37 questions for Brand Language

Today, Humanise asks the BBR Brand Language team (or Langage de marque, in French) 37 rapid-fire questions. They answered in one voice, as Marq, the team’s iconic, mystical alter-ego who is a true representation of their combined personalities and sense of humour. It’s your turn to get to know Marq’s self-appointed text workers.

1. How do you take your coffee?

I get the impression there’s a hidden joke about a coffee Marq in this question. Get it? A coffee Marq, as in marque, French for brand?

2. What’s your superpower?

Creating coffee foam designs. Usually a flower, but sometimes a bass.

3. How would you like to be remembered?

As a text worker.

4. What would you do if today was your last day on Earth?

Change it to “if it were your last day on Earth.”

5. What movie/TV character do you most resemble?

Ted Lasso, for his humanity and optimism.

6. What’s your most precious memory?

A Christmas party in a place, far, far away.

7. Would you rather lose the ability to read or the ability to speak?

To speak, without even the slightest hesitation.

8. What’s your favorite time of day?

The collective fried chicken lunches.

9. What’s your biggest strength?

Team spirit.

10. What drives you crazy?

The 4th floor staircase door alarm.

11. What are you most excited about these days?

Returning to the office and visiting pleasure island, aka our snack table.

12. What’s the nicest compliment you’ve ever received?

You’re special, Marq.

13. When are you at your most inspired?

From very early in the morning to super late at night.

14. Sweet or savory?

I don’t discriminate.

15. GIF or meme?

GIF, without question. (Just ask Jane.)

16. Backstreet boys or N-Sync?

Britney.

17. What’s the most adventurous thing you’ve ever done?

Sharing the same hotel with colleagues four months a year for special projects—for 10 years now!

18. What’s one vice you wish you could give up?

The need to correct people.

19. What’s the best piece of advice you’ve received?

Know that you don’t know what you don’t know.

20. What’s your pet peeve?

Speaking in public.

21. What’s something you notice about someone when you first meet?

The beauty of their accent.

22. What’s in heavy rotation on your playlist right now?

I’m Too Sexy by Right Said Fred, mostly for the quality of the video.

23. What’s your guilty pleasure?

Geneviève C.’s apple custard.

24. How do you start your day?

Take the stairs up to the 4th floor, grab a coffee, my headphones—and we’re off!

25. If you could swap lives with one person for a day, who would it be?

Steve Jobs (when he was alive and kicking).

26. Favorite office snack?

Geneviève C.’s apple custard (seriously, you should try it).

27. What’s something you don’t want to be doing in 10 years?

Explain that I do waaay more than correct spelling mistakes.

28. What’s the cutest thing in the world?

My team members’ offspring, plus their pets. Bonus points for hedgehogs.

29. What’s the best thing that happened this year?

Discovering my wrestler name.

30. What would be your company’s signature cocktail?

Anik’s mojito.

31. What’s one thing you had to learn the hard way?

L’orthographe rectifiée: the modern spelling of French words.

32. What trend do you wish would disappear forever?

The modern spelling of “onion” in French. It makes me cry.

Can’t get enough? Watch the video (in French) or keep reading. Ariane, Director in the Brand Language team, answers to our five rapid-fire questions.

33. If you were a song, what would you be?

Supermodel (You Better Work) by Ru Paul.

Like drag queens, we work it in the dark! And it takes a special mix of talents to do what we do.

34. Tell us something that nobody knows about the team?

Eighty percent of us have a bidet at home. So if anyone out there from the Tushy brand is listening, we’d be honoured to adapt your material into French for the Québec market!

Also, 100% of team members have a wrestler name.

35. What do you like most about your team?

That we like one another! Our team runs on trust and genuine good will. It might sound cliché, but we support each other, we’re there for each other. And this is reflected in the quality of the work we do.

36. Name three things that you could not live without.

We just recently returned to the office and rediscovered that we couldn’t live without the laughter of our colleagues.
Bottomless free coffee. And tea for the more sensitive among us.
Inspiration to find the perfect word. Because a day without inspiration never ends.

37. What’s the best advice you’d give somebody who wants to work at BBR Brand Language?

Be who you are, completely transparently, even if your life’s journey has been unique.

(If you’re a translator by training and can’t picture yourself in an “office” office, have an eagle eye for catching written mistakes and the flexibility to deal with all levels of language, and are convinced that to translate properly, you must first be able to write properly… well, there’s a heck of a good chance you’d get along great with Marq.)

Do you want to come and play with us? Click here.