Looking back over 21 years, how has the company changed?
First of all, Apostroph has seen incredible growth. It has gone from one to five sites in Switzerland and, something which is even more important, it has grown from a small, family-run Swiss company to market leader in the DACH region. Apostroph not only adapted the incredible momentum of the new digital, technological possibilities but also used it specifically for its business model. Particularly the in-house developments from our apoLAB have made processes considerably more efficient. And with AI-based support tools, we also optimise our linguistic quality. With the advent of digitalisation, the topic of data protection and information security became more important. To put it in a nutshell, I would say we have become faster, better, more secure. Or to put it another way, we offer our customers excellent quality, streamlined processes and cost efficiency.
You are also a proven leadership specialist and Head of Operations and Project Management. What does it take to be a good manager?
I see myself as a coach and motivator. My overriding goal is for us to function as a resilient team, to be prepared for technological change and to achieve ambitious goals together, however much work we have on our desks. To be able to achieve this, I feel it is important to empower employees, to support them but also make demands of them, and in particular give them responsibility – even for challenging projects. This is how an individual’s area of expertise can undergo constant development. Generally speaking, I see an encouraging, respectful approach based on mutual trust as being very important. I promote open dialogue by demonstrating openness myself. I give feedback but also want to be given feedback myself. And I always take joy in seeing how employees develop – both professionally and personally.
What do you still find fascinating about your work at Apostroph?
The contact with our customers. It is enriching and extremely interesting to get to know so many different people and understand their individual challenges. Then there’s the work in our team that focuses on finding the best solution for each individual customer. I love working on ambitious projects. At Apostroph, I really appreciate being part of an enterprise which is constantly developing and always coming up with new customer-oriented solutions – in a highly competitive market. I like this drive.
What has been your biggest challenge to date?
Probably the pandemic – particularly when we all suddenly had to work at home from one day to the next. Back then, it was very much a case of making sure we could keep day-to-day business going. That was challenging, particularly during major business report projects – and also at a time of staff upheaval when we were forming a new team.
What developments in the language industry are going to be particularly exciting or important in the future?
I’ll be very interested to see how artificial intelligence develops. How rapid and all-encompassing will the development be? Will there be regulations? Will it be a blessing or a curse? A lot of people are asking themselves those very same questions. As far as I’m concerned, I would say that AI will never be able to completely replace humans because it doesn’t have the ability to empathise. I assume that AI will continue to drive automated quality control forward. Other important developments would be real-time translation with conversational AI, the topic of plain language and multimodal translations, i.e. the translation process involved in text, pictures, audio and video.
Can you explain in one sentence why Apostroph is the first choice for language services?
Apostroph is the first choice for language services because – with the help of state-of-the-art technology – the company provides compelling services with first-class quality, tailor-made solutions and an experienced, innovative team that can manage even the most complex of projects reliably and on time.
Luzia, please complete these sentences:
The language that’s the most attractive to me is…
the language the whole world understands. Body language. Whether it’s an affectionate nod, a sympathetic smile or a friendly shake of the hands.
If someone calls me an “old hand”…
(laughs) I find it amusing. After all, I don’t see myself as being old or having old hands. But here “old” is of course meant in the sense of experienced and skilful, and I’m quite happy to take that as a compliment.
A good day starts with…
a smile.
And ends with…
a good book.
I’ve got no time for...
disrespect.
I’ve always got time for...
a walk in the fresh air.
