institute, Brand2Global, LocWorldWide Africa, Multilingual Magazine, and other language industry topics. Ulrich is one of the most recognized names in international business and localization.

What are the latest CTV advertising trends? How are brands addressing advertising fraud and brand safety? Guest Calvin Scharffs joins host Simon Hodgkins to discuss the latest global connected TV Advertising Supply Chain Trends and the Top 100 Programmatic Supply Chain Insights reports.

What has driven Ireland to the second highest quality of life globally? Despite what many people believe, human progress worldwide has been incredible in recent decades, and Ireland’s progress has exceeded that of practically anywhere else. VistaTalks host Simon Hodgkins discusses this and other topics with Mark Henry, Author, and Central Marketing Director, Tourism Ireland.