Soeren Eberhardt spent over 20 years at Microsoft contributing to global launches of Windows, Skype, and Microsoft Teams. Today he's Localization Director at Translation Commons and contributing to the Mayan Languages Preservation Project, using synthetic data generation to build machine translation for Q'eqchi' and other under-resourced languages. In this episode Robin and Soeren cover the full arc: from stumbling into localization via comparative literature, to scaling brand voice across 39 languages, to why AI is only as smart as the people who wield it.
Soeren Eberhardt has three decades of experience in localization. At Microsoft for over 20 years, he contributed to global launches of Windows, Skype, and Microsoft Teams, driving international readiness and scalable workflows. He has taught localization and CAT tool courses at the University of Washington, City University of New York, Montclair State University, and NYU. He currently serves as Localization Director at Translation Commons and is contributing to the Mayan Languages Preservation Project, exploring synthetic data generation to support machine translation for under-resourced languages like Q'eqchi'. He is the author of The Little Book of Languages (2013) and The Little Book of Localization (2023).
Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/haGEwKT94pk
Connect with Soeren: https://www.linkedin.com/in/soereneberhardt/
Follow the Localization Fireside Chat on LinkedIn: https://www.linkedin.com/company/localization-fireside-chat/
Blog: https://robinayoub.blog
N49Networks: https://n49networks.com
Book a call with Robin: https://calendly.com/robin-ayoub/30min