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Lost in Translation
How to communicate your value
Jaime Solis
05 Sep
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“The single biggest problem in communication, is the illusion that it has taken place.” — George Bernard Shaw
The Red Thread This Week
Every week, I ask new subscribers what they’re working on.
This week, a generous reader shared an incredibly personal, (and vulnerable) story with me.
After decades spent in leadership positions, they were laid off.
In their first interview for a new gig, they were told point-blank they'd need to "address the age issue."
Let's call it what it is: Bias. Ageism. Ugly. Unfair.
But the story also highlighted something else; a translation problem.
Translation is what creators, leaders, and entrepreneurs wrestle with every time they step into a new arena.
A creative stepping into the corporate world, trying to make years of artistic work read as value on a resume.
A professional switching industries, needing to show how previous skills apply to new terrain.
An administrator trying to rally a team around a new approach that feels abstract, until brought down to earth as a story.
Same challenge, different setting.
Because the question is rarely whether or not you have value to give.
It's whether you can translate that value into a story the room understands.
This week’s Red Thread is about the skill of translation.
And the better you get at it, the faster the doors of opportunity swing open.
~ Jaime
🔑 The Unlock
How to Translate Without Losing Yourself
Translation isn't about changing who you are. It's about telling your story in the language of the scoreboard your audience is tracking.
1️⃣ Adjust the frame.
Take your raw, past experience and reframe it in terms the “others” recognize. The facts stay the same—only the language changes.
How could you describe your strengths and accomplishments using the vocabulary your audience already values?
2️⃣ Lead with outcomes.
A list or collection of skills, in no particular order, rarely lands. Concrete results always do.
Instead of saying what you're good at, or what tools or software you know how to use, what specific thing improved because of the work you did?
3️⃣ Mirror their scoreboard.
Every room measures success differently. Companies track revenue and growth. Teams care about trust and morale. Interviewers want to reduce risk and spot potential.
What does winning look like to the people you're trying to reach?
4️⃣ Test and refine.
Like any creative work, storytelling and translation get better with practice. Test drive your story. Get feedback. Adjust.
Who could you practice your story with before it really counts?
📌 Remember: Translation isn't about diluting who you are, or posturing. It's storytelling with precision, and supporting evidence.
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💡 Creative Edge
The Difference Between Ignored and Rejected
When your story doesn't land, it's easy to think you've been rejected; that your value isn't recognized, or worse, doesn't exist.
But often, what actually happened is your value-story was lost in translation.
The story was told in the wrong language.
The scoreboard didn't match.
The frame was off.
Your value is intact. It just wasn't understood.
Here's a test: If the interviewer walks away thinking "I don't get what they do," that's a translation problem.
If they walk away thinking "I get what they do, but it's not for us," that's a fit problem.
Translation problems are fixable.
(Fit problems might not be, and that's okay.)
📌 Mindset shift: Being ignored doesn't always mean "you're not good enough." It often means "they didn't understand the story."
🎲 Prompt Playground
Your Story Translator
Use AI to practice telling your story in multiple languages:
Prompt:
I need to practice translating my experience into stories that land with different audiences. Help me turn my accomplishments into compelling narratives.
Here are 2-3 of my key experiences or accomplishments: [Paste your raw experiences here - projects, roles, challenges you've solved, teams you've led, etc.]
For each experience, help me:
Identify the core skill or strength this demonstrates (leadership, problem-solving, innovation, etc.)
Rewrite it using this structure: "I achieved [specific outcome] by [specific action], which resulted in [measurable impact]."
Translate this same story for three different contexts:
Job interview (focus: reducing their risk, proving your potential)
Leadership presentation (focus: strategic value, team impact)
Networking conversation (focus: memorable, relatable, conversation-starting)
Create a 60-second version I could tell out loud that's clear, compelling, and sticks with people.
Finally, identify what "scoreboard" each audience cares most about, and show me how to connect my story to those metrics.
✅ Bonus Prompt:
"Take my weakest story—the one I struggle to explain—and help me find three different ways to frame it that highlight value, using as few words as possible, in simple straight-forward language."
📡 Industry Pulse
Sabrina Carpenter breaks Spotify’s single-day streaming record for a female artist — Music Business Worldwide
The Podcast Landscape 2025 is now live (Part 1) — Sounds Profitable
TikTok spotlights role in shaping music culture in new campaign — Marketing Dive
The hidden costs for Creators: studios, team members, production — Digiday.
JYP Entertainment is building a virtual K-pop artist — Music Business Worldwide
Key takeaways from the Google search ruling this week — The Current
Walmart+ adds Peacock streaming to its membership bundle — Bloomberg.
Bandcamp launches $13/month “Clubs” with human-curated playlists — Music Business Worldwide
Coca-Cola claimed Christmas. Now Fanta wants Halloween — AdWeek
🛠️ Creator Tools
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Respeecher — Hollywood-quality AI voices in a real-time, text-to-speech API.
💼 Open Opportunities
Director of Podcast Franchise Strategy & Growth – Vox Media (NYC) View Role →
Director, New Digital Business & Innovation – Universal Music Group – (Santa Monica, CA) View Role →
Your next move in Music
Explore the MBW Job Board →
Crack into Podcasting
Check out the Sounds Profitable Job Board →
📌 Know someone looking? Forward this to them!
⚡ Your Next Move
I run JMedia, an advisory firm helping companies and creatives bring their ideas to life. Here are a few ways we can work together when you’re ready:
🗓️ Get 1:1 Support from Me: Need a thought partner to help shape what's next for your project or team? Let’s talk.
🎙️ Audit Your Podcast: Get pro-level eyes on your podcast without hiring a full-time producer.
🚀 Speaking Engagements & Workshops: Looking for a speaker for your next live (or virtual) event? Or someone to lead your next strategic workshop? Drop me a note!
Thanks for spending time with Red Threads this week, I’m glad you’re here :)
~ Jaime
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