The making of our Thanksgiving video was a journey that reminded us of the unique value human creativity brings to our work.

In a world where AI tools are rapidly evolving, we see AI not as competition but as an opportunity to reflect on the qualities that set us apart.

Our process—rooted in collaboration, thoughtfulness, and emotional nuance—is a testament to the irreplaceable role of the human touch in crafting meaningful connections.

With Thanksgiving just around the corner, we decided to create a heartfelt greeting video to thank everyone—our clients, coworkers, and friends. Through our combined team efforts, we were able to make a video that sets us apart from AI. Here’s our process on how we made this year’s video special.

We gathered photos of our team members in action—focused, collaborating, and working wisely. These images were the perfect way to showcase the dedication and effort we put into every project. Each picture highlighted a different aspect of our work, whether in the office, in meetings, or working remotely.

We also gathered photos of our team celebrating Thanksgiving together. Whether we were sharing a toast, giving thanks, or simply enjoying each other’s company. These images added a joyful, festival touch to the video. It was important for us to show not only our professional side but also the warmth we share as a team.

To step it up a notch, we reached out to Layla and asked her to write a poem that would capture the team, dedication, and the spirit of Thanksgiving. Layla’s words were both thoughtful and inspiring. The poem beautifully expressed our gratitude and teamwork.

In praise of work partners

Integrity, merit, jubilation
Honorably, you display

Collaborative endeavors and dynamic talents
Significant affiliation creates

Vigorous diligence and wise resolutions
Remarkable admiration cultivates

Our heartfelt gratitude we proclaim to you
A bountiful Thanksgiving we wish for you

We carefully selected the best visuals to match each part of the poem, ensuring the transitions felt seamless and natural. We also added more Thanksgiving elements to make the video warmer and more festive.  We show Layla’s poem in its entirety at the end, but have stanzas of her poem alternate with our wishes and pictures of our staff. The result is a very interesting video that will make the viewer feel the warm greetings from Monterey Language Services while making sure that our thanks are conveyed.

One important thing we did in this video was feature our clients. It’s important to show that we’re all more than just a faceless company, but a team of people who are all working toward a common goal. It helps to show harmony, joy, and peace. This is something that we did last year as well, and something that we will continue to do each year.

We made sure that the transitions were consistent across the entire video and had a method where we would have the text fly in, and then when the next slide had pictures, we’d do a door opening effect. The door opening effect was used for all the pictures, but for text-to-text transitions, we had a slide effect. This was all very intentionally engineered to make a very smooth and comforting feel for the viewer as they watched the video.

From start to finish, we made sure every element of the video reflected the gratitude we feel for our clients, coworkers, and friends. It’s not just about the work we do; it’s about the connections we build and the community we’re part of.

Once completed, we were proud to share the final product—a video that not only conveyed our thanks but also celebrated teamwork, dedication, and joy. It was a reminder that the work we do is about more than just business; it’s about the people we collaborate with, and the relationships we build along the way. It has truly been a joy to work with all our clients and we look forward to our continued collaboration!

When people ask us if Chat GPT or AI is a threat to us, we will proudly answer no. We take a higher road that involves beauty, nuances, and uniqueness that only humans work together as a team can create!  AI produced work is plain and predictable. In our opinion, AI in fact has a long way to go in the language industry!

Sometimes questions need to be clarified or potential problems need to be identified before we start work. For example, recently we had a client request a Spanish sign language interpreter. Spanish Sign Language (SSL) is different from American Sign Language (ASL), so we had to clarify: which Spanish country is the hard of hearing client from? Does he know American Sign Language at all? Will an ASL interpreter who could also interpret spoken Spanish work? We communicated back and forth with the client rather than making an assumption and potentially compromising the event. It was also a nice opportunity for both the client and for us to get exact information and serve the ultimate client in the most appropriate way!

There are some things we can do to ensure that communication remains smooth and clear. We evaluate all projects and requests when we receive them, identify any potential misunderstandings or lack of information, and speak with the client. This way, we will be able to give the most accurate quote possible. It also helps us determine if the project will run smoothly, rather than getting into the project and finding issues at a later project stage.

When questions do come up during the course of a project, it is important to be unafraid to clarify with clients. Some people might think asking questions makes ourselves look bad, but the opposite is true! Clients will appreciate our attention to detail and commitment to providing the highest quality product possible. It is our job to ask questions and make sure our team has correct information to carry out the project.

While communicating with clients is necessary and helpful, we must find a balance. We don’t want to send too many emails and overwhelm our client! To streamline critical communication, it is best to gather key questions or points of clarification first, send them all in a single (but still concise) email to the client. This makes it easy for the client to quickly answer everything, and is also a nice way to document everything in a logical way.

At Monterey Language Services, communicating with our clients is fulfilling and worthwhile. The feedback and collaboration we get from our clients keep us going stronger every day. We work hard to make sure that our communication with our clients is as smooth, understandable, and enjoyable as possible. This makes our clients happy, and if our clients are happy then we are happy too!