Beyond Translation: The Native Experience Podcast · 2026-06-02 · 57 min
When HubSpot launched in Japan, Nataly Kelly swapped out the white American stock photos for Asian models. Her Japanese localization specialist called and said: these are not Japanese people. It was like putting Italians on a Norwegian website. Days before launch, she called Renato Beninatto, sourced a local photographer in Tokyo, and shot photos of actual HubSpot employees. Many are still on the site years later. Nataly, CMO at Zappi and former VP of Localization at HubSpot, shares why having a website in another language is where localization begins, not where it ends, how deep hyperlocal marketing really needs to go, and why the willingness to feel stupid is the one trait that makes localization people so capable across every domain. This is Episode 32 of Beyond Translation: The Native Experience Podcast,
#035: Multiculturalism in Australia- Migrant and Refugee Integration with Sandra Elhelw61 / 100#034: An Exploration of Forensic Translation and Interpretation with Carl Gene Fordham#033: Amplifying Young Multicultural Voices with Saad Khalid#031: How Language Tech, AI, and Holoportation Are Shaping the Future with Dieter Runge#030: Creating Access & Equity- The Role of Language Services in a Multicultural Society with Leigh Cox