Today we’d like to introduce you to Kristy Sakai.
Kristy, please share your story with us. How did you get to where you are today?
I was born to Japanese parents, spent my early childhood in sunny California, had a few testing years in Japan before surviving adolescence in England. I studied at the London School of Economics before making a move to Berlin, and after a decade of working as a copywriter and translator, I joined Supertext, a startup in Zurich.
Writing and translating is one of my great passions. I love playing with words and the cultural aspects of translation. Having grown up immersed in two cultures and languages, and now watching my kids grow up with three, I’ve learned a great deal about the importance of communication and the pitfalls of messages getting lost in translation. It’s a challenge that never ceases to fascinate me.
In 2016, I embarked on my next adventure – heading up Supertext’s expansion. We chose Santa Monica because we wanted to be close to the rapidly emerging tech hub without being confined to the tech bubble in the Bay Area. And Los Angeles has a good mix of global companies and startups looking to go global. Plus, you know, the beach.
Great, so let’s dig a little deeper into the story – has it been an easy path overall and if not, what were the challenges you’ve had to overcome?
Every change is a challenge. But, I’ve learned that it’s important to step out of my comfort zone. For me, that meant career shifts, relocation, and adapting to new environments, which of course isn’t always easy. Especially when it involves your entire family! Moving to the US was the biggest leap – the pressure of getting Supertext USA off the ground while settling into a new lifestyle wasn’t to be taken lightly. And competition is tough here. Connecting with the right people at the right time is a logistical riddle in this vast country and we’ve had to be creative about how we make an impact. But, the learning process is what keeps me on my toes and I was never in it for an easy ride. Hiccups and sleeplessness are just par for the course.
Supertext USA, Inc – what should we know? What do you guys do best? What sets you apart from the competition?
Supertext is a creative copywriting and translation agency. Websites, apps, newsletters, videos, white papers, campaigns – in a nutshell, we write good copy. In more than 30 languages. So, whether it’s translating marketing materials for the next product release, localizing a website for global expansion, editing white papers, or writing a headline for a specific market from scratch, we make sure you get your message across. We’ve put in a good word for over 3,500 companies to date.
Founded as the first web-based copywriting service, Supertext disrupted the industry with its platform way back when projects were still being managed by email. The language industry is actually very cutting-edge in terms of technology, and Supertext is no exception. But, while most of our competitors focus on solutions to get the translation process done – the faster and cheaper the better – we’ve remained focused on the writing. I’m most proud of how we’ve stayed true to our creative roots. In fact, our secret is that we’re NOT a translation agency. We just happen to excel at creating a copy in multiple languages. Over the past decade, we’ve built an extensive network of carefully selected copywriters, translators, editors, and proofreaders that are handpicked by our in-house team of language nerds and wordsmiths. They know their audience. Get inside the brain of the reader. Put down words in a million different ways until they sound just right.
Since we launched in the US, we’ve dabbed with YouTube Rewind https://blog.supertext.ch/en/2018/01/supertext-takes-portal-as-youtube-rewind-2017-global/, rocked with Reverb https://blog.supertext.ch/en/2018/04/reverb-rocks-with-supertext/, and taken many others global https://blog.supertext.ch/en/2017/05/three-steps-to-going-global/.
What moment in your career do you look back most fondly on?
I haven’t had it yet. Getting Supertext USA off the ground was a milestone, but what they don’t tell you is that it just doesn’t stop – there is always more that can be and needs to be done. I don’t think you ever feel like you’ve peaked.
Pricing:
- Translation from $0.20 per word
- Copywriting from $75 per hour
- Editing from $0.04 per word
Contact Info:
- Address: 713 Broadway
Santa Monica, CA 90401 - Website: www.supertext.com
- Phone: 424 387 7375
- Email: [email protected]
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/SupertextUSA/
- Other: https://blog.supertext.ch/en/
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