Today I’m happy to publish this interesting interview with the lovely Caroline Alberoni. Caroline is an English and Italian into Brazilian Portuguese who specializes in IT. When she’s not busy with her business, Alberoni Translations, she runs a successful blog featuring many articles written in Portuguese as well as in English. She is a self-confessed social media lover and a very active Twitter user.
Hello, Caroline. It’s a pleasure to have you in this series. Could you first let us know how you developed your interest in branding? Why did you decide your business needed a brand?
Hi, Emeline! It was an honor to be invited to take part in this incredible series of your blog. Totally my pleasure! Thanks a lot for the invitation!
It all started when I had to start my business – legally saying. At the time, my town did not issue electronic invoices*, so I had to print them out and mail them to my clients. I thought it would be interesting to have a logo printed on it, so I asked my cousin (he is the one who creates my branding image, such as the logo and the website) to create one. This first logo was quite simple, with only my name. I created a Facebook fan page and aTwitter account (I already had a personal one, but wanted to separate things). I started following some well-known translators from all around the world and paying careful attention to the way they worked. My first role models were Marta Stelmaszak and Valeria Aliperta. I simply loved their branding style and, inspired by them, I started having my own ideas. On January this year, I launched a new logo, now with a brand name, and a totally revamped website. But I know this is an ongoing process. I keep being inspired by other fellows translators and collecting ideas for improving my branding.
Your last name sounds very Italian, which is one of your working languages. Is that why you decided to go with Alberoni Translations as a name for your business? Did you hesitate with a more figurative name?
It is Italian indeed. Brazilians have a strong Italian heritage, and my family is not different. I think this influenced a bit my choice of second language on my BA (I could choose between Italian or Spanish). Besides, I always thought it was such a lovely language!
Initially, I wanted to create a figurative name. I even started brainstorming and asking friends and family for advice. But then I already had my own domain, which is my last name (http://www.alberoni.com.br), so that and the fact that we thought the name was quite strong and would give a more personal touch to my brand weighed on my decision to go for it.
What is the genesis of your logo? A tree is a highly symbolic item to choose as the representation of your business. What does it represent to you? I read it had a link with your last name that only Italian speakers can get. Can you unveil the mystery for those who don’t speak Dante’s language?
You are absolutely right, Emeline! It does have a link with my last name.
After we all agreed that keeping my last name as my brand would be better, we had to create a logo. So I thought we could do something related to it. In Italian, albero means tree. And a tree is such a beautiful thing, right? It starts as a tiny seed that grows steadily, puts down roots, fortifies and becomes magnificent, with a long and strong trunk and leafy branches. It provides us with fruits, shadow and cleaner air. That is exactly what I want to provide to my clients: fruitful opportunities through a quality professional translation, so they can rest assured they will have one last problem to deal with and breathe easily as their business gain better visibility.
What about the colors you chose? Are they related to your specializations or to the services you offer?
I love pink! However, we were afraid it wouldn’t look professional to use it (I was later surprised by Sara Colombo – now I relate so much to her branding), so we tried to come up with something that would look more serious, but without changing the tone a lot. After all, we have to choose something that also reflects our personal preferences, right? I ended up loving the light purple tone, and that is the one thing I’ll probably never change, only adapt, if needed.
We all know that branding is more than a name and a logo. If you had to choose three words to represent your brand, which ones would they be?
Love, commitment and dedication.
Finally, how do you manage to convey these aspects (the things that you just mentioned in the previous question) to your customers?
My love for my brand and for translation is definitely reflected on every step of the translation process, from the first contact with the client to the delivery of the final translation. Everything is done with great care and concern for the client’s needs.
My commitment is with everything I have learned so far and that I believe is right and fair, in every step of the translation process. I believe the client deserves a quality of service as good as the one I want for myself. If I want to be well-treated by a salesperson at a boutique, that’s exactly how I will treat my clients. I don’t care if I have to pay more for something of better value, as long as the quality is worth it. I make my service be worth what my clients pay for it.
Last but not least, I fully dedicate myself to my brand, to my followers and to my clients. I dedicate myself to continuous improvement and learning, so I can always deliver the best.
“Good, better, best. Never let it rest. Until your good is better and your better is best.” Tim Duncan
Thanks ever so much for being a part of this series, Caroline!
Thank you for this great opportunity of being featured on your series, Emeline! It was lovely being interviewed by you. Looking forward to the launch of your own revamped website. I’m sure it will be a blast!
* Here in Brazil, we issue nota fiscal, which is similar to an invoice, but not quite the same. It is a tax document that records the provision of service between two parties and aims at withdrawing taxes. For example, instead of issuing an invoice to my Brazilian clients, I issue a nota fiscal, and I have to pay 6% over its total amount to the government as taxes. There are two types of nota fiscal: an electronic one, issued through the municipality’s website; and a hard copy that we have to fill out and mail or hand over to the client.