Enterprise Wide Search 20: Julia Diez - Data & AI with Cultural Context

In this episode, co-hosts Emma McGrattan and Ole Olesen-Bagneux sit down with Julia Diez, Localization Software Engineer at McAfee and the author behind one of the most quietly brilliant Substacks in tech today.

Trained as a linguist and now working at the intersection of metadata, multilingual ontologies, and LLMs, Julia brings a rare perspective to the world of data and AI—one shaped by bookstores, translation memories, and a deep appreciation for cultural nuance.

Together, they explore:

• Why translating “Welcome, User” might not be as simple as it sounds.

• The hidden complexity of plurals, pronouns, and color in globalized software.

• How language, etymology, and pragmatics shape our technologies (and sometimes break them).

• What it means to build a multilingual knowledge graph, and why it matters in the age of AI.

• Why localization isn’t just post-processing, but a design principle for global systems.

🎧 Tune in for a conversation that moves from Copenhagen to Cork, metadata to meaning—reminding us that culture, language, and context are just as foundational as code.

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