Jill Kushner Bishop PhD shared their story and experiences with us recently and you can find our conversation below.
Hi Jill, thank you for taking the time to reflect back on your journey with us. I think our readers are in for a real treat. There is so much we can all learn from each other and so thank you again for opening up with us. Let’s get into it: What is something outside of work that is bringing you joy lately?
I live in Evanston, Illinois, just north of Chicago. Not far from my house is a canal that was built 100+ years ago with a golf course on both sides. The course has always been walker-friendly, but during COVID community volunteers started building a lower trail, removing invasive species, and creating a safe space from flying golf balls. The trail now extends to the Baha’i Temple, just a short distance from Lake Michigan.
Almost every day, in every season, I’m out on that trail. Sometimes I stay on the trail, sometimes I pop into the Baha’i Temple to marvel at the building and the gardens, and sometimes I continue my walk to the lake. Sometimes I listen to podcasts, and sometimes I keep my earbuds in my pocket and just enjoy a closer connection to my surroundings and allow my mind to wander. But no matter what, I always come back grateful for this community-created gem and the time spent moving my body.
Can you briefly introduce yourself and share what makes you or your brand unique?
A little more than twenty years ago I found myself on the wrong side of office politics and was asked to sign my “voluntary” resignation letter. A few days later, my husband and I were at a Cuban restaurant for dinner, and I took out a Sharpie and started mapping out my possible next steps on my placemat. With a PhD in linguistic anthropology and previous experience as a language teacher and user researcher, I considered returning to academia, going back to language teaching, or exploring new opportunities in user experience research. But I also contemplated starting a business – so with a few months of unemployment insurance and $500 we found in an old bank account, I decided to give it a go.
Over the years there have been many business pivots, but the focus of Multilingual Connections has always been on helping our clients create connections across languages and cultures. What that looks like now is translation and localization of surveys, contracts, apps, manuals; transcreation of creative marketing content; audio transcription of interviews, focus groups, documentary footage, and legal/law enforcement interviews; subtitling and voiceover of elearning and marketing video content; phone and remote simultaneous interpretation; and our newest offering – bilingual qualitative research moderation and fieldwork support. And all of this across 75 languages.
At a time when you can’t go 10 minutes without hearing about AI, we of course leverage technology – but at the same time we focus on nuance and culture and the importance of humans in the loop.
Our company is based in Evanston, but our in-house team is in 10 countries and our network of 1000+ linguists and researchers spans the globe.
Great, so let’s dive into your journey a bit more. What did you believe about yourself as a child that you no longer believe?
I used to think of myself as shy. As a child and young adult, the word “introvert” wasn’t part of everyday vocabulary, so I didn’t have language for the way I experienced the world. It wasn’t until later in life that I began to understand myself less as shy and more as introverted.
In business and entrepreneurship, extroversion is often more visible and celebrated – the image of the outgoing, always-on networker is the one most people picture. It’s a lot of pressure to be something you’re not, and over time, I’ve learned to show up more authentically. Introversion has its own strengths: the ability to listen deeply, to reflect before acting, and to build meaningful, lasting relationships. So what I no longer believe is that being quieter meant I was shy. I’ve come to see introversion not as a limitation, but as a different and equally valuable way of leading and creating.
Was there ever a time you almost gave up?
When I decided to pursue my PhD in linguistic anthropology at UCLA, I envisioned my life ahead in academia: researching, writing, and teaching. After returning from a year of fieldwork, I got a job offer back home in Chicago to work as a corporate user researcher. It was a chance to be near family and friends, apply my academic skills in a new way, and start paying down my student loans – while at the same time writing my dissertation. I didn’t think at the time that I was leaving academia – just taking a detour.
But a few years passed, and the dissertation writing stretched out further and further, with half-completed chapters haunting me every weekend. When it became clear that I was unlikely to return to academia and that I was fully-employable without those three letters after my name, I thought about quitting. I agonized over the decision. My husband told me that he’d support whichever decision I made but reminded me that I had come so far and was so close – and to consider pushing through. And so I did.
I created a schedule for myself to hold myself accountable, committed to working on only one chapter at a time, and after six months I was done. And no – I didn’t need the PhD. And yes – my dissertation (all 340 pages of it) is sitting collecting dust on a shelf. But I’m proud of having completed what I started and grateful for the push I needed to get it done.
Next, maybe we can discuss some of your foundational philosophies and views? What would your closest friends say really matters to you?
Authenticity and relationships. I’m devoted to my family and friends and would do anything for them.
Thank you so much for all of your openness so far. Maybe we can close with a future oriented question. If you laid down your name, role, and possessions—what would remain?
I’ve been thinking about possessions a lot lately, as I’m helping my parents downsize and move to senior living. It’s an emotional process for everyone.
A few years ago, my husband’s uncle passed away, and with him went the memories and stories behind his collection of expensive art, carpets, and collectibles. They went from being prized possessions from decades of global travels to burdens for those that had to figure out what to do with them.
I’ve been trying to be more thoughtful about my own possessions, and if I were to set them aside with my name and role, what would remain would be the relationships and connections I’ve created for myself and helped create for others. It’s no coincidence that my company’s name is Multilingual Connections. I’ve always been focused on facilitating connections: professionally, between speakers of other languages, and personally, in my own community. Small steps over the years like creating a neighborhood WhatsApp group have helped me feel more connected to the people around me, and both the professional and personal have been exceptionally fulfilling for me.
Contact Info:
- Website: https://multilingualconnections.com
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/jillkbishop/
- Yelp: https://www.yelp.com/biz/multilingual-connections-evanston
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