The following ELIA Members have announced that they wish to participate in the 2023 election of the ELIA Board of Directors. Each has volunteered their time and experience for the betterment of your association. Below you will find each candidate’s vision for helping ELIA serve you better in the future.
To view the qualifications and skills each Candidate has chosen to highlight visit the Slate of Candidates – Qualifications and Skills page or click on the link provided in each of the profiles below.
Election information
The election will begin Monday, 19 June, and end on Monday, 26 June. ELIA Full Members will receive a special mailing with information on how to vote. You are strongly encouraged to review their statements below and any additional materials produced which will help you understand who they are, what they stand for, and, ultimately, who you should vote for.
The Candidates
Possibly the most important reason for me is stepping out of my comfort zone, and personal growth. To learn from other members and Directors, from those who are better, smarter, more successful, and to be able to have a strong relationship with friends who I can lean on when there is trouble, or to help them, of course.
And, if I’m honest, it doesn’t hurt that you are seen and perceived as an expert in the industry either – despite the impostor syndrome 🙂
I’m applying to serve on the ELIA Board of Directors again as I am sure I can further contribute to the association’s stability and growth. I’ve been an active player in the Language Service industry for over 18 years, and I have a deep understanding of the market’s needs and changes.
Also, in my previous terms on the Board, I gained a wealth of knowledge about the duties of a Board member and, in the last two years, as the President.
ELIA is a second family to me, and I would love and continue to be part of its story. The pandemic has been a trigger for change, and we in ELIA embraced the change fully, with different new initiatives and changes to our old ways of doing things.
I however feel that there’s still a lot we can do together to future-proof the Association and, especially you, our beloved members, in a time of ground-breaking change.
My job is not done yet!
I believe that my extensive experience in the Language Service industry, combined with my leadership, managerial, and emotional intelligence skills, make me an ideal candidate for the ELIA Board of Directors.
As a member of this beautiful family, I understand the importance of partnerships, engagement, visibility, and representation, and I’m eager to help the Association further build on its recent changes and integrate an innovative mindset to keep growing.
For all the reasons above, I kindly ask for your support and your vote in the upcoming election. Together, we can continue to strengthen the association and help it thrive in the years to come. Thank you for your consideration, and I look forward to the opportunity to serve you as a member of the ELIA Board of Directors.
I have always enjoyed being part of associations as an executive member, it is a role I like to play, in fact, in the past I have served on the board of AITI, the Italian Association of Translators and Interpreters.
I am a great believer in associationism, as I consider that only through collaboration and sharing of skills and experience can the best results be achieved. Joining the board of directors of ELIA would allow me to pursue this vision while also being the voice of the businesswomen of the association.
I am truly excited about the opportunity to contribute to the important work of this esteemed association. There are several reasons why I would like to be a part of the ELIA Board of Directors, first of them being the commitment to translation industry and language education in general. I have dedicated a large portion of my career to the education of new talents in language industry, and I firmly believe in the transformative power of languages in today’s globalised world.
I also understand the value of collaboration and the power of networks in driving positive change in our industry. The ELIA Board of Directors provides a unique platform to collaborate with like-minded professionals and policy makers who are dedicated to promoting language industry among young professionals who are considering taking this path. It is very important to embrace the new technologies that we are witnessing, to keep pace with them, and to educate the community on how to adapt to new trends in this ever changing industry.
Finally, being a part of the ELIA Board of Directors would be an exceptional opportunity for me to continuously learn and grow professionally. The diversity of perspectives, expertise, and experiences within the board would inspire me to expand my knowledge and keep pace with emerging trends and best practices in language education.
I am excited to submit my candidacy for the second term on the Board of Directors of ELIA. I am proud to have served on the board for the past term, and I believe that my experience and skills will continue to contribute to the success and growth of ELIA.
Firstly, I am the initiator of the renewed Elia Exchange program, which is dedicated to promoting translation and interpretation studies among universities and students. This program is designed for numerous students from different countries and to foster an international community of translation professionals.
Secondly, I have excellent communication skills, which I believe are essential for effective leadership and collaboration. I am able to communicate clearly and concisely, and I am comfortable speaking in public and facilitating group discussions. I believe that effective communication is the foundation for building strong relationships with members, stakeholders, and partners.
Thirdly, I am a recognised speaker within the translation and interpretation industry. I have given talks and presentations at numerous conferences and events, both nationally and internationally, which has helped me to build a broad network of industry professionals. I am committed to promoting ELIA and its values within the industry and to sharing knowledge and insights with members and colleagues.
Finally, I am a strong believer in the importance of listening and engaging with members. As a board member, I have always made it a priority to listen to the ideas and concerns of our members and to bring their perspectives to the board. I believe that by working collaboratively and inclusively, we can achieve our shared goals and make a meaningful impact on the industry.
In conclusion, I am passionate about the mission and values of ELIA, and I am committed to contributing to its continued success and growth. I believe that my experience, skills, and dedication make me a strong candidate for re-election to the Board of Directors, and I would be honored to continue serving our members in this capacity.
I think ELIA is a great association bringing translation agencies to a large community where members exchange ideas, knowledge, experience and skills. As I have over 19 years of experience at various positions in the localisation and translation industries, from translator to vendor manager, I believe it can benefit ELIA’s development in multiple ways. I would like to work more towards a better relationship between agencies and translators to provide more quality in services to clients.
More transparent communication with agency leaders, so that they are well aware of the importance of language experts as service providers, is key in that process. Unfortunately, there are still agencies who seem not to attribute importance to translators as pillars of the localisation-translation industry. I believe that a better synergy between translators and agencies through various forms of discussions can bring about a better dialogue between the two, and better end results. Quality is a principle which must never be overlooked. It is the only guarantee that information from a source language will be transferred to a target language without losing any components which could affect the target language message.
Language experts must be aware of the importance of lifelong learning and furthering their knowledge, while agencies must put more effort into educating clients about all the steps of any localisation-translation process. I would like to promote ELIA in public institutions (e.g., universities) to create a better understanding of the language industry and its stakeholders. I believe it is paramount to make the translation and localisation world closer to ordinary people and future language experts to make our vocation more valued. ELIA should become an umbrella organisation and a reference example to all the stakeholders in the localisation industry. It is important to educate young future experts on movements in the industry and prepare them for the technology-driven fast changes on the market.
Technologies should be viewed as an aid to translators, not as a primary tool which makes their skills almost optional, rendering translation just a sale of technology and services; and the translated text, delivered to the client, is of poorer quality. ELIA’s voice should reach wider audiences in countries with lower standards than those in Western Europe to show the synergy of language experts’ and agencies’ work to everybody. It is only when we work together and put in mutual efforts that we can ensure a better tomorrow for all.
Dorothy Scerri
Business Development Manager, Global Translation Solutions Limited (GTS)
I would like to extend my mandate to another 2 years in order to be able to contribute better to the current Board and to continue what we have already started, but also looking forward into seeing how we could better serve the association and our members. It is a privilege and an honour for me to work with the current Board of Directors and I am sure that with our hard work we will be able to take the association to higher levels.
It has been a very rewarding experience and I feel that there is much more to give and to share within the association. I also admire the dedication of all the people involved in the running of ELIA. Most of the members of the Board are so busy with million things, yet they find the time and motivation to work hard for the company, and for the love of the association and the industry that we make part of. I truly hope that I will be able to continue contributing in this wonderful initiative.
As a proud member of ELIA, I would be honoured to join a group of people who have already achieved great results by creating a platform to share knowledge – from ELIA Exchange to PM Training projects, just to name a couple- and collaborate with like-minded individuals who are passionate about our industry.
I would love to dedicate my efforts to:
- Further grow the association by directly telling outsiders how much ELIA can support them.
- Involve existing members even more by promoting the importance of their participation into ELIA activities.
- Support education of our fellow member companies by growing their knowledge base.
- Contribute with my previous professional experience: I was on the other side of the “barricade” for over 30 years buying language services to reach new markets. Goal is to improve the communication between clients and us, translation services providers.