Economic models don't explain human generosity, but when you look around altruism is everywhere. Is that because generosity is a deviation from the model, or because the model is a deviation from reality? In a world of technology, models, formulas, and algorithms, what makes us truly human?

It makes sense that this week's Merging Minds covers economics, altruism, faith, and AI because this week's guest is a master of all of those fields. Dr. Nicoleta Acatrinei is a multi-disciplinary researcher whose career has taken her from banks to universities to religious organizations, and more!

Merging Minds host Gabriel Fairman and Dr. Acatrinei discuss a range of topics, including:

• Nicoleta's journey from Senior Executive to PhD student
• Is homo economicus an altruist? An egoist?
• The 4 natural laws of economics being incomplete
• Generosity not existing in economic models
• If reality is a deviation from "the model" or if the model is a deviation from reality?
• Theory forming behavior
• The value of volunteering in global GDP ($30 trillion!)
• Volunteering as proof of pro-social tendencies
• The "Blood Buying" experiment
• The mix of "Knight and Knave" in us all
• How ideology shapes institutions and institutions shape behavior, leading to reductionist definition of humans
• The Replacement Effect vs. Displacement Effect of Technology
• Finding what makes you uniquely human
• Being curious and unafraid
• Necessity being the best teacher and harnessing a survival attitude
• Losing our human vigor
• How 40 million jobs may be lost with AI, but 400 million will be created
• The importance of public policy in relation to AI
• Having balanced conversations about AI

And much more!

Tune in for the fascinating conversation!

You can learn more about Dr. Acatrinei and her work here

P.S. Don't forget to leave a review and subscribe to Merging Minds Podcast powered by Bureau Works for more thought-provoking podcast episodes.

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Merging Minds Host Javi Diaz has done the impossible- He has interviewed the interviewer! Tucker Johnson is well-known in our industry for interviewing the biggest names on his podcast, but today Javi has him in the hot seat!

Tucker is a co-founder of Nimdzi Insights and an all-around source of wisdom and knowledge in LOC. On the show, he and Javi discuss:

• Founding Nimdzi Insights
• Meeting Different People in the Industry
• Reflecting on Entrepreneurship
• Limiting beliefs and entrepreneurship
• Why the Localization Industry is "Pulverized"
• Growth through acquisition
• Room in the industry for small companies
• Going through shit as millenials
• Introvert Energy vs. Extrovert Energy
• Mentoring and Reverse Mentoring
• Do you need a coach or a friend?
• Surrounding yourself with the right people
• Social Media as a Tool for Good
• "Industry Secrets"

And much more!

This episode is filled with insights and predictions about the industry, so be sure to tune in!

You can learn more about Tucker Johnson here, and check out his podcast here.

P.S. Don't forget to leave a review and subscribe to Merging Minds Podcast powered by Bureau Works for more thought-provoking podcast episodes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever else podcasts are found!

Podcast powered by Bureau Works, a cloud localization platform that makes complex translation tasks simple and predictable.

www.bureauworks.com

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Why do many translators see AI as a threat? Part of it has to do with a threat to their income, and part of it likely has to do with a threat to their purpose, says Dr. Andrew Richmond. Dr. Richmond is a cognitive science researcher who blends methods from philosophy and psychology to study scientific reasoning.

In this conversation, Merging Minds host Gabriel Fairman and Dr. Richmond discuss how the language we use influences our perceptions, specifically regarding the hot topic of AI. They also discuss what leads us to view AI as competition rather than a tool, and how this is rooted in the ancient Greek concept of purpose (telos).

Andrew and Gabriel also discuss:

• Thinking about how we think, not what it "means" to thin
• The nature of thought vs. thought frameworks
• Metaphors as cognitive lenses
• Essentialism- The idea that things belong to categories.
• How social media pushes us towards simplification
• Threat responses to AI and predatory headline ecosystems
• "Hype science"
• Cognition being more than just behavior
• Does anything make us truly human?
• Why LLMs challenge a translator’s identity
• AI as a tool vs AI as competition
• Ancient Greek philosophy- Thinking of everything in terms of purpose
• The commoditization of skill is what breeds competition with machines
• "Inflating" Machine Telos and "deflating" human telos
• Purpose as a luxury item
• The future as a political question, not a technical question

And much more!

This episode is packed with interesting insights and opinions, so be sure to tune in for the whole thing!

You can learn more about Andrew Richmond here.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever else podcasts are found!

P.S. Don't forget to leave a review and subscribe to Merging Minds Podcast powered by Bureau Works for more thought-provoking podcast episodes.

Podcast powered by Bureau Works, a cloud localization platform that makes complex translation tasks simple and predictable.

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Wada'a Fahel is one of localization's biggest superstars, but she didn't grow up wanted to be a LOC leader. Like so many of LOC's best and brightest, she stumbled her way into the industry and then climbed her way to the top.

Join Wada'a and Merging Minds host Javi Diaz as the discuss Wada'a's story and how she went from a small Italian company to some of the world's biggest companies like Harley Davidson and Zendesk.

She and Javi discuss:

• Coming from lebanon and speaking 3 languages
• Choosing to work with the right brand
• Being ready for AI
• AI performance with short-form content
• The biggest challenges the localization industry will face with AI
• Redundant offerings
• Building a localization program from the ground up
• The real meaning of empathy in Leadership
• Not looking at resumes when hiring
• The key trait of people managers
• The role of vulnerability and boundaries in a team
• The nuances of multicultural teams
• Mentorship for the next generation in LOC

And much more!

Click play to hear Wada'a and Fahel dive deep on leadership in localization.

You can learn more about Wada'a Fahel here.

P.S. Don't forget to leave a review and subscribe to Merging Minds Podcast powered by Bureau Works for more thought-provoking podcast episodes.

Listen here:

Apple Podcasts

Spotify

YouTube

And wherever else podcasts are found!

Podcast powered by Bureau Works, a cloud localization platform that makes complex translation tasks simple and predictable.

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Our jobs were very different 200 years ago.

Even 100 years ago they were nothing like they are today. The nature of our work is constantly evolving, and we need to continuously discuss how to evolve along with it.

Join our Merging Minds host Gabriel Fairman as he has this exact discussion with Adrian Schreyer, a leader and interdisciplinary scientist who is currently working with AI to develop pharmaceutical drugs.

They discuss:

• How to use machine learning with little available data
• The incentive structures that complicate drug development
• The potential of AI to make the process faster and cheaper
• "Digital Twins"
• The large support for AI use in the medical research community
• Potential complications with AI models interacting with patient data
• The nature of disruptive technologies and hype
• Disruption vs. Acceleration
• "AI is what we make of it"
• "Societal thinking has not caught up with technological thinking"
• Learning from history

And much more!

Click play to hear Adrian and Gabriel discuss adaptation, acceleration, and AI!

You can learn more about Adrian Schreyer here.

P.S. Don't forget to leave a review and subscribe to Merging Minds Podcast powered by Bureau Works for more thought-provoking podcast episodes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever else podcasts are found!

Podcast powered by Bureau Works, a cloud localization platform that makes complex translation tasks simple and predictable.

www.bureauworks.com

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Kathleen Bostick went from being the most senior woman in the Railroad Industry to being a complete beginner in Localization. Why? Because she doesn’t like being bored.

Being a beginner and learning new things always beats a fancy title for Kathleen, but it didn’t take her too long to climb the ranks in a new industry as well. Now, she is one of the most influential names in Localization.

Join Kathleen as she chats with our Merging Minds host Javi Diaz and talks about her life, career, and her love for localization.

They discuss:

• Modernizing old fashioned industries (and writing the dress code for women to wear pants!)
• Getting bored and becoming a beginner again
• Learning to cold call
• Building relationships
• Surprise Million-dollar deals
• Overcoming the fear of rejection
• Learning lessons through failure
• The human touch in sales and first impressions
• The introduction of Translation Memory
• Two-Way Mentoring
• Leaving two different companies and then coming back
• Learning Leadership by Example
• The difference between managing men and women
• Being inclusive as a leader
• Imposter Syndrome
• Female Powerhouses in Loc
• Having a fun career

And much more!

Click play to join our Merging Minds host Javi Diaz and his guest, Pascale Tremblay, for a conversation about language, leadership, and looking ahead to the future.

You can learn more about Kathleen Bostick here.

P.S. Don't forget to leave a review and subscribe to Merging Minds Podcast powered by Bureau Works for more thought-provoking podcast episodes.

Listen here on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever else podcasts are found!

Podcast powered by Bureau Works, a cloud localization platform that makes complex translation tasks simple and predictable.

www.bureauworks.com

Follow us on YouTube and X @bureau_works for more and don't miss the latest live sessions and offers on LinkedIn:

www.linkedin.com/company/bureau-works/

How is AI transforming the translation industry?

Do these tools impact our income?

Are they a threat or an opportunity?

These are the questions that Bureau Works' CEO Gabriel Fairman discusses in his quick solo episode of Merging Minds, where he focuses on some of the economic changes that the AI revolution will bring to the translation space.

Join Gabriel for a discussion about AI, tech revolutions, and the craft of translation in our age.

How has technology affected your day-to-day as a translator?

Let us know below.

And let's keep the conversation going!

-Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/gabrielfairman/

-Substack: https://substack.com/@mergingminds

P.S. Don't forget to leave a review and subscribe to Merging Minds Podcast powered by Bureau Works for more thought-provoking podcast episodes.

Listen here on Apple Podcasts, Spotify and wherever else podcasts are found!

bureauworks.com

Podcast powered by Bureau Works, a cloud localization platform that makes complex translation tasks simple and predictable.

www.bureauworks.com

Follow us on YouTube and X @bureau_works for more and don't miss the latest live sessions and offers on LinkedIn:

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Pascale Tremblay has always been curious, open-minded, and ready to make connections with other people. This is exactly the attitude that got her started in localization as a young woman, and the attitude that has helped succeed as a loc leader for the last 20 years!

Now, this attitude is what is helping her lead teams through rapid changes in the localization industry. She leads with care, creativity, and a constant curiosity.

Listen to Pascale chat with our Merging Minds host Javi Diaz as they talk about Pascale’s leadership journey and her outlook on the future of loc!

They discuss:

• Growing up in a town where no one spoke English, then hitting the big city
• The “post-localization” era
• The importance of travel in building connections
• The fundamental skills of a leader
• How language is not linear
• Multilingual, multimodal content creation
• How to develop a curious and creative mindset around AI
• The different operational structures that will be needed in the future of loc
• Thinking of AI as a “transformation of your work”
• Incremental change working towards a larger vision
• Understanding the business context of change
• Going all in on a new tool
• The future being based on connection

And more!

Click play to join our Merging Minds host Javi Diaz and his guest, Pascale Tremblay, for a conversation about language, leadership, and looking ahead to the future.

You can learn more about Pascale Tremblay here.

P.S. Don't forget to leave a review and subscribe to Merging Minds Podcast powered by Bureau Works for more thought-provoking podcast episodes.

Listen on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, YouTube and wherever else podcasts are found!

Podcast powered by Bureau Works, a cloud localization platform that makes complex translation tasks simple and predictable.

www.bureauworks.com

Follow us on YouTube and X @bureau_works for more and don't miss the latest live sessions and offers on LinkedIn:

www.linkedin.com/company/bureau-works/