Hybrid will prevail. For language training and meetings as well as technology. This appears to be the consensus among this week’s featured language industry hires.
According to the recently appointed Chief Sales Marketing Officer at a language service provider (LSP), just as tech coupled with personal engagement can drive business, so can the “combination of technology and knowledge transmission” spell success in working with content publishers.
More companies have learned that “combining machine translation with traditional translation technology will add a new dimension,” said the VP Global Sales at a SaaS translation tech provider.
And, even when customers “don’t understand the technologies or the advantages of implementing them,” language tech has fast become an area of interest, as the Director of Strategic Initiatives at a US government supplier pointed out. Moreover, he expects hybrid programs in general, which allow both on-site and remote operational support, to be in greater demand.
The new UN Team Lead at a video conferencing platform concurs. She said, “fully remote meetings will be transformed into hybrid meetings,” as people resume meeting in person — and this will raise a new set of challenges for the events sector.
Susy Harrison – WhP
Susy Harrison joined DITA localization specialist, WhP, as Chief Sales Marketing Officer on April 1, 2021. She reports to CEO Dominique Trouche.
WhP is based in Sophia Antipolis in the South of France. Harrison works out of the UK and leads a team of Customer Success Managers and Marketing experts across North America and Europe.
Harrison told Slator, “Alongside the CEO, I drive and implement the company strategy, with a strong focus on customer acquisition in WhP’s priority markets, namely software, manufacturing, life sciences, and content publishers.” She added that, beyond translation, they offer consulting and tools to help clients publish more efficiently in more languages.
Prior to joining WhP, Harrison spent more than 11 years in various leadership roles at UK-based LSP, thebigword. She is of the belief that while technology has always been a business driver, personal engagement is still a key factor.
She described WhP as a “people-driven company, putting our clients and teams at the heart of what we do” — a value she shares and has maintained throughout her career.
Harrison added, “I feel that as localization relies increasingly on techno-enabled speed and efficiency, LSPs are losing their human touch. Yet clients need guidance and training to mature their content processes. Today, I feel that the key to success with content publishers who value quality — such as in software, life science, and manufacturing — is a combination of technology and knowledge transmission.”
Slator 2021 Language Industry Market Report
Ian Woolley – Memsource
Ian Woolley joined translation management system (TMS) provider Memsource as VP Global Sales on April 18, 2021. He reports to CEO David Čaněk.
Memsource headquarters are in Prague and Woolley is based in London. The sales teams from North America, EMEA, and APAC and other sales-related roles at Memsource and recent acquisition Phrase report to him.
He described Memsource as a SaaS translation technology provider that assists global corporations and LSPs automate their localization processes at scale. Prior to Memsource, Woolley worked at enterprise SaaS provider, Ensighten, for six years, serving as Chief Revenue Officer for more than half of it.
According to Woolley, as globalization increases, many companies are adopting innovative SaaS translation technologies. “Undoubtedly, combining machine translation with traditional translation technology will add a new dimension and the companies that take advantage will benefit across multiple levels.”
Anthony Eldredge – MultiLingual Solutions
Anthony Eldredge joined MultiLingual Solutions (MLS) as Director of Strategic Initiatives on April 5, 2021. He reports to Scott Hellmig, Executive Vice President.
Eldredge previously worked at US government suppliers SOS International, CACI and, most recently, JTG, where he served as VP of Operations.
MLS is based in Rockville, Maryland, and Eldredge works remotely less than an hour away from his home in Odenton. He is responsible for business development and is also tasked with boosting MLS’ corporate presence by participating in key industry events and conferences.
The LSP has two divisions: one serving US government and federal customers; the other, commercial customers, primarily offering transcription, translation, and interpretation services (i.e., on-site, over the phone, virtual remote).
Eldredge said MLS provides “an array of language, analysis, and education services to government, federal, and commercial customers both in the Continental United States and overseas.” This includes projects related to the Department of Defense, the Intelligence Community, and federal agencies such as the Department of State and the Department of Justice.
He noted that language technology “is fast becoming an area of interest to many customers, even though the customers often don’t understand the technologies or the advantages / disadvantages of implementing them.”
The biggest trend in the sectors they serve, according to Eldredge, is the “shift in requirements […] due to the worldwide pandemic, US Immigration policies, and our military drawdowns overseas,” which directly impact demand.
Slator 2021 Video Localization Report
Covid, for example, saw MLS “pivot quickly to a virtual instruction platform,” which allowed them to continue training customers so they could “perform their missions wherever they were operating.”
He added that, more broadly, they “expect to see more hybrid programs requiring both in-person and virtual operation support” moving forward.
Asma Dakhouche – Interactio
Asma Dakhouche joined Interactio as UN Team Lead on July 7, 2021. She reports to Co-founder and Chief Business Development Officer, Simona Andrijauskaite.
Dakhouche leads the team that supports account executives, partner managers, and proposal managers in collaborating with the United Nations. Primarily based in the EU, Interactio is a “remote-first” organization and Dakhouche works from Geneva.
She said Interactio offers a multilingual video-meeting platform, “human interpretation delivered by certified interpreters,” account management, and dedicated technical support. Clients include the European Parliament, European Commission, UN, and global corporations such as BMW, JP Morgan, and Microsoft.
Dakhouche has worked at such companies as Amazon, Gartner, and Hewlett Packard Enterprise, where she managed UN and / or EMEA accounts. Her biggest challenge — and for Interactio at large — is maintaining high standards and a customer-centric culture while scaling. “To achieve that, we are hiring at a fast pace and attracting the best global talent,” she said.
She believes hybrid meetings will likely prevail. “With more people returning to in-person sessions, fully remote meetings will be transformed into hybrid meetings,” she said, and this creates a new challenge for the events industry.
Dakhouche explained, “On the one hand, complex hybrid events require direct integrations with hardware conferencing equipment on-site. On the other hand, hybrid events — with participants joining the meeting remotely and at the venue — promote inclusivity and better accessibility.”
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