Terra Translations
Translating core values, business growth into success
Company culture drives Terra Translations
When she started her career at her mother’s small translation business 20 years ago, Marina Ilari wore a lot of hats. In addition to being a translator, she was an editor and a project manager—and also managed vendors, eagerly learning all aspects of the business.
Today, Ilari is CEO of Milwaukee-based Terra Translations, a firm that has grown significantly in recent years. The company collaborates with about 2,000 language professionals—mostly freelancers—and has offices in Buenos Aires and Madrid.
Terra has a full-time workforce of five in Milwaukee, but it employs more than 230 people globally. Although Spanish-speaking South America represents an important market for Terra, its translators handle 40 additional languages, including Arabic, Chinese, French, German, Italian, Korean, Polish, Russian, and more.
The company serves many fields, including work in the e-learning, education, government, health care, legal, and video game industries.
Meeting the challenge of growth
Marina Ilari, CEO, Terra Translations
As Terra grew, Ilari faced the challenge of maintaining a close-knit, family-oriented culture central to its identity. That challenge was magnified because Terra’s team is large and far-flung, working in diverse and remote environments.
“We’ve worked diligently to integrate our core values—quality, care, loyalty, and a deep commitment to family and community—into every aspect of our leadership and operations,” she says. “Company leadership acts as ambassadors of these values, prioritizing open communication, listening to and valuing each employee, and fostering a sense of connection even across distances.”
She says company leadership makes a special effort to share the business’s history and vision with every new hire. That approach has fostered employee loyalty, a high retention rate, and greater profitability, Ilari adds.
“Time has consistently proven that investing in our employees and community, with a focus beyond just profits, strengthens our company in the long term,” she says.
The company created the Terra Cares program, which provides pro bono translations services to health care and legal nonprofit organizations. The program started as a local effort and has expanded globally through a partnership with a nonprofit that delivers medical services to crisis-affected areas internationally.
Ilari has a personal passion for supporting women and fostering diversity. Since 2018, she has been one of the leaders of Women in Localization, the leading global organization supporting women in the translation and localization industry.
Ilari’s leadership approach was recognized with the 2024 MARKETPLACE Governor’s Award for CEO of the Year, presented by WEDC.
Adapting to changing times in business, technology
Recognizing the expansion video gaming, Terra in 2008 created Terra Localizations, a sub-brand tailored to the gaming sector. Its expertise has helped game publishers and developers introduce locally accurate games in international markets.
“Since the inception of Terra Localizations, we’ve significantly expanded the depth and capability of our services, achieving remarkable growth of over 650%,” says Ilari, a gamer herself. “The creation of Terra Localizations has proven to be an excellent decision, enabling us to thrive in this dynamic and rapidly evolving market.”
Terra’s language experts work together to help the company’s clients succeed globally in more than 40 languages.
As with many businesses, the advent of artificial intelligence (AI) has become more pervasive in the translation industry. Ilari says AI can deliver efficiencies by automating repetitive tasks and expanding possibilities but adds that human judgment is a central part of Terra’s business.
“In areas like video game localization, human expertise is particularly vital. Much of the content in this field is highly culture-sensitive, creative, and designed to resonate deeply with players,” she says. “For this kind of nuanced work, machine translation is not recommended because it lacks the ability to capture cultural and emotional subtleties.”
She adds that AI has a place when it comes to less sensitive content, such as educational materials, player support, or technical documentation. She says Terra is committed to the responsible, ethical use of AI, noting that it cannot replace human creativity or cultural understanding.
Terra’s growth and success have yielded some important lessons. Ilari advised up-and-coming businesses to network and build community.
“You’ll face a steep learning curve, and having a community of peers can make a world of difference,” she says. “Peer learning is incredibly powerful.”
She adds: “Mistakes are part of the journey. Some of the biggest lessons come from moments when things don’t go as planned. The key is to approach challenges with resilience, adapt quickly, and treat every setback as an opportunity to learn and grow.”
