Paola Schmid

With her affinity for languages, passion for understanding different cultures, and can-do attitude, it’s no surprise that Paola thrives managing complicated multilingual projects and is a vibrant presence in Leinhäuser’s offices.

Paola was born in the U.S. to an Italian mother and Lebanese-Brazilian father, and grew up in Brazil, attending an Italian high school. At university, she added French to her repertoire. As if four languages weren’t enough, Paola has also started learning Arabic.

After earning a Master’s of Arts in Communications, Radio and TV from the Fundação Armando Álvares Penteado (FAAP) in São Paulo in 1991, Paola moved to Munich — without a word of German. After just half a year of intense study, she was fluent enough to write for a local German-language newspaper while report in English for publications across Latin America, the Caribbean, and Africa. She also worked for the Bavarian Ministry of Culture, hosting fellow journalists from around the world who were visiting Munich as guests of the German government.

A 1994 chance encounter (ask her how a computer Solitaire game was involved!), introduced Paola to the world of translations. Over the next two decades, Paola translated and developed an expertise in desktop publishing (DTP) and then established and ran an agency with two fellow expats.

“I love navigating through challenges and solving issues for clients!”

Thanks to the nature of the language industry, Paola knew many people at Leinhäuser long before joining the company in 2016 as an account manager and leader of the Portuguese Team.

Since 2019, Paola has also been the leader of the DTP team, managing clients’ projects that incorporate texts and images, and collaborating with account managers and the pre-processing team. Paola also manages key accounts.

Paola has a blue belt in Capoeira, the Brazilian sport that combines dance, combat, acrobatics, and music, and teaches a weekly class. She ensured her two sons would benefit from multilingualism and exposure to different cultures; they both speak English, German, and Portuguese and, along with her husband, also practice Capoeira.