Glimpse of Argos: From Detour to Direction in Localization

Check out the next interview of the Glimpse of Argos series. Today, our guest is Henri Broekman, experienced linguist and localization manager.

In this interview, Henri traces his shift from an unexpected career pause to discovering a calling in localization. He reflects on how resourcefulness, linguistic sensitivity, and a willingness to follow opportunity shaped his path, and why embracing his natural language strengths allowed him to thrive in a field he never set out to join.

The interview

Tell us a bit about yourself and what got you into the field.

Henri Broekman: I’m Henri. I’m 30 years old, Dutch national and also a naturalized Brazilian. I was actually supposed to become a professional in the romantic events industry, but when COVID hit, everything shut down and there was nothing left for me to do.

So I went traveling around Central and South America, and completely by accident, I fell into the translation industry. Four years later, I’ve built myself up as a translator and reviewer, expanded into LQA specialization, and I’m also a part‑time assistant localization manager for an e‑commerce tech startup. I manage a language pool of around 50 people who handle the localization of online stores.

What specifically got you interested in this field?

Henri Broekman: In a way the industry chose me. I was in Colombia with literally 50 euros left to my name, about to run out of money, and I refused to admit defeat and ask my parents to buy me a ticket home.

I thought: What is the one thing I actually have out here? And the answer was: my language.

So I created an Upwork profile and started doing voice recordings. That led to small translations, then bigger ones, and it just kept snowballing. I’ve always been linguistically apt (I pick up nuances easily) and, over time, I built my localization skills to a high level. So I simply put to use something that already came naturally to me.

How did your partnership with Argos begin?

Henri Broekman: It’s a funny story. I was working with another large agency at the time on their Shopify account. Then it was announced that Shopify was changing LSPs. I asked around and eventually reached the head of localization at Shopify. She told me to talk to her again in a month… then in two weeks… and finally she said, “We’re switching to Argos.”

So, after some half‑aggressive LinkedIn searching, I found someone from Argos’ vendor management team and wrote: “Hey, I used to be on the Shopify account with this other LSP. Can I onboard with you?”  Things started rolling quickly after that, and now I’ve been with Argos for over two years.

Why do you continue working with Argos?

Henri Broekman: Because out of all the large companies in the language industry, Argos has treated me the best and like an actual person. They consistently give me large projects, communication is great, and all the experiences and opportunities they provide have helped me grow tremendously.

What challenges do you see in the industry?

Henri Broekman: In such a versatile environment, you might work for six different clients across completely different industries. Maintaining quality, tone of voice, and terminology consistency: that can be challenging. Argos really enables me to practice this constantly and build versatility. With their projects, I strengthen those skills all the time.

Can you share any memorable projects with Argos?

Henri Broekman: I have a few great anecdotes. I really enjoy the MQM scoring projects for one of the world’s biggest online retail companies, where we review machine-translated product listings and descriptions. Some of the machine errors are unforgettable:

• A description that instructed users to put a gas canister on top of a barbecue.
• “Your card needs to be charged” translated as being charged with a crime—as if the company had become a prosecutor.
• A Brazilian fiscal identification number was grammatically placed in a Dutch sentence as though the user account on an online retail platform itself had its own fiscal ID, turning it into a legal person.

Even today, I still run into hilarious machine issues like that. My most memorable moment was with the Shopify team. They had a tiny overdue file—around 50–60 words—and desperately needed it ASAP. I was literally on an elliptical at the gym when the request came in. My phone screen is big enough to use their TMS, so I translated the file while still working out. Five minutes later, they had their delivery and met their deadline.

How do you see the industry evolving in the coming year?

Henri Broekman: Everyone’s scared of AI. I was too, especially a year ago. But after talking with many translators and industry seniors, I realized AI is not the end. Translators will always be needed for quality checks and for fixing the endless small nuances AI still gets wrong.

Languages like Dutch have so many exceptions and feeling‑based rules that AI simply can’t handle reliably. The industry is evolving toward faster production: timelines going from months, to weeks, to days. Everything is becoming more efficient, and people will have to adapt. Things will run more smoothly, but humans will still be essential.

Are there technologies you’re excited about?

Henri Broekman: Definitely. The most helpful developments are improved automated quality‑assessment tools integrated into translation platforms. Systems like Phrase have done this well for years, but others, for example, Microsoft, still produce many false positives. Argos is developing their own tool, and it does a great job highlighting nuances you might otherwise overlook. Human error happens to everyone, and tools like these help catch tiny mistakes so translators can focus on the bigger-picture quality instead of spending hours nitpicking.

How does Argos support your work?

Henri Broekman: Argos project management teams are fantastic. They respond quickly, proactively forward queries to clients, and always help ensure I meet deadlines. Communication feels smooth, friendly, and efficient.

What makes a strong partnership and successful outcomes?

Henri Broekman: Communication—three times over. And skill. I need to be skilled enough to deliver what the client expects, and the PM teams need to keep everything running smoothly behind the scenes. When everyone communicates clearly about goals and needs, the collaboration becomes a real team effort.

What’s the most unexpected thing you learned during your experience?

Henri Broekman: I realized after about a year or two that translators are essentially underground, invisible UX engineers. UX designers create the interface, but translators shape how users experience it in other languages. Small things, like confusing translations for “Register” and “Sign in” can cause major UX issues. A real example is one case, where the similarity of those two buttons in some languages led to lots of duplicate accounts. They had to change them to:
“I have an account” / “I don’t have an account.”

As a translation manager in e‑commerce, I know how important short segments: menus, headers, footers are. AI, even with context, often struggles with these tiny but crucial details. Human translators protect usability and trust.

What advice would you give to someone entering the industry?

Henri Broekman: The translation industry is tough. You have to be very active in communication.

My strategy:

• Talk to people directly.
• Don’t just send applications blindly.
• Network constantly.
• Be forward, assertive, present, and grateful.

And my best advice for new translators: specialize.
General translation will increasingly be handled by AI. Specialized work and the quality control of AI output will go to people who already have deep expertise.

I’ve built very strong relationships with project managers simply by sending small thank‑yous and being friendly. Being friendly absolutely pays off. At Argos, I’m not a number. The people who first brought me in still help me today. The Shopify team even feels like a family at this point.

How do you envision the future of your partnership with Argos?

Henri Broekman: I see it continuing to grow strong. They keep giving me great projects and helping me specialize further. I spend around 80% of my time on Argos clients. I dedicate my time to them; they dedicate their resources to me. I want the collaboration to keep flourishing the way it already is, just even more.

Henri Broekman

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