Tell us who you are
Katerina Burgess
Where around the world are you based?
UK
What do you do in the localization/globalization world?
CEO of Eurasian Linguistics, specialist legal and financial translation LSP
Why did you join this amazing community?
To hear and be heard
What would you say is the greatest challenge facing our industry?
The ever deepening divide between the artisans and the machines, the manic pace at which humans are encouraged and expected to process and deliver translated copy without due regard for time needed, and for quality.
Loss of in-house mentoring in LSPs and in-house translation departments of corporates (which are all but disappeared now), essential for developing and fostering new talent of future linguists. It takes time to hone one’s language skills, and we seem to be increasingly robbed of it.
Where would you like to see localization in 5 years?
Getting more visibility and kudos as an industry. Supporting foreign languages and literature studies in primary and secondary schools and universities; with localization modules being on the curriculum of all language courses (including mother tongue).
Tell us something unique and fun about yourself
I am a poacher and a game keeper, having spent over 20 years as an AIIC conference interpreter, in-house editor and trainer, whilst building up our company and employing Translation Managers. I always try to see “both sides of the argument”, having been on the other side. And my fist translation was done at school, when I was 14 years old, on a typewriter (with blue carbon paper to make a spare copy!)