Rosa Lee is the head of marketing at XL8 Inc., which offers real-time translation tools. She's based in Silicon Valley.
How she got here: "I started my career as an event planner and professional convention organizer. Over the course of a decade, I had the opportunity to plan and execute large-scale global events, honing my skills in logistics, stakeholder engagement, and tailoring events to different cultures. This experience gave me a deep understanding of the needs and challenges that event organizers face. When I took a position with XL8 in 2020, a leader in media and entertainment localization, I spearheaded the development and launch of EventCAT, our real-time translation service.
My background in both event management and marketing allowed me to bridge the gap between the technology and the user experience, ensuring that EventCAT's solutions met the unique needs of businesses, governments, and educational institutions globally. I understand the nuances of event dynamics and how technology must seamlessly integrate into high-pressure environments. This perspective has been crucial in developing EventCAT from concept to a globally adopted platform that serves tens of thousands of users worldwide."
What innovation means to her: "Innovation, to me, means solving real human problems in ways that feel intuitive, rather than intrusive. True innovation shouldn't call attention to itself—it should simply remove barriers that people didn’t even realize could be eliminated. At EventCAT, we don't just translate words; we translate experiences, emotions, and cultural contexts.
Staying innovative is nonnegotiable in my career because language technology evolves constantly. I find inspiration by maintaining a direct connection with our users—from university professors to global diplomats to religious leaders. I regularly participate in events using our technology, observing firsthand where frustrations arise and opportunities exist.
My most valuable innovation practice is 'empathy immersion'—putting myself in situations where I'm the one struggling with language barriers. These experiences keep me humble and hungry for better solutions. Innovation isn't about flashy features; it's about deeply understanding human needs and meeting them with elegant simplicity. Ultimately, the goal is always to make things easier, more accessible, and more impactful." 
Lee spearheaded the development and launch of EventCAT, XL8's real-time translation service.Photo: Courtesy of Rosa Lee
Memorable moment: "One of the most memorable moments in my career was the global launch of EventCAT in 2024. It felt like everything I had worked toward throughout my entire career finally came together. We had spent countless hours listening to feedback from beta users, improving our product, and collaborating closely with the technical team to perfect the solution. Seeing EventCAT being used by tens of thousands of people globally, including government organizations, universities, and NGOs, was incredibly rewarding. It validated all the hard work and vision behind the product and reinforced my belief in the power of language technology to break down barriers."
The tech advancements she's excited about right now: "I'm most excited about the convergence of emotional intelligence with AI translation technology. Current systems can translate words accurately, but the next frontier is preserving nuance, humor, cultural context, and emotional undercurrents across languages. At XL8, we're advancing beyond mere linguistic accuracy to what we call 'experiential equivalence'—ensuring that a joke lands correctly, a passionate plea maintains its urgency, or a complex technical concept remains clear regardless of language.
Why does this matter? This matters tremendously because effective communication isn't just about words—it's about human connection. When a speaker's passion gets flattened in translation, their impact diminishes. We're developing systems that can identify emotional markers in speech and replicate them appropriately in target languages, considering cultural differences in expression.
I'm particularly excited about this because it moves us from translation as a utility to translation as an enabler of authentic human connections across cultures, which has always been the true purpose of gatherings and events."
What's next: "Looking ahead, I’m focused on further enhancing EventCAT’s capabilities. We’re working on integrating even more languages, improving the customization features for specific industries, and adding more real-time interactive features for users. Additionally, I’m excited to focus on deepening our relationship with existing customers and ensuring that their feedback continues to drive the evolution of our products. We are also exploring new partnerships to expand EventCAT’s reach into more markets, especially in sectors where communication barriers can have the most significant impact.
Additionally, we're launching an education-focused initiative that will make EventCAT available at significantly reduced costs to schools in linguistically diverse communities, helping to equalize educational opportunities regardless of a student's native language. Ultimately, I want to ensure that we continue to make a global impact, helping people and businesses communicate more effectively across language barriers."
