Episode 5 - Nataly Kelly, VP of Localization at Hubspot

The International Expansion Podcast with Ramsey Pryor

Nataly Kelly is currently the VP of Localization at Hubspot. As most are aware, Hubspot is one of the foremost CRM platforms out there in market, and for context on their global presence, they have over 4500 employees across 11 global offices, and serve over 113,000 customers in over 120 countries. Nataly has been doing amazing work in international business for over 20 years, from localization and translation, to research, consulting and advising some of the largest companies in the world on their international strategy. She is also an author of two books on translation, a frequent contributor to publications including The Huffington Post and the Harvard Business Review, and she has a fantastic blog called Born to Be Global which I read regularly and highly recommend checking out.

Below are the topics we cover, and links to the resources discussed:

• Nataly's journey from rural Illinois to Ecuador and the influences that led to a career in translation and international business
• Defining translation, and how that concept and the field has evolved over the past 2 decades
• The story of the $71 million dollar word - a cautionary tale about translation vs. interpretation
• The best definitions of the following terms I've ever heard - translation, localization, internationalization, and globalization
• The ideal first hire on your localization team (it's not what you might expect)
• Machine versus human translation, and the best use cases for each
• The role of translation agencies - pros and cons, and when to leverage them
• Where companies waste money localizing content
• How to achieve consistency in your marketing tone and brand voice all around the world
• Cultivating Content Design - by Beth Dunn
• How to hire people you can trust to convey your brand voice in different languages and cultures
• The hallmarks of operating as a world class global-minded company
• What’s coming next in terms of innovation within localization - velocity, differentiated workflows, continuous delivery, and the metrics that matter most
• Nataly's mentors and role models