How This Manager Turned A Love of Languages Into A Career

Working is far more fulfilling when you’re interested in and passionate about the work that you do. For Laure Jouanique, a senior manager of content localization at Squarespace, she was able to turn a lifelong interest into a career.

“I’ve been interested in languages from an early age,” Jouanique says. “I’ve always thought that learning a new language is akin to opening a door on different perspectives and ways of thinking.”

After pursuing her love of language to its further extent in school and earning a translation degree, Jouanique immediately jumped into the field. She started as a translator based in Ireland, holding multiple positions over the years before she landed at Squarespace. “I was interested in doing more hands-on linguistic work when I noticed that Squarespace was hiring a French Localization Specialist,” she says.

Now, Jouanique is a senior manager working in the field of her dreams, and she couldn’t be happier. “I love working in the language industry,” she says, “there’s always something new to do or learn.”

Here, Jouanique shares a bit more about her career journey, how she approaches management, and the day-to-day of her role.

You joined Squarespace in Dublin initially as a contractor, then later transitioned to a full-time position. How did that come about?

At that time, the company was starting to focus more on international expansion and the team that I joined was growing. There was a need for a full-time position for a French Localization Specialist, so I stayed on in that role.

Tell us about the Dublin office. How would you describe working there?

The Dublin office is centrally located in the city and has now been in operation for over a decade. It’s a vibrant and multicultural office with events organised throughout the year. Judging by the number of long-tenured employees, our increasing footprint, and the queues at lunchtime, it’s going pretty well. Compared to when I joined, more departments and roles are represented now which is so positive: there’s a lot of talent in Ireland! 

What impact do you believe Content Localization has on Squarespace, on the industry, and on the communities and cultures your work serves?

My team is part of the International group and we support Squarespace’s efforts to grow our business outside of its domestic market. We have a diverse background in terms of cultures, languages and lived experiences and this is helpful to raise awareness of cross-cultural needs across the organization. To give an example, when we worked to launch Japanese we had to ensure our product would support different writing systems and display Japanese characters with their correct line breaks; Japanese doesn’t use spaces between words so special provisions had to be made. 

What are the core responsibilities of your role as a Senior Manager?

There are many, and it’s less about the hands-on work and more about strategy, communication, and people management.

Roughly, my responsibilities fall into two main categories: team-facing and company-facing.

In terms of the team itself, I have to ensure that my team members’ performance and career growth are supported, while ensuring that I support my own manager effectively. We all have a part to play and without team work we won’t get very far. Luckily I have an excellent team so they make my job easier!

Another aspect of my role is to maintain and optimize our operations to ensure that the team can deliver localized content effectively because our needs, challenges, and opportunities evolve over time.

Company-facing responsibilities relate to collaboration and cross-functional work. It’s important to keep building relationships with other teams and departments to ensure that our work fits strategically into company objectives, all while raising awareness about localisation. 

At a wider level still, I keep an eye on the industry so that we can adopt any new developments where they make sense in our context.

In what ways has Squarespace empowered you to take control of your career? How else does the organization nurture and develop talent?

When my team’s manager left, I saw it as a great opportunity to apply for the job and achieve one of my professional goals. The company provided training for new managers which was very helpful in the initial stages, as the focus shifts entirely. As employees, we also have access to regular training courses. Lateral moves may take place depending on circumstances and some departments offer opportunities to work with another team for a time; these are great ways to explore other career options while staying in the same company.

I’m also very fortunate to have had several excellent managers at Squarespace who could support my growth through various means, which has greatly impacted my career trajectory for the better.