By Plamena Todorova
We are diverse. We bring our full selves to work. We are the global Welocalize team. In this blog, we share how we navigate our careers, what brings us to Welocalize, and most importantly, what keeps us here. Come get to know us!
Our goal is to inspire you, to highlight a few career tips and tricks, and to share what we love about working at Welocalize. We are building an insanely great company at full speed. If you are keen to follow our career journeys and receive occasional articles and job vacancies, sign up for our newsletter.
This is the story of Alexandra Mocanu, Language Coordinator Team Lead in the Welocalize office in Cluj-Napoca. Over the years, Alexandra’s career journey has taken a few turns.
Alexandra has been with Welocalize since 2017, when she joined the company as a Language Coordinator (LC).
Language Coordinators are the champions of language quality operations at Welocalize. They work with clients and linguists to ensure the language services delivered are of high quality.
As a LC, Alexandra manages the creation and improvement of language assets (glossaries, style guides, instructions, and process documentation). She also creates processes that prevent linguistic quality issues from occurring, as well as various quality reports and analyses.
The LC role is a dynamic job with various responsibilities related to quality operations. LCs frequently interact with linguists and clients.
Learn more and apply for the Language Coordinator role in Cluj-Napoca.
Born in Deva, Western Romania, Alexandra moved to Padua, Italy with her family as a teen. After eight years of living abroad, she decided to go back to Romania and settle in Cluj-Napoca. She enrolled in a master’s degree in Linguistics. Being able to speak four languages, it was only natural for Alexandra to follow her passion for languages and cultures.
Having a love for linguistics, she continued studying for a PhD in Terminology. After graduating in 2013, there were a limited number of localization jobs available in Romania, so instead, Alexandra got a job in finance.
Three years after Alexandra joined the finance department of a multinational company, she still dreamed of a finding a job related to her linguistic studies. Soon thereafter the opportunity presented itself – the newly established Welocalize office in Cluj-Napoca was advertising a LC role.
“I found out about the newly opened Welocalize office from a peer at the Faculty of Letters in Cluj, who also happened to work for the company. He let me know about an open position for a Language Coordinator. I applied immediately and was successful!.”
During her first few years with Welocalize, Alexandra mastered her job. She immersed herself completely in the company culture and working processes. In 2019, a Team Lead role was created in the local office, and Alexandra applied.
“I felt ready for this next step and I also enjoyed working with my Cluj team, so I applied and since then I have been growing in this role. I am really happy I chose this professional direction.”
Nowadays, Alexandra leads a team of Language Coordinators in the local office and does some LC work herself. She also helps train her new colleagues and oversees the day-to-day work of her team.
Her success comes from drawing upon her various experiences and knowledge. Her PhD in Terminology helps her excel at her quality operations job, alongside her previous experience in a multinational company which helps Alexandra navigate the global and diverse culture of Welocalize.
When asked how she would describe her job to a 5-year-old, Alexandra said, “I make sure that the final product meets the expected quality. For example, before you assemble your favorite puzzle, my job is to make sure all the pieces fit together and create a clear and beautiful image, so that you are happy with it”.
“What I really love about this job is that I wake up in the morning and I am happy about the idea of sitting in front of my PC. I am ready for a new working day, no matter how many challenges are waiting for me. I have a local team in Cluj and global teams I really like working with.”
“I like that when I ask for someone’s support, I always get a reply. Someone is always willing to share their experiences and ideas. I also love it when I can share my knowledge with my team and receive a smile and a thank you, knowing I can support whoever needs me.
I also appreciate the emphasis from Welocalize on the importance of each employee and the opportunity for each one of us to develop and find our own career direction.”
Alexandra believes that difficult times make you stronger, and that you should not limit yourself. If she could pick one superpower, Alexandra would like to be able to travel through time, to experience different places, in different eras, both in the past and in the future.
As for success, Alexandra defines it as “doing something you enjoy, which brings you happiness, peace of mind, and time spent with your loved ones.”
If you are interested in similar roles, check out our Language Quality Jobs.
Plamena’s eclectic professional journey encompasses digital marketing and strategy, talent acquisition, and lately employer branding. The red thread connecting all her professional experiences is her passion for creating novel solutions and working to solve complex problems. She is always busy building something, be it bridges between people and ideas, or bold visions for a brighter future. She currently leads the Employer Branding & Culture Program, where she finds creative ways to tell the world why Welocalize is a great company to work with.