Daan van Esch

Daan van Esch is an accomplished linguist and technical program manager with extensive experience in language technology and higher education. Daan started as a proofreader and translator while freelancing from 2009 to 2012 and served as Communications Director for Studievereniging Sinologie, where responsibilities included editing the association's journal and managing external communications. Daan co-founded and edited Shilin: Leiden University Journal of Young Sinology, promoting research dissemination in Chinese Studies. Later, Daan contributed as a Speech Linguistic Project Manager and Technical Program Manager at Google, focusing on internationalization and pronunciation modeling for language technologies, including Google Assistant and Gboard. Academic credentials include a cum laude BA and MA in Chinese Studies from Leiden University, along with language training at National Taiwan Normal University.