Meet the Pride: Belinda Hilbert

In this installation of our Meet the Pride Series, meet Belinda H., Lionbridge Enterprise Sales Director. Belinda loves Portland, where she lives, and has a deep passion for the localization industry. She’s especially interested in the ways localization and AI can help healthcare providers achieve higher rates of health equity. Read more in our blog.

Tell us about your role at Lionbridge.

I joined Lionbridge in February 2025 as part of the OPI team. My primary focus is selling into the Healthcare sector. I’m very excited to be part of such a reputable and established Language Services Provider (LSP). I’m also thrilled to help highlight Lionbridge’s dedication to language access and health equity.

What do you enjoy most about your role?

 For most of my career, I worked in operations (project and program management). I still feel very fondly about Ops, but I LOVE sales. I’m a naturally extroverted person and find a lot of gratification in understanding a client’s needs — then totally exceeding them. My favorite question to ask is, “What could Lionbridge do to impress you?”

How long have you been at Lionbridge?

I haven’t been here long at all (about 4 months). My career in language services began almost 15 years ago, but I’ve always known Lionbridge from the outside. One of the main reasons I wanted to join this organization is because I knew Lionbridge had a very mature approach to AI services. I’m so pleased to extend those services to clients in Healthcare and support them in their exploration and education about this emerging technology. It’s clear that AI services improve traditional language services and can open up new and innovative paths. These advances will undoubtedly result in better patient experience and improved health outcomes.

What excites you the most about the industry you work in?

Over the last decade and a half in language services, I’ve touched nearly every sector and industry. I sometimes feel like I’ve earned an MBA without actually completing the degree because I’ve learned so much about global business and how enterprises operate. Of all the sectors I’ve supported, my heart lies in healthcare. Supporting diverse communities domestically is deeply important to me. The positive impact of providing language access is gratifying, and I feel that I’m making a real difference in patients’ lives. Perhaps it’s helping an organization find reliable support for a rare language or alleviating the burden of interpretation from bilingual staff. Everything drives toward deeper community health access and better patient outcomes.

What, in your opinion, makes your field special?

I love the ‘bridge’ that Lionbridge (and all language professionals) create. The language industry is inherently diverse and inclusive. It also serves as a reminder that we’re all connected, regardless of the language we speak or where we reside.

I often say working in localization means I have friends on every continent. It’s a bit of an exaggeration (I don’t know anyone in Antarctica). But I do feel privileged to work in an industry that truly spans the globe.

Where do you live, and what do you enjoy most about it?

I live in beautiful Portland, Oregon, in the heart of the Pacific Northwest. There are so many things I love about this area: the trees, the year-round hiking, the Cascade Mountains, the wild Pacific Ocean, and the relaxed attitude. (You can go to a really nice dinner in flip-flops, and no one bats an eye.) Most importantly, I love the tangible sense of community.

I also love the localization and language community here in the Pacific Northwest (PNW). Like our older sibling cities (Seattle and the Bay Area), Portland has a great network of localization professionals. I’ve been a Loc Lunch ambassador, and I’m currently working closely with Portland State University to drive deeper connections between private companies and the university’s World Language and Literature department. If you’re local to Portland and want to help students get their start in our amazing industry, let’s connect!

What is the coolest language task you’ve participated in?

During COVID, I was directly involved in several projects that empowered healthcare organizations to share critical information across multilingual populations. The work was intensely time-sensitive and dynamic. Sometimes, it changed within the week! But we came together to ensure communities were informed and reassured. I’m so proud of the way everyone pulled together to get the job done and play their part in keeping everyone healthy and safe.

Any thoughts about AI and the localization industry?

AI is undoubtedly changing the language industry and every industry we support. I believe it’s a privilege to be part of that evolution. I take my role in responsible use, elimination of bias, and ethical deployment very seriously. One of the reasons I’m so glad to join the Pride is because there’s a clear strategy around AI coupled with the scale of resources to deploy. It’s truly amazing to see AI solve some of the historical challenges enterprises have struggled with. I’m in awe of the innovative ways internal teams use AI at Lionbridge. I know we’ve only scratched surface of the use case glacier.