Linda Hoaglund was born in Japan, the daughter of American missionary parents, and was raised in rural Japan where she attended Japanese public schools. A graduate of Yale University, she worked as a bilingual news producer for Japanese television between 1981 and 1987. In 1987 she joined Alternate Current, an independent, American film production company, as a producer. Since 1996, she has subtitled over 100 Japanese films. She also represents Japanese directors and artists and serves as an international liaison for film producers. She recently received a commendation from the Foreign Minister of Japan for her work promoting Japanese film abroad.