The ATC’s Member of the Month in February 2026 is My Language Connection (MLC), a Glasgow-based language service provider specialising in medical and life sciences localisation. Founded in 2017, MLC has built its reputation on deep sector knowledge, close client collaboration, and a consultative approach that goes beyond translation alone.

In 2026, My Language Connection invites ATC and language industry peers from across the UK and the world to Glasgow as the local host for ATC Gold, the ATC’s 50th anniversary conference – a milestone moment that reflects both the company’s strong local roots and its growing international profile.

We caught up with Victoria Nicol, Founder and Managing Director of My Language Connection, about the company’s evolution, its specialist focus, and why understanding client-side processes is central to delivering value in regulated environments.

From disruption to destination – and to ATC Gold

My Language Connection was founded following the closure of the agency where Victoria Nicol previously worked – an experience that highlighted both the fragility of supplier relationships and the importance of trust in language services.

“At that moment, clients and linguists were left without a home,” Victoria explains. “We wanted to build something solid to continue supporting them properly, and that became the foundation for MLC.”

From the outset, the company operated with a strong relationship-led ethos, managing projects closely and working directly with clients to understand their objectives and constraints. Remaining based in Glasgow was a deliberate choice, even as the business began working with international clients.

Hosting ATC Gold’s social programme in Glasgow in October 2026 is a natural extension of that journey. As an active ATC member, MLC’s role in the Association’s 50th anniversary celebrations reflects both its engagement with the wider industry and its commitment to contributing beyond day-to-day client work.

Depth over breadth: finding a home in life sciences

In its early years, My Language Connection worked across a wide range of sectors, including engineering, construction, and software. While this breadth provided valuable experience, it also informed a key strategic decision.

“One of the lessons I learned early on was that doing everything for everyone makes it hard to truly excel,” says Victoria. “So we made a conscious decision to specialise.”

That specialisation became medical and life sciences localisation, a sector where quality, consistency, and regulatory awareness are critical. As MLC’s work increasingly involved medical devices, clinical documentation, and regulatory submissions, the company invested in quality frameworks, systems, and expertise to support those demands.

Securing funding through Scottish EDGE in 2019 enabled MLC to formalise its approach further, including pursuing ISO certification and building infrastructure to support highly regulated workflows.

“Life sciences clients need more than linguistic accuracy,” Victoria explains. “They need partners who understand the regulatory landscape and the consequences of delays or errors.”

Beyond translation: solving the problems that slow clients down

A defining feature of My Language Connection’s model is its focus on consultancy and process understanding. Rather than treating localisation as a standalone service, the team works closely with clients to map how translation fits into wider operational and regulatory workflows.

“We spend a lot of time identifying where the real bottlenecks are,” Victoria says. “Often it’s not the translation itself, it’s internal review cycles, version control, or coordination across markets.”

By addressing these pain points, MLC supports clients in reducing friction, improving consistency, and accelerating routes to market. In some cases, this means managing elements of internal review processes or acting as an extension of in-house localisation teams.

This insight has also shaped the development of MLC’s next phase of services, blending human expertise with carefully applied technology to support efficiency without compromising quality which is particularly important in medical and life sciences contexts. Today the company’s reach is global with clients across the world, and it has a presence in Dubai, a global hub for the medical device market.

Looking ahead, My Language Connection’s ambition is to remain a high-end specialist partner for organisations operating in complex, regulated multilingual environments, while continuing to grow responsibly and sustainably.

Victoria Nicol was in conversation with ATC CEO Raisa McNab.