Meet a Linguist: Luiza Leal
Here at Tag, our localization team boasts a wide network of amazing in-market creatives who give local expertise to our language and cultural consultation work. Our translators, proofreaders, voice over directors, and copywriters are brilliant, hard-working people who often have fascinating backgrounds and a wealth of experience — both language-related and otherwise.
One of our superstars for the Brazilian market is Luiza Leal, a copywriter and filmmaker from São Paulo who has been working with us for eight years and provides cultural insight and adaptation support for a variety of key accounts. In addition to her passion for language, Luiza is a proud “lefty,” and directed a documentary about left-handedness called “Brave Right-Handed World,” which was selected for several film festivals in Brazil. She’s also a happy mother to three loving cats named Sócrates, Capitu, and Alaska, and has a tattoo of them on her arm.
Below, Luiza answers a few questions about her background and expertise:
Tag: Please tell us a bit about yourself.
LL: I’ve always been fascinated with language and literature, so I began studying English at an early age. When I was 15, I traveled to Hawaii as an exchange student. At 17, I spent three months in London studying filmmaking. Then, I got a bachelor’s degree in journalism at the University of São Paulo (USP), and began my career in translation and advertising. In 2015, I spent five months in Ireland with my girlfriend, and had the opportunity to travel through Europe and visit some amazing places, including Iceland. After Dublin, I moved with my girlfriend to Maceió, a city located in the northeast of Brazil that is known for its stunning beaches. I’ve been working as a translator since 2009, and eight of those years have been in partnership with Tag. To me, it’s very rewarding to provide a top-quality service for leading brands that I truly admire, and having the freedom to work from wherever I want is priceless.
Tag: How did you first become involved in the world of creative adaptation?
LL: My second internship, while I was studying journalism, was as a Junior Translator for a well-known global children’s entertainment company. My job was adapting the virtual world of a multiplayer computer game for Brazilian kids aged 6–14 — an awesome opportunity to develop my creative translation skills in a fun and engaging way. I was also lucky to meet an amazing boss who introduced me to some publishers and taught me everything I needed to know to become a successful freelance translator.
Tag: What are your areas of expertise?
LL: High-level marketing, beauty, human resources/corporate, apps, games, and film subtitles.
Tag: Do you have a favorite piece of copy or project you’ve worked on?
LL: One of the most memorable projects I’ve worked on was for a leading multinational sports equipment and apparel company, involving translation of a TV commercial and other materials to support a new campaign.
Tag: What, in your opinion and experience, is the most challenging part of transcreation?
LL: To me, the most challenging part of transcreation — and the most exciting too — is to capture the essence of the original copy and find a way to recreate it in the most compelling and effective manner possible.
Tag: Do you have any advice for budding language professionals?
LL: Be humble. Even when you think you’ve got it right, re-check, sleep on it (if possible), check for consistency, and do some research. There is always a better way to write a sentence, so write it over and over again until it feels fresh and natural. Another piece of advice is to find yourself a mentor: an experienced professional who can share tips and give valuable feedback. Above all, be open to feedback and don’t take it personally; being a linguist is always a work in progress.
Tag: What type of language work do you enjoy most? What is the most rewarding part of being a linguist?
LL: I really enjoy adapting advertising campaigns. I used to work in-house at an advertising agency, so for me, it’s exciting to build connections between words and actually touch people with my creativity. The most rewarding part of being a linguist is delivering high-quality copy, especially for a really challenging project, and getting to see the final product out in the world.
