Episode Transcript
[00:00:03] Speaker A: Hello.
[00:00:04] Speaker B: Welcome to Localization Today, the show where we talk to the people driving innovation in the language and localization industry. I'm Eddie Arrieta, CEO here at Multilingual Media. And today we're joined by Nancy Hennel, general manager of Acolat Netherlands. With two decades of experience in the language industry and deep experience in global B2B sales. Nancy leads Accolade's work supporting defense. Commercial contractors, government agencies and international organizations will delve into how specialized localization underpins secure mission critical communications from multi, from multilingual intelligence to AI powered translation in high stakes environments. Nancy, welcome and thank you for being here.
[00:00:56] Speaker A: Hi Eddie. Thanks for having me on this important topic.
[00:01:00] Speaker B: Of course, it's a great pleasure. And I'd say as we were talking of the recording, we have several things in common.
One thing in common is you've been to Colombia.
[00:01:13] Speaker A: Yeah.
[00:01:14] Speaker B: So you've been to Barranquilla. How good is your Spanish?
[00:01:27] Speaker A: Costa, the Colombia.
La gente, la coutura, lioma. See.
[00:01:38] Speaker B: I love that because we will not interpret that and people are gonna get exactly what you're saying. There's no translation needed for what you just mentioned in Espanol. Did you learn any Colombian language?
[00:01:51] Speaker A: Is that still off the record here?
I learned a lot of Colombian slang words and a lot of colomb.
Yeah. Oh my God.
Yeah, I, yeah, I, I, I, I, I think every, every Latin American country and region has their own slang words and, and interesting adapting from Bogota to Barranquilla. That almost took me, took me a month to understand the people there.
[00:02:21] Speaker B: Yes. Incredible, incredible. Thank you so much for sharing that experience. I think the other thing we have in common is that you know a lot about defense and security and I know very little.
So we are in the very opposite sides of the spectrum of knowledge. So today we love to learn a lot from you. And of course we have prepared some questions and I love for you to give us some context before we begin on defense and security. When we, when we say defense and security, what is it? That's a vertical as a market. What, what, what are we talking about?
[00:03:00] Speaker A: Yeah, exactly. So, but I think we do, we are in the same side with that regard. I'm also still learning, still learning every day in this industry because it's changing so rapidly. But let's start with the definition, and there are several definitions. But the industry, the defense industry and the security industry for sure, embrace a public and private sector and you can think of different verticals as the aerospace, the aviation vertical.
You can think of land Systems of naval systems, think of cyber security. So really the IT space, think of intelligence, civilians think of weapons, ammunition, think of drones and yeah, computer communication systems specifically produced for the, for the defense industry and some logistic providers. So it can be really broad and actually it can be that a company that has been not classified or categorized as belonging to the defense industry in the past.
So just building, building cybersecurity systems starts now focusing on the defense sector.
So there is a certain overlap of what has been there before and what is now moving into the defense and security industry.
[00:04:33] Speaker B: Thank you, Nancy. And I think it clarifies it, at least for me.
And there is renewed interest in the sector. What's driving this renewed interest in defense and security for language provider and for language providers? And why has this sector become a strategic focus to acolyte?
[00:04:57] Speaker A: It's a good question. It's not a demand that we have created.
It's geopolitical changes that create demand or shift in this industry. And you can for sure think of the NATO commitments and the European Union, for example, now committing to the NATO agreements of spending at least 2% of the gross domestic product.
So these are geopolitical factors that have an impact on demand growth.
Alcolabs has been working in this industry for more than a decade.
So it's not that we have created a focus point just yesterday and entered this industry because there's a growing demand. So we have been there in the past.
But we notice now with the focus on making, on avoiding larger conflicts, the government spent far more and they need collaboration with civilian and private sector companies to achieve their goals. So to give you an example, the Dutch.
I live in the Netherlands.
I'm responsible for the Dutch scope inside Aquilat and collaborate with colleagues in other countries and regions. And in the Netherlands, the Ministry of justice think of in particular the Ministry of Defense is the biggest organization already in the country. But still they won't be able to achieve their goals with just the resources that they have right now. So they need more partnerships and they need to quickly increase partnerships with civilian and private sector organizations. And that includes communication, multilingual communication and.
[00:06:48] Speaker B: Nancy, how impolite of me.
I didn't even ask you if you could please introduce yourself. I think we'd love to learn more about the put in a way, the case studies that showcase the expertise. But could you tell us, how would you describe yourself as a professional, meaning even an acolyte, how would you introduce yourself for those that are listening right now? Who is Nancy Hennel in this context?
[00:07:18] Speaker A: Yes, thank you for asking that. I have been for more than two decades in the industry working in different areas, service solutions, product. I've been working my whole life in sales. So although I have a background university degree in translation interpreting combined with economics, I directly moved into building a business. So that's my, my main passion to understand needs and to develop solutions to comply to those needs.
I'm passionate of technology and this industry is so rapidly evolving and at the same time I do believe in the magic of blending the technology and AI solutions with human expertise which is unique and for sure that's part of every single step in my career, whether it was in business development, heading the sales. I had my own company, translation company, consultancy company, or now in the function as general manager at Accolade Netherlands. I do believe that communication and language opens doors and it will be crucial in preventing war. It will be crucial in creating riches always.
[00:08:43] Speaker B: I believe that. I think, I think multilinguality is much more important than we realize and we'll, we'll learn those lessons as a civilization, I hope and expect soon. Nancy, tell us a little bit about the actual work that gets done. Can you share a brief example of a recent defense or security project that Accolade has helped with? Something that helps us illustrate your specialized capabilities?
[00:09:12] Speaker A: Yes, I almost immediately think of a project which is actually pretty traditional in the language industry. So think of technical documentation, huge, large technical documentation, but with very, very restricted timelines, mission critical technical documentation. In that case it was inter Russian and the challenge was that the terminology was really particular.
There wouldn't be many available linguists in the market in that domain and that knowledge and even there wouldn't be many subject matter experts on the defence side being able to validate questions about terminology. So the time criticality and the relevance for the safety of the country was particular. But for the rest, if I may say, this was a traditional project including terminology and a translation world. But we also do have other projects think of sensitivity levels that we cannot just.
That we cannot just comply as a traditional supplier. So certain contents or communications need to be done by resources sent to the defence organization, sent in a battlefield or on site with the government.
So this is really specific. So these are linguists or resources that are vetted and have undergone a specific clearance to be able to access those specific sensitivity levels of content.
[00:10:49] Speaker B: This is, it's incredible the level of intricacy as well as sensitivity in the sector. I can even imagine the different layers. But hopefully we'll get a much better understanding as we progress in the conversation, how have the communication requirements of defense and security organizations changed over the past decades? Technologies must be going crazy with everything that's happening in terms of advancements since the last, let's say, three years even that's crazy to think about.
[00:11:23] Speaker A: Yeah. So I think the communication requirements have changed worldwide. So any industry, this has revolutionized. So as an lsp, you're facing totally different needs, communication needs, whether you work in a public, private sector or defense. So we have that all in common. But think of in this specific industry, of the volumes with the scalability.
To make it a little bit more concrete, I will share some numbers from the Netherlands. So while the Ministry of Defense has been spending 7 billion on as a ministry in defense in 2023, the goal for 2026, so next year will be tripled by 23 million. And that includes of course, technology, communication and things. So volumes and complexity of the content, the sensitivity, then more dynamic, more dynamic in the way of communicating and, and passing this over to language service providers. And then a crucial part here in this industry is the security requirements. So the security requirements have been increasing over the past decades, and specifically years, so that we all face the challenge that sometimes the security level is so that it makes it almost impossible to comply and to fulfill the need. So you might have translation or interpreting requirements there. So the demand is there. But it's almost impossible to serve the customer because the complexity and compliance and security makes it impossible include ar, exclude AI or exclude certain systems.
So that is for sure the complexity in this industry.
[00:13:26] Speaker B: It's incredible. Like I just said, what role does multilingual intelligence play today? That didn't exist, let's say, five years ago?
[00:13:37] Speaker A: Well, multilingual intelligence. Let me my definition here that I would give from a personal perspective. Multilingual intelligence includes systems, data, data insights and the way that we use this data.
So multilingual intelligence plays a big role in the sense of the data insights that in the defense and security sector are provided and used. They need to lead to quick and good decisions. Then for sure, in the defense sector and as a supplier, you need to be able to predict. So you need to do your trend analysis, you need to be able to predict and anticip.
For example, on resource management, you cannot just, in a moment of crisis, start vetting your translators or interpreters. No, that needs to be anticipated and done far up front because there are processes, there are compliance rules and for sure, the data insights, the predictability is key here.
And the knowledge management and for knowledge management and also in the basic definition of knowledge management, of terminology management.
We need intelligence to be efficient and scale up. And the terminology management is part of this inner end of this industry since translation was born. But it's still the basics in order to be able to apply AI or scale up or integrate with systems. Terminology is at the bottom of the scalability.
[00:15:20] Speaker B: Understood. And of course it's very interesting to me to think about what you just mentioned about projects or demand, that it's too high in complexity, that you cannot even serve that demand. But then there is some demand that you can serve.
So those still have, you know, they are still complex and they are still sensitive. So what, what unique challenges arise when handling sensitive or classified content? How does Acolyte ensure security and compliance on those cases that you are able to serve?
[00:15:59] Speaker A: In the first instance, we develop secure systems for, for all of our customers. So that's not only inherent to the defense industry and we protect sensitive content for any of our customers.
But in the field of defense and security, you often are dealing with challenges around strict access control. So strict access control might limit the way you can collaborate on projects together with the customer and it might limit the way that you can use your systems. Some customers might have requirements on premise or air gapped or certified systems that might exclude some of your standard systems as a language service provider.
And then I think one of the biggest challenges is the complexity in compliance.
So let me define what could that be? Compliance could be NATO compliance rules, could be European Union compliance rules, or could be even national compliance rules or organization specific compliance rules. So when we work with organizations like Ministry of Defense, for example, we basically have multiple layers of compliance and that can exclude a couple of standard systems.
[00:17:27] Speaker B: I find that very incredible. You'll have to sort out, and I'm assuming also from country to country, the differences can be very, very, very, very big as well.
How do you then strike the right balance between speed, scale and accuracy when lives or national security are on the line for these high level clients that we're talking about, ministers of defense, governments.
[00:17:55] Speaker A: Nations, it's an important question. I think speed, scale and accuracy are the factors that we all need to face in the language industry. So that is common to all the providers in all the industry.
But yeah, when you add the national security, as in a circumstance, you need to plan strategically, as mentioned, you cannot cover needs ad hoc. So by anticipating needs and converting that into collaboration with your resource management, for example, with your project management and with your quality management departments, make sure that you're scalable at the moment. That you need to scale.
I can give you an example.
The need of Ukrainian translators and interpreters has, for unfortunate reasons has increased couple of years ago in a very.
In a way that the market wouldn't have enough certified translators and interpreters. So we needed to start trained people and help them become professional interpreters or translators with adequate learning programs and education programs.
[00:19:20] Speaker B: Something that I really like of this conversation is this element of understanding the power of built in interaction infrastructure. And you've mentioned several times the power of anticipation and anticipating needs and avoiding ad hoc situations which can add even more complexity to these systems. And it seems like defense and security needs to have a lot like that. It made me think about the human body as well, how we have built in defense systems to protect us against certain different types of viruses, which. It's not like I need them right at this moment, but if I am to see it, it will be painful if they are not there. Right. Like the pain of not having that built in defense mechanism or response mechanism can be very devastating to society as a whole. So I find that very, very powerful as a thought. And I'm curious now, I like that.
[00:20:18] Speaker A: Idea, the metaphor that you're using. These built in mechanisms that are underlying and at the right moment you can activate them.
[00:20:28] Speaker B: Yeah, yeah. And it feels like, you know, if you are, I'm not gonna say a serious. But if you are concerned as a government on international security and at least international courtesy, then you should look at multilingualism as a way to building reaction infrastructure that allows you to quickly understand the position from which other nations are coming from with enough context so that you avoid these international mishaps that you've seen so many times. Just because there's something that's been misunderstood or something that's being communicated too early by whomever. So it's interesting. It's a very complex network of institutions, people, organizations.
[00:21:18] Speaker A: I think you said something really important. And I've lived in different countries and I've seen different governments in dealing with multilingual rights or multilingualism. And for sure I do appreciate the country that I live in, the Netherlands, that multilingual or local language is a right of the citizens and people who do live in the country. So governments deal in different ways with multilingual requirements and also are prepared in very different ways for that. If I think of colleagues of mine inside Aqualat, we operate globally. So also in other countries with governments, we see a lot of commonalities, but sometimes also huge differences.
Even inside the European Union, governments invest.
[00:22:13] Speaker B: In language would totally encourage.
You can quote me on this. I can say that.
But yeah, it's just another element of context.
And if you're getting context in your own language, always, I think your citizens have to be multilingual. Your citizens have to be multicultural. Your citizens have to be, like, global citizens. Which doesn't mean you're all the same. It just means, like, you have your own.
Your own texture is what we'll call it in multilingual.
Kind of like your own nuances and your own flavor. And then you can understand where others are coming from. It's like to be ultimately empathetic as a nation, you got to speak their language, like, literally.
[00:23:01] Speaker A: Exactly. And you're touching on intercultural sensitivity here, which is a very interesting topic and is related to our topic today. Because the intercultural sensitivity can make a difference in peace times, in times of conflicts, because it's more than translation and interpreting. So the intercultural competences of the linguists are really appreciated, whether it's working at the government organization or in the battlefield close to defense units, then the intercultural sensitivity can make a true difference in interpreting and reacting on a specific situation.
[00:23:48] Speaker B: Hopefully, I'd say that that would be my hope as a human being.
We will experience the end of war as we know it. As we know it these days, where it brings in so many of these complexities. But probably those are gonna evolve. Like I see as an example, in diplomacy, the best defense, the first layer of defense structure, which is have a strong diplomatic team that's multilingual, that communicates multilingually. That's probably going to avoid wars.
The future will have all these layers of understanding and nuance that would allow us. But those needs will very quickly, very quickly evolve. I'm really curious to understand how accolade is jumping onto that. Are there any partnerships that are critical to make this happen? The internal tools, the way in which the models are delivered? How is this evolution taking place within your team?
[00:24:45] Speaker A: Yeah, I think it's interesting that you mentioned the partnerships, and that's an important element because as we are aware of an incredible need for scale. Organizations can do that alone. You can only achieve that through partnerships. So what we do, for example, is to work in partnerships between governments, defense agencies, private sector companies, and trusted vendors.
And then in these nutshells, we also develop tailored solutions that then are compliant to what in this industry is requested and are still workable for the linguists.
And collaboration also means to operate on strategic level in not only a vertical way. So to approach, I Don't know the Ministry of Defense or Aerosystems or drone company or. No, it means being part of a strategic political level of decision makers who have conversations about how can AI and how can the investment in language be part of that scalability.
That is, I find one of the most interesting things, because there I do believe we can make a difference.
Right. That goes beyond the usual. You win a contract or you win the trust of a customer and you try to serve that as good as possible.
We really do develop new solutions together with these partners, and they might be interesting for the whole world in the future.
[00:26:23] Speaker B: Nancy, I'm curious and you might choose not to answer, but what does making a difference look like?
[00:26:31] Speaker A: I like the question because it makes me think for a moment making the difference might look like. My definition of making a difference is that you can develop something that adds value and has not been there before, that you create a synergy in combining resources and intelligence to provide something that solves a true problem, that you find solutions beyond just a product or a service, but that you combine the dots. And when there's a market gap in certified interpreters, for example, and we know that we have a gap in certain languages already with regard to potential increased communication in certain languages, then collaboration with educational institutions, with academia, can help us close these gaps.
Making a difference as a company means that you create something really valuable and that this makes you grow.
[00:27:37] Speaker B: Thank you. It really tells me about the why of all of the services that we're talking about and the capabilities from the Accolade team. And now shifting gears a little bit and talking about government agencies, contractors that want to evaluate language service partners.
And to me, to be very honest, it has to be the spirit of things. And you just talked about making a difference to the service. That to me is critical. Right. So I got that. But key capabilities, certifications.
What should these government agencies or contractors consider as they are looking into partnering with an organization?
[00:28:25] Speaker A: Yeah, if you are interested in tapping into this industry or growing in this industry, ISO certifications play a role. So think of the 2021, 9001, 17,100, 9001 in interpreting. I'm thinking of the 1880, 41 and so on. But it's not only, of course, about certifications. So you need to have in this field a proven track record of being able to deal with sensitive content.
Then you cannot solve the whole problem with AI and automation and systems. You need vetted and certified linguists, interpreters, translators and linguists for linguist strategy.
And you need a strong resource management and Loyalty programs.
You need a good relationship with your, with your, with your partners in the sense of translators, interpreters and linguists.
You need processes. You need processes and you need the capability and some resources for adjusting your technological solutions because it will be rarely that just off the shelf can be implemented as the perfect solution in this environment.
[00:29:45] Speaker B: Thank you. You've basically given the entire blueprint. You can just take it.
[00:29:50] Speaker A: It's far more than this, I might say so it's far more complex. But I think the most important thing is to consider that this is not a quick shot.
You cannot just enter this industry seeing the numbers and wanting to jump on it as in terms of strategy to growth, you really need to understand and you really need to build long term relationships because these organizations usually want to go with you through good and bad times and these organizations really build on trust. Rome is not built overnight and these relationships and partnerships not either.
[00:30:38] Speaker B: That is a really great way to put it.
And it comes back to that concept that you were talking about on the built in infrastructure. These are things that will take time. These are partnerships that will take time. I appreciate that you mentioned a lot about the partnerships that Accolade is building. Is there anything else you think we could touch upon, anything about the future of localization in defense and security. Security that you can mention to us before we wrap up? Taking all your insights today, I think.
[00:31:12] Speaker A: You'Ve taken all my insights, insights today and we need to continue the conversation. It will be, it will be a topic in industry for the next years for sure. I'm open for of course questions and more dive in. I think the most important message is that this is all about avoiding conflicts. So we are investing into the safety of our country and the European Union and global safety by providing to providing what we are best in. That's building solutions that embrace technology, AI and human expertise to the defense industry and help them show strength in order that we can avoid conflicts.
[00:31:55] Speaker B: That is an amazing way to conclude our conversation. Nancy, thank you so much Global Safety. And I really hope that we can get that snippet out there for those that just see the snippets and don't listen to the conversation. But for those that actually listen to the conversation, that wraps up our discussion with Nancy Hemmel from Accolade, Netherlands.
[00:32:20] Speaker A: Thank you Eddie.
[00:32:23] Speaker B: Thank you Nancy for being with us. And you'll be here again for sure in the future.
[00:32:30] Speaker A: I'm looking at your guitar all the time. It really, really looks at me. So you won't, you won't start playing now.
[00:32:37] Speaker B: No, this is the time where Canela starts playing the the guitar before we go. But we really look forward to having more conversations in case studies where, you know, we see that things were critical and that, you know, a poor job would have been bad in defense and security. I think seeing those things handled well is what we need more of in our world. So I will be looking forward to this discussion with Accolade and Nancy Heno. Thank you once again.
And of course, thanks for listening to Localization today. Be sure to subscribe and rate us on Spotify or Apple podcast and follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter for updates. Until the next time, Nancy, goodbye.
[00:33:23] Speaker A: Thanks, Eddie. And thanks to my colleagues who also provided the insights and inputs. And see you. See you soon. Bye, Eddie. Thanks, everyone.
