Only 17% of the global population speaks English, yet countless enterprises still expect their international clients to adapt to them. This week on the C-Suite Hotseat, Interprefy CEO Oddmund Braaten explains why forcing your customers to speak your language is a massive strategic failure.

He unpacks the hidden dangers of adopting out-of-the-box AI solutions for enterprise communication, comparing language infrastructure to Starbucks’ custom-built coffee machines: if it fails, you lose money instantly.

• (00:00:08) - Introduction and Guest Welcome
• (00:01:30) - Odmund's Background and Path to CEO
• (00:03:04) - Transitioning from Board Member to CEO
• (00:05:11) - COVID-Era Growth and Scaling Challenges
• (00:07:45) - Balancing Speed and Quality of Service
• (00:08:39) - The Future of Interpretation and AI Parity
• (00:12:04) - Common Mistakes in Adopting AI Communication Tools
• (00:15:17) - Working with Professionals and Localization Nuance
• (00:16:21) - Advice for CEOs on Cross-Language Communication
• (00:19:45) - Evolving Customer Expectations at Interprefy
• (00:21:27) - Rapid Fire Questions
• (00:24:11) - Closing Thoughts and Farewell

For too long, the language industry has viewed Latin America simply as a low-cost region for Spanish translation. In this episode, Eddie Arrieta sits down with David Mego, founder and CEO of Bilingual, to discuss why that perception is changing and how he built a company that exports bilingual talent globally, scaling from a single compact computer on his mother's dining table to over 1500 seats across six countries.

We explore how the boundaries between traditional language services and BPO are dissolving, why AI is both the biggest disruptor and the most overhyped trend in the industry, and why Latin America is primed to become the next major global services hub.

• (00:00:08) - The C Suite Hot Seat: Bilingual
• (00:01:43) - David Knows What He Does As CEO
• (00:03:01) - When I'm No. 1 in the company, does it matter
• (00:04:34) - Interpreters: What's Harder Now?
• (00:11:09) - Many misconceptions about Latin American Talent
• (00:14:09) - BPO Outbound: Latam Talent Perception
• (00:17:14) - Can Language Services Outsource to BPO?
• (00:20:03) - What Do Clients Want In Their Services?
• (00:20:30) - 4 Values of Bilingual Training
• (00:23:44) - What's The First Sign That A Company's Culture Is Breaking?
• (00:25:55) - In the Elevator With Entrepreneurs
• (00:26:22) - What's the hardest leadership decision you've had to make in the
• (00:27:21) - What's the Hardest No You've Had to Give as a
• (00:29:39) - What is one thing you wish your employees understood about being CEO?
• (00:31:04) - Language Services: Will AI Change the Industry?
• (00:35:46) - A Lesson from Learning Bilingual
• (00:38:22) - C Suite: Bilingual Media

Are you adopting AI just to keep up with the hype, or are you actually solving specific business problems? In this episode, Lina M. Tonk, Chief Marketing Officer at Smartling, discusses the evolving landscape of AI in the language industry.

She breaks down the biggest misconceptions surrounding artificial intelligence, arguing that true success with AI and agentic models requires ruthless intentionality and a strict focus on ROI. Explore why leaders need to get their hands dirty with new technology, how continuous learning accelerates growth, and why defining clear business objectives is the only way to win in the AI era.

• (00:00:08) - The Hot Seat
• (00:01:16) - Interviewing in the Hot Suite
• (00:02:25) - CMO Network: What a CMO Does in Translation
• (00:09:33) - What do you think are the Overhyped Promises of AI
• (00:15:13) - SmartLink's culture and the localization conversation
• (00:23:51) - The Challenges of AI in LSPs
• (00:29:21) - Account Based Management
• (00:30:52) - What kind of problems would you solve if you weren't a C
• (00:31:50) - One AI Trend You Believe in, and One You Don't
• (00:33:28) - What's the Hardest Leadership Decision You Had to Make?
• (00:34:19) - What's the Hardest No You've Had to Say As a
• (00:35:22) - What Do You Regret About Your Decision?
• (00:36:30) - What Do CMOs Wish Their Customers Knew About Their Job
• (00:37:36) - Top Leadership Advice
• (00:38:41) - Never Ever Stop Learning
• (00:41:17) - Lena Lockwood