Shaping User Experience Through Language: Perspectives From Revolut’s Giulia Tarditi

by | Sep 18, 2024 | Localisation

In the world of globalization and localization Giulia Tarditi, Head of Language Experience at Revolut, is a true pioneer. She was featured on our Top Voices podcast in July and shared her story, her approaches and her vision for the future of language management. The conversation looked at shaping user experience through language.

 

A path defined by passion and purpose

 

Giulia’s entry into localization was not exactly conventional. With a background in cross-cultural communication and a love for languages and technology, she started as a copywriter. Looking back she remembers, “I thought, what if I can bring some of the product management, its love of data, to my discipline?”. This mindset led her to create a niche, combining data-driven insights with a love of languages.

 

Data localization: a game changer

 

One of Giulia’s biggest contributions to the language community is her use of data. Instead of creating new data programs she looked at existing product and marketing data through a linguistic lens. “I started borrowing KPIs and looking at data with a language lens to uncover insights”, she says. This allowed her to improve user experience, such as optimizing onboarding funnels by addressing language-specific nuances.

Her work shows how localization, often seen as an afterthought, should be proactive and part of the product development process. “For me it’s about creating unforgettable experiences, not just being a trend follower but the trendsetter”.

 

Localization and product management

 

Giulia’s love of product management has had a big impact on her localization strategies. She believes that localization should be part of the bigger frameworks and can improve user experience and business goals. “Language is not something you use, it’s something you live.” This philosophy is about embedding localization into the product and user experience design and making it part of content operations.

 

Shaping User Experience Through Language - Perspectives From Revolut’s Giulia Tarditi - International Achievers Group (2)

 

Living a language: cultural nuances and business impact

 

We also explored how culture and language shape our perceptions and behavior; “We don’t always make time to think about how language shapes the way we engage and live.” Giulia also spoke about the concept of ‘living a language’ and its impact on experiences and strategies. “The way we think and process the world is deeply rooted in words”.

 

Revolut’s “Never Settle” approach

 

A big part of the conversation was about Revolut’s culture. Giulia described it as a “Never Settle” approach that enables speed and scale. “The bar keeps going up, we hold ourselves accountable to deliver and then ask, ‘What’s next?’”. This relentless pursuit of improvement combined with user-centric innovation has been key to Revolut’s success.

 

AI and the future

 

AI is a big topic in the language industry and Giulia shared her thoughts on what it means. She believes organizations need to democratize access to AI tools and skills that complement automation; “AI will do the trivial tasks but we must create value beyond that”.

By understanding user needs and improving experiences localization professionals can stay ahead in an AI-driven future.

 

Leadership, growth and balance

 

Giulia’s leadership is about empathy and alignment. “You need to align with stakeholders by speaking their language and addressing what keeps them up at night”, she said. Her ability to build trust and collaboration has been key to her team’s success.

Outside of work, Giulia finds balance through mindfulness, swimming and family time. “Swimming reminds me of being in a safe place, like the womb”. Her thoughts on raising bilingual children and her hopes for language education added a human touch to the conversation.

Our conversation with Giulia was full of innovation, passion and leadership. Giulia’s story and insights are a must-see to embrace and leverage the power of language in a connected world. Listen to the full discussion now and be sure to subscribe to the Top Voices podcast wherever you get your podcasts.