Mafe Garcia
“being focus on my dreams gave me the motivation to overcome challenges”
Mafe Garcia
Country of Origin: Colombia
Occupation: Business Development Director of Entrelingo
State of residency: Queensland. Favourite place in Australia: Queensland beaches
Upon arrival: Surprised by how clean and organised the main cities are.
Edited by Zoe Gleeson. Socials by Juan Camilo.
Mafe is an innovative and passionate entrepreneur. In 2016 she was selected as 1 of the 200 Young Leaders of the Americas. As the co-founder and CEO of Entrelingo, Mafe has helped thousands of immigrants navigate migration through the provision of affordable and quality translations. Importantly, Entrelingo is built on her own lived experience immigrating from Colombia to Australia in 2017 with her family. Mafe has lived and studied in Colombia, United States, Spain, and Australia. She has a master’s degree in business administration and is a certified Industrial Engineer.
TELL US YOUR STORY
Back in Colombia I worked as an Engineer in the Oil and Gas industry, but my need to constantly challenge myself has driven me to move beyond this and seek out amazing experiences. One of those was the crazy idea to quit my job and move to Australia to try something new. My husband and I arrived in Melbourne in 2017, since then we have had the opportunity to live in 2 other beautiful cities: Hobart and Gold Coast.
Mafe and his partner
As soon as I migrated to Australia, I realized that having access to reliable and experienced translators, at a competitive price, was really difficult. So, I sought the complicity of two of my favourite people in the world (my husband and my best friend) to create an alternative that would allow us to help future immigrants to simplify their process of getting official translations. The idea was to allow new migrants to focus on their priorities instead of chasing translators. After a couple of months living in Australia, my partners and I dared to create Entrelingo. Now we help thousands of immigrants to make their dreams of internationalisation come true.
After 3 years of operation, Entrelingo has helped more than 10.000 people to achieve their internationalisation goals by providing high-end, quality translations and always advising our customers based on our own experience as immigrants. Through my company, I have not only supported the economy of my current country of residence, but also the economy of the beautiful country I am from. Entrelingo has employed translators that reside in Australia, Colombia and other Latin American countries.
Currently, my partner and I live in the sunny Gold Coast and have an adorable 2-years old baby. I am enjoying the best time of my life as a mother and being full-time CEO as well. Fun fact: I still have energy and I am considering having a second baby!
My favorite thing in the word, besides my daughter, is traveling. I am always on the lookout for places to explore and find new places to discover. I get very excited planning trips, and enjoy every second of them, creating memories that remain with us forever. The truth is that after every trip you leave a different person because all these experiences just add up to your personal growth, even if it's just leaving the city for a weekend get-away in a nearby city. Fortunately, I share this hobby with my husband, which has led us to visit 5 continents and more than 50 cities. Moreover, I secretly dream of one day starting my travel tips blog.
CHALLENGES
Starting all over - Packing your entire life in a 23kg-suitcase is a terrifying thought! Even though I am always open to change and going on adventures, the uncertainty that comes with moving to an unknown place is scary. I had to forget what I used to have and start from zero, that was hard, but being focus on my dreams gave me the motivation to overcome this challenge.
Mafe with her family
Missing moments - There’s no doubt that for those who migrate being away from their loved ones, their favorite places, their favorite food and their own culture is very challenging and takes time to get used to. But, for me what I miss the most are MOMENTS. For example, the moment when you share special dates with your loved ones, the moment when you need to support a family member that’s going through a hard time. For example, the hardest moment I missed so far was not being able be by my father’s side right before he passed away.
Home delivery - Oh my God, this may sound a bit silly, but back in my home country I can literally get ANYTHING delivered to my home just by making a phone call or ordering through apps, and I miss this so much because there’s nothing like it in Australia. So, if you are an entrepreneur looking for a million-dollar idea, this is it! Please develop something similar to solve this need in Australia. I’ll be your best customer.
CONTRASTS & Simmilarities
Celebrations - The definitions of a celebration/party in Colombia and Australia are very different from one another. In Australia, celebrations are more related to gathering to eat good food and have some drinks. On the other hand, in Colombia, other than good food and drinks, we also enjoy music and dancing. If you want to know more about what I mean, just look up Christmas and New Year’s celebrations in both countries, so you can have an idea of why I miss Colombian parties so much.
Diversity - There’s no doubt that Australia is a very diverse country open to immigrants from all around the globe. I find this fascinating because it gives me the opportunity to learn from different cultures without having to travel overseas, especially when these differences are about food.
PIECE OF ADVICE
Don’t stop learning - Developing an always-open-to-learn attitude will make you advance in your career by leaps and bounds. You don't need to go to the university or pay for an expensive course to learn constantly. It's enough to read a good book, listen to interesting podcasts, talk to people that you look up to, you may even get them to be your mentor, or simply ask for advice/feedback about a specific topic to expand your knowledge in that area.
Believe in yourself - You have the power inside of you…just stop for a second and think of all the things that you have accomplished so far, all the obstacles you’ve overcome and challenge yourself to go for more. Don't be afraid to dream big because you have everything you need to get it done.
Creativity is the key - Don’t be afraid to think differently, this helps you solve problems and take full advantage of opportunities. Use your imagination, be observant, get out of your comfort zone, and be ready to experiment to get what you want. Try different techniques to boost your creativity in every aspect of life, so with time you will realize that you succeeded because of your ability of thinking outside the box.
IN THE NEXT FEW YEARS…
Mafe Garcia sees herself making a more significant contribution to the immigrant community. For example, adding more languages to her portfolio and expanding her services to other countries. She would like to explore more places across Australia and have the opportunity to experience the different lifestyles among each state. Outside of work, she is expecting to raise her 2-year old baby as a happy and healthy child in this country full of opportunities and equality.
You can find more about Mafe Garcia impact here:
Instagram : Entrelingo (@entrelingo) • Instagram photos and videos, Mafe Ǥ. Salazaar (@tassieiloveu) • Instagram photos and videos
Linkedin : (66) Mafe Garcia | LinkedIn
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With love and gratitude - Latin Stories Australia team