Lilt Labs | Bridging Translation Research and Practice

Employee Spotlight Series: Marta Chereshnovska

Written by Drew Evans | March, 31, 2021

Here at Lilt, we’re passionate about helping localization leaders tackle big challenges and move the industry forward.

Internally, we’re just as focused on building a culture of inspiring and motivated individuals to help build the foundations to make that a reality. In our Employee Spotlight series, we’re excited to highlight the talented Lilt employees (or Liltonians, as we like to call ourselves) that have helped us get to where we are now.

This week, we’re excited to introduce Marta Chereshnovska, a services manager helping customers rethink localization strategies to get to market effectively. We sat down with Marta to learn more about her background, what's new in her life, and what she does to stay busy outside of work.

 
What's your role at Lilt, and what does your day to day look like?

I'm a Services Manager, and I run continuous multilingual projects across various domains, helping customers make their products attractive to the global market. Also, I work closely with the internal teams across Sales, Customer Success, Product, and Engineering to contribute my ideas so that we can build a word-class localization platform.

 

What led you to join Lilt?

First of all, it was a curiosity about the new technologies. I've been working in the localization industry for around 10 years and have had experience with all kinds of localization tools. The AI-powered translation environment offered by Lilt is something new, unlike anything else I used to work with before.

I worked with Lilt as a freelance translator before joining as a Services Manager, so it was natural to transition for me. And I love the company's culture!

 

What do you like to do outside of work? How do you maintain a good work/life balance?

I'm learning to play piano, do yoga or jog in the mornings, or take long walks or bike rides. I'm also volunteering for Women in Localization - Ukraine Chapter, working as its Membership Manager. We organize different events to facilitate localization awareness for the advancement of women and the localization industry.

 

Out of Lilt's company values (Meticulousness, Quickness, Humility, Toughness), which speaks to you most and why?

We are working in very dynamic environments, so the ability to react quickly while being focused on the most important details helps a lot. So, I would say Meticulousness and Quickness both speak to me most.

 

What's one fact or skill that you've learned while working at Lilt?

Every single day, I work with people from different countries that have very diverse backgrounds. Being able to adapt to different communication styles and expectations is a big deal. So I like this idea of cultural intelligence and diversity - to learn more about how people from different cultures communicate and perceive the world.

I highly recommend the book "The Culture Map: Breaking Through the Invisible Boundaries of Global Business" by Erin Meyer!

 

Since joining Lilt, do you think of translation/localization differently?

After switching to project management, I have rediscovered localization from the other perspective. While working as a linguist I had a different focus - it takes a lot of specialized knowledge to be able to convey the meaning of a text in another language. Now, localization for me is rather the process of how to run projects on a larger scale, being able to deliver lots of locales simultaneously, and working with people all across the globe.

 

What's the best career advice you've ever received?

Don't be afraid of failures. This one is usually learned the hard way, but it's really empowering. Sometimes failure opens new ways in your life.

Plus, if I hadn't failed at any point thus far, I wouldn't have gotten to where I am now!

 

What languages do you speak or have you studied?

Ukrainian, Russian, English, Polish, German, and French.

 

Do you like to listen to music while you work? If so, what kind?

Yes - I love music! I usually listen to calm electronic, as well as indie-folk music. Those genres usually help me to stay in the flow while doing my day-to-day work.

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Keep an eye out for our upcoming posts in both our Translator and Employee Spotlight series! We'll continue to highlight people from across the company and our wonderful translator community.

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