(TCHG) Better

If you are a fan of Game of Thrones; Spoiler Alert!* The 5th episode of That Could Have Gone Better, was recorded at the Association of Translation Companies in Cardiff, Wales. This episode "The Lord Commander of the Night Watch at the Hilton in Cardiff" was, more specifically recorded at the bar of the Hilton Hotel in Cardiff. The utterly charming actor, and incredibly patient man, James Cosmo was in Cardiff filming the HBO series His Dark Materials. James has starred in Game of Thrones, Braveheart, Wonder Woman, Troy, and Sons of Anarchy to name but a few over the course of his 60 odd years in the film and television business. This brief interview touches on some of the mistakes James has made while preparing for roles, looks at his favourite and least favourite roles, while also taking time to address the world of wonder that is Brexit. In a world where everyone is trying to present the best possible version of themselves, professionally/privately, perhaps airing some of our less polished experiences will be somewhat cathartic and beneficial to all? Well, that’s my theory anyway. I once tried to make a wheel for a go-cart with cereal boxes, cello-tape and stones… so what do I know?! TCHG Better is a Ludejo Studios production which takes a serious look at embarrassment in the world of international business, and throws a little light on the more humanising stories of the people who work in Localization. *Not really, I was just teasing Carol!

The 4th episode of That Could Have Gone Better, was recorded at the Translation Forum Russia conference in Yekaterinburg. In the last episode (Serendipity in Russia) Andrew interviewed Tatiana and Daria from Effective, and described the amazing hospitality they gave him in Moscow. They also talked about Tatiana's rather unfortunate accident in Yekaterinburg and subsequent trip to the hospital. This episode will serve to document the amazing experience Andrew had in Russia (a country he was visiting for the first time). There were a number of participants from the conference who were willing to be interviewed for the podcast. Each participant was asked to describe the stereotypes of Russia and Russians that they believe are most prevalent. “Translation Forum Russia was an incredibly enjoyable experience, both dark and divine, and full of random coincidences! Many a stereotype was shattered, but quite a few were confirmed as well”, according to Andrew. In a world where everyone is trying to present the best possible version of themselves, professionally/privately, perhaps airing some of our less polished experiences will be somewhat cathartic and beneficial to all? Well, that’s my theory anyway. I once tried to make a wheel for a go-cart with cereal boxes, cello-tape and stones… so what do I know?! TCHG Better is a Ludejo Studios production which takes a serious look at embarrassment in the world of international business, and throws a little light on the more humanising stories of the people who work in Localization.

The 3rd episode of That Could Have Gone Better, is a special episode. Andrew was lucky enough to spend a week in Russia, where he attended the Translation Forum Russia conference in Yekaterinburg. On the way to Yekaterinburg he spent a couple of days in Moscow and ran into someone he found vaguely familiar. This episode will serve as an introduction to Andrew’s experiences in Russia (a country he was visiting for the first time). The episode centres around 2 employees from Effectiff, Tatiana (Tanya) Rudneva and Daria (Dasha) Maksimova. The reasons for focussing on Tatiana and Daria will become evident in the episode. “Translation Forum Russia was an incredibly enjoyable experience, both dark and divine, and full of random coincidences! Many a stereotype was shattered, but quite a few were confirmed as well”, according to Andrew. Since Carol was unavailable to record this week, you are unfortunately stuck with Andrew (and Tatiana – sort of) for the episode! Massive thank you to Tanya and Dasha for being such wonderful hosts! Next week’s episode will dive deeper into the experiences at TFR and the idea of Russian stereotypes from Russian and non-Russian points of view! In a world where everyone is trying to present the best possible version of themselves, professionally/privately, perhaps airing some of our less polished experiences will be somewhat cathartic and beneficial to all? Well, that’s my theory anyway. I once tried to make a wheel for a go-cart with cereal boxes, cello-tape and stones… so what do I know?! TCHG Better is a Ludejo Studios production which takes a serious look at embarrassment in the world of international business, and throws a little light on the more humanising stories of the people who work in Localization.

In this episode, the second episode of That Could Have Gone Better, Andrew talks to Jesper Sandberg, Sandra Olivera and Mackenzie Martin. Andrew is an Irishman living in The Netherlands; Jesper is Danish, but he lives in England; Sandra is Mexican but lives in Irelnad; and Mackenzie is an American living in France. As well as sharing a few embarrassing stories, we talk about nationalism, living abroad, finding a new home and coming to terms with being away from family. The episode title, “Dirty dirty Irish” will make more sense after you’ve listened to the podcast. In a world where everyone is trying to present the best possible version of themselves, professionally/privately, perhaps airing some of our less polished experiences will be somewhat cathartic and beneficial to all? Well, that’s my theory anyway. I once tried to make a wheel for a go-cart with cereal boxes, cello-tape and stones… so what do I know?! TCHG Better is a Ludejo Studios production which takes a serious look at embarrassment in the world of international business, and throws a little light on the more humanising stories of the people who work in Localization. Massive thank you to everyone who shared their stories: Jesper Sandberg STP Sandra Oliviera Nimdzi Mackenzie Martin Fizz-Up And of course to my co-host, Carol Hickson!

This first episode of TCHG Better is dedicated to the wonderful organization that is Translators without Borders (TWB)! You can’t embarrass yourself for a great cause like TWB, but by God have we tried!