The evolution of the European Language Industry

[00:00:03] Speaker A: Hello. Welcome to Localization Today, where we explore how language, technology and community converge to unlock ideas for everyone everywhere. I'm Eddie Arrieta, CEO at Multilingual Media, and today we are going to have a conversation about community leadership and legacy. We're looking at the history and evolution of the European Language Industry Association, Elia. Through the voices of some of the people who helped build it, Elia has grown into a space where collaboration, trust and shared learning drive real business outcomes. Joining us are three leaders who represent the different chapters of that journey. Roberto Ganzerli, Elia's co founder and first president. Francois Vajon, former president and longtime industry leader and Anu Anou Carnegie Brown, current Elliott, President CEO of Sander. Thank you all for being here. And my apologies for not pronouncing your names properly. Likely. How are you all doing today? [00:01:07] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:01:08] Speaker C: Thank you. [00:01:08] Speaker A: And of course, to begin with, many of us in the industry know exactly what Elia is. Roberto, you are one of the legends. As a founding member, what were the original reasons for creating Elia? How did it come about? If you can tell us? [00:01:24] Speaker B: Yeah. Well, when people ask why Elia was created, the honest answer is out of frustration, but also out of ambition. And to explain this, I must go back to the mid-1990s when I was running a small translation company in Italy. This was obviously a very different era. Translation was still largely manual and technology was just starting to reshape the industry at the time. I joined an Italian association of translation agencies and I did so expecting strategic discussions, forward thinking and support for growth. What I found instead was something very different. Meeting, sorry, meetings dominated by self pity and a strong inward focus. The narrative was always the same. Clients don't understand us. Translators are the problem. The market is unfair. But there was very little willingness to engage with change or take responsibility for shaping the future of this business. Equally frustrating was the lack of international perspective. Everything revolved around the national market. There was no curiosity about what was happening elsewhere in Europe or globally. No interest in learning from peers and from other countries, for example, and no ambition to play a broader role in an industry that was clearly becoming more and more international around that time. Together with Susan west, my partner in crime, she's also a founding member of elia. I was already attending international conferences and those experiences were eye opening for a guy coming from a country that was not exactly the most internationalized country talking about the language industry. So for the first time at these events, we were having real conversations about technology, localization, globalization, business models. Well, about the future so Susan and I tried to bring that mindset back to the Italian association. And for a while we even succeeded. We organized a conference, an international conference in the early to thousands that attracted hundreds of participants from around the world. And from our perspective, that was a breakthrough. From the Italian Association's perspective, it was too far forward. We were explicitly told that the topics raised like again, localization and technology were not things that the local domestic community was ready to deal with. That was the moment we realized that however well intentioned, this was not the environment we belonged in anymore. So we left. And the real turning point came in 2002 at the ATA conference in Atlanta. There we saw something extremely important happening. That is US translation companies, well, some US translation companies breaking away from an association that didn't represent them and their needs anymore, and then creating their own association, the thing that we now know as alc. That was the spark. So on the flight back to Europe, Susan and I asked ourselves a very simple question. If the US can have an association representing language companies, why shouldn't Europe have have one too? Europe had and still has an incredibly rich, diverse and sophisticated language industry. Yet it didn't have a unified voice and no shared platform. Aaliyah was born from that realization. The original idea was not was not just to create another association, but to build a path pan European space where language companies could meet as peers, learn from each other, grow together across borders, across cultures and markets. A place focused on professionalism, business development and strategic thinking, not just on defending old positions. Turning that idea, of course into reality took years. We had to figure out governance structure, legal frameworks, and most importantly, convince other companies that this vision made sense. So with the support from the ALC and a small group of like minded European LSPs, we eventually gathered 11 founding members from 10 countries. And so we created ELEA. So in short, ELEA was created because we believed that the European language industry deserved a forward looking, international business driven association. One that embraced change instead of fearing it. [00:07:00] Speaker A: Thank you Roberto for the perspective. And throughout the years, many milestones have been reached. Francoise, I'm hoping that you can give us a little bit of context on the milestones. And in Spanish it sounds really grandiose, right? We say itos and when I hear that word it feels like the moments where things change. What can you tell us about those specific milestones that you remember in the history of Elia? [00:07:28] Speaker D: So I've been thinking a lot about this and I believe there are three main phases in history and they are well represented by the three Presidents that you have brought together today. The first phase, in my opinion, focuses on identity and legitimacy. Elia's first major milestone was not really growth or scale, but legitimacy. This phase runs from its official foundation by Roberto and the group of founders in 2005, and I would say probably even a little before, during the whole process of building the association to approximately 2010. At the time, as Roberto outlined, the European language industry was fragmented and nationally siloed. And I think that the founders succeeded in creating first, a credible European identity for language service companies, second, neutral cross border space where competitors could meet safely and a culture of openness that distinguished from other bodies in the localization industry. And at the end of this period, I think Elia became more than an association on paper. It established the non transactional, trust based culture that still defines it today. The second milestone in my mind was the transition from good networking or excellent networking to intentional value creation through learning and professional development. And this was concretized through first the development, the creation and the development of specific of role specific formats, namely Focus Execs, FocusPM, Focus Together also the recognition that value had to extend beyond owners to the entire organizations. And finally, and this was the tool to achieve this, a move to more curated, more practical content. And at that time the focus was no longer only on who you met, but increasingly on what you take back and apply in the company. And at that time, MELIA became recognized as a growth enabler, a place where operational maturity and professionalization were actively shaped and an association delivering repeatable ROI for member companies. And this step, I think, clearly differentiated Elia from other industry and industry bodies. The third phase revolves around value definition in a disrupted industry. This is the most recent phase during and after Covid, and it is the one I know less directly because I stopped any active participation in the industry after selling my company. But from where I stand, it appears to be shaped by of course, AI and automation, margin pressure and commoditization, [00:11:45] Speaker C: and [00:11:46] Speaker D: changing client perceptions, perceptions of value. I feel that Aaliyah's mission is now to help members define and defend value. Elia has become a space for strategic sense making. It has to be a forum for redefining human and organizational value, while of course preserving a peer environment where leaders can safely explore uncertainty. As a final word about this, I would probably say that I believe companies now, from what I've seen in Budapest, come to Elia to work on how they remain relevant and ultimately alive. [00:12:40] Speaker A: And this is definitely a huge conversation within the industry at all different levels, from the macro to the very micro to the individual levels. We are all thinking, how do we stay relevant in this new era? So thank you so much for those words, Anu. You came in, in this whole process, this whole history. And Roberto, rightly pointed, so we have these grade three presidents of Elia. Anu, what brought you to the association? What were your motivations? What did you find when you got in there? [00:13:16] Speaker C: I think I first came to an earlier event in 2013. I think that was in Munich. That's the first event that I remember. But to be honest, I had already been involved in the earlier work before that. So the initiative that really interested me was earlier's academic collaboration initiative. We called it Earlier Exchange and that was working with universities in different European countries and trying to help them with, with their program for the translation graduates. So that's how I got in. And I guess that kept me in and involved for many, many years. I didn't actually take on a board role until about 10 years after that, so not until 2022. And what made me go for that was, well, I guess first and foremost it was that I was asked, but I also believed that it would really broaden my own vision beyond my own day to day work. And also that I could help. I really believe that I could help so both organizational and also with this long term value creation for Elia. So I guess that's what made me want to consider a board decision. [00:14:23] Speaker B: Thank you. [00:14:23] Speaker A: Thank you, Anu. And of course, for a lot of the associations, events are one of those things that really, you know, bring everyone together and put the brains together. Roberto, the first event must have been quite experienced, going from 0 to 1 after seeing what was there, let's say, in the market. But you've already explained a little bit of what you found and you thought was missing from that first event in Barcelona. Tell us a little bit of the approach back then. What did Elia feel like when the first event happened and the needs that you were mentioning, how were those feel through that first event? [00:15:04] Speaker B: Yeah, well, chronologically, from the initial spark to the actual establishment of the association, it took us three years. So in 2005 and then another two years to organize our first event. And when I think back to that first event in Barcelona, the word that comes to mind is relief. Relief. Because for the first time it felt like we were finally, basically what Francois already said, we were finally among peers and we were having the same conversations. So we were having conversations and facing the same challenges among us. Aliyah felt like, well, at that moment, felt like A safe place. It probably feels like this still, but at that time was the first time that we realized that an association could feel like a safe place where we could really share our own fears, problems, what discussions, basically there were. Imagine that there were only about 25 participants in that first event. There was a lot of Renato Benignatto going on, by the way, but the energy was really intense because people were curious, open and most importantly, honest. So there was no posturing, no complaining for the sake of it. The feeling that I was so accustomed to thinking of the Italian association. Instead, there was a real desire to understand where the industry was going and how to adapt and to help shape it. So Elia, in my opinion, filled exactly that gap. Or maybe it was a personal need, but then I realized it was a shared need by many other future members. It gave us the chance to look beyond our national borders and realize the challenges that we were facing were not unique, that the solutions didn't have to be invented alone. So suddenly we could compare notes with a peer, with a fellow member from another country, learn how they were using technology, structuring their teams, or working on multinational clients. Another crucial need that Elia addressed was maybe something that Francoise already mentioned, was professional identity. At the time, translation and localization companies were often seen as tactical vendors rather than strategic partners. LEA created a space where we could start defining ourselves differently as businesses, with a strategy, with leadership challenges, with a long term vision. And the nice thing about Barcelona was that it also was very unpolished, meaning it was authentic, it was experimental, and it was built by practitioners, for practitioners. There was no big machinery, organization behind, very little bureaucracy, very little money, and no rigid agenda. And so discussions were lively, sometimes chaotic maybe, but very relevant. And the room, the people left the room energized and with new ideas that they could implement in their own company, and most importantly, new relationships. In hindsight, that first event was not about size or visibility, like most events now are or have been over the years. It was about alignment. It was about connecting people that hadn't found that environment elsewhere. It was a place where we could belong. We could learn, as Francais said, and we could grow together in an industry that was becoming global at very high speed. And I think that the spirit, more than anything else, is what allowed Aaliyah to grow from that small, very small room to in Barcelona, into the community that it is today. [00:19:44] Speaker A: And of course, we'll love to learn more about that evolution. Francois and it's not only the event, and over time, I also presume there is the feedback loop of those that felt energized for the first time. And they said, oh, we should do this and we should do that. Could you walk us through a little bit of the value proposition that Elia has had over the past few years and where we stand on that value proposition? [00:20:12] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:20:12] Speaker D: So first, I like to say that when I attended my first Elia conference in istanbul with roughly 100, 120 participants, you can measure the progress in a few years. I was immediately seized by the atmosphere. There was so much cool and easygoing and open and honest. And so the following year, in 2011, when I was elected president, [00:20:58] Speaker C: I think [00:20:58] Speaker D: that LSPS mainly joined Elia to be visible and to belong to a body that was recognizable and credible at a European level. This was facilitated in particular because immediately I was asked to join a group of experts at the EU as the representative of elias and until now Aliya has been in this LIND group to shape the industry. At this stage, I quickly understood that this was no longer sufficient. Members were becoming somewhat tired of the existing event format. There were two twin conferences with fairly similar sessions. And meanwhile the industry was also rapidly and drastically changing. CAD tools, workflow, softwares were everywhere. Project management was becoming pivotal. Quality, process, consistency were turning into real differentiators. So the members wanted to improve their businesses. As you said, Roberto, they still wanted to meet peers, but they wanted to, above all to learn from them. At that time, I belonged to a well known association of business owners in France whose defining feature is a strong focus on managerial progress. And inspired by that model, I proposed a similar evolution to the ELEA board. This, in my view, marked the first switch, the first shift in Elia's value proposition. ELIA evolved into a platform of knowledge sharing and operational maturity. Events became more structured and focused on how LSP actually worked. Project management, processes, pricing, organization. We also tried to attract people outside of our industry to see how we could copy best practices. So membership at this stage was no longer symbolic. It became about acquiring practical competence and something which was made possible only by the strong family spirit that prevailed at Elia. The second switch takes place around 2015 when it became very clear that member companies were growing, teams were becoming larger, expanding was increasingly international, and all functions in companies needed to become more professionalized. ELEA positioned itself clearly as a growth enabler. At this moment, it became relevant not only to owners, but to entire organizations. Role specific event formats such as focus, pm, Focus, execs, to together were created with the underlying conviction that sustainable growth depended on an Ecosystem encompassing not just leaders, but also project managers, sales, marketing, vendor managers and others. Networking also evolved well, from meeting people and learning from them to forming partnerships, finding reliable subcontractors and exchanging business. And I must say, Elia was particularly successful at creating and maintaining highly effective networking. Open, non transactional and built on mutual trust, openness and long term relationships. The third and last switch took place after 2019 in my mind, when the industry entered a period of sustained disruption, first with COVID and then with the massive arrival of AI. Remote work became the norm, uncertainty intensified and structural weaknesses appeared. In many business models, growth was no longer guaranteed. Resilience and strategic clarity became paramount. AI pushed the industry into a more fundamental moment of self questioning. Clients increasingly challenged pricing, human involvement and long term partnership. So efficiency is no longer a differentiator, quality is assumed. AI, automation and changing client expectations have challenged the very notion of what value means in language services. In this context, Elias value proposition has evolved once again. Today, Elia is no longer primarily about tools, processes or even growth. In my opinion. It's a space where language companies can define, articulate and defend their value in an AI shaped market. So it's about meaningful differentiation. [00:27:02] Speaker A: And of course. Thank you, Francoise. And of course, a big part of the goals that are achieved by the association are dependent on the amazing work that the members do and also the board members. Anu, you came in as a member, now you are the president of the association. Could you tell us a little bit about what happens behind the scenes and what leadership lessons you've taken from your experience with Elia's board, which probably will give those that want to be part of the association, that are already part of the association, a clear understanding of what they can do as parts or be members of this amazing association. [00:27:46] Speaker C: I really like this question. I really like the opportunity to talk about the behind the scenes board experience, because being on the board of earlier is it's no small undertaking. You know, most people know that the primary role of a board is about governance. So it's about defining the mission and the vision of the organization and the long term goals and, you know, managing the finances and approving budgets and making sure that there is legal accountability, all of that. But the board of a nonprofit or like a smaller association is often much more of a hands on board. And that means that the directors, they will be leading committee work, they'll be involved in organizing these events, they'll be delivering programs. So all of this takes a lot of time and a lot of effort. And a board like this needs to have a very clear understanding of, of its role. So is it a governance role or is it a management role? And when the organization is small and when it works mainly virtually, as it does in our case, it's not always easy to make that distinction. So in my years on the board, one of my key goals has been to try to bring structure to this. So structure to the way the board works and the way the staff works and then how they work together. So what are the board tasks? What are the staff tasks? How much capacity do we have for each? We've got small staff. The board is not huge either. So everybody's got fantastic ideas of how to do things, but the capacity for implementing those ideas is always limited. And that can cause a lot of frustration. And you have to do a lot of work in prioritizing ideas and then get the whole board behind just one idea, or maybe just two ideas. [00:29:39] Speaker A: And just for your peace of mind, Roberto and Francois Anu, I love to, of course, get an opportunity for those in the industry that are panicking, and we've talked about this for the whole of last year, figuring out is this going to be one of those technology transitions where everyone is going to become redundant and all this type of very apocalyptic talk. We could put it that way. So if we can get an opportunity for the three of you to give us a sense of what were the, let's say the technology revolutions or the dominant industry shifts during your leadership times, CAD tools, MT consolidation. We know what's the answer for Anu. We know what is happening around technology there. But, but Roberto, this conversation is important. If we're going to start with you, Roberto, and then going through Francois and Anu, because we've heard as well that this is not the first time this has happened, that as history has gone by, we've seen moments where revolutions are, where disruptions have come. So it'd be great if you could share a few words on what were the technology moments that you went through? What were some of the disruptions that you, that you saw in your times as president of Elia? [00:31:01] Speaker B: I don't remember, honestly, it's been such a long time ago. But my, my feeling is that I've always been affected but by some technology disruption or whatever it is. And every aspect of this or every manifestation of this was, appeared to be like the end of the world, and then it was not, obviously so. And I think that AI is not the end of the world, but I am very well aware that it is changing the economics, the expectations, even the survival thresholds of the LSPs that are in this. Well, that are in this business. Of course, I think that, yeah, I went through the early CAT tool things and then CAT tools became the norm. And then I went through the wave of machine translation is the enemy. And then machine translation became natural and a given. So I went through all of this. And I think also it's the same is the case with Francise and Anu. I don't think that this particularly affected the association. It rather affected our own lives in this industry, in this business. What I have learned from this is that technology is per se, not the problem. Delay and denial are the problems. That is to say, not recognizing that technology comes and then is here to stay and then a new wave will arrive. And so if we put up resistance against technology, this is where we are at fault. I think so, yeah. To make it very simple, CAT Mtai, these are the three main rocks, blocks that I have experienced in my life. First as an LSP owner and then as the president of the association. And then after I sold my company, I left the association and I am now a consultant as an M and a advisor. These are. Well, these are, these were the obstacles. But then we have survived and we will survive. I think the main. Well, the first step to take to survive is to recognize, to accept it, to acknowledge it and not to deny it and not to put up resistance, but rather accept it and make the best out of it if we can. Because there's also an aspect that we should not forget, is that not all translation or language companies that we have in this business are equipped to live together with these changes. Not all of them can for many different reasons, but this is also a reality. So I think that the risk is denial in front of technology, but it is also denial in front of realizing that there are real big problems for many, I would say small language companies in this business at the moment. [00:34:40] Speaker A: It gives us definitely perspective of what, what was going through your mind through all these changes. Yeah, I mean, I don't know if, if, if Anu or Francis want to. Any, any want to add anything to, to this part in terms of like your perceptions, as you were presidents, how you felt the pressure of the moving times, let's put it that way. [00:34:58] Speaker C: Yeah. [00:35:00] Speaker D: So of course I'm going to first repeat what Roberto just said. So since we created the company in 1990 and so we went through cat tools, NT, new workflow software, etc. But during the period when I was president of Elia, I think the one Thing that was visible was that it was the end of protected positions. So there is a need to look elsewhere because of this situation and try new things to meet clients, new expectations. That is to say, new services, new types of clients, new working methods, new ways of prospecting. And I would say that this shift had a consequence which was to create a paradox. On the one hand, you had to be as embedded as possible in current practices, adopt CAD tools, adopt mt, adopt workflows, et cetera, while at the same time still bringing out differences and original offerings. So it was a reinvention of a constant, or yes, a constant reinvention of your company to face all those challenges. [00:36:46] Speaker C: Yeah, I can add to that that, yeah, the figure Gen AI and large language model upheaval obviously happened during my presidency. I think it was in 2023. That was the first full year of gen AI. And I think during that year, many earlier member companies experienced a drop in their revenue. And for many, that drop continues to be there today. Many have not recovered their revenue from. From what happened in that year. And I think we keep wrestling now with the question that the others have already mentioned that how do we provide value today and how is that value perceived by the clients? I think that that is one of the changes that has happened on the client side, the perceived value. And like Francois said, there is this constant urge to. For us to also invest in Gen AI adoption. And at the same time, there's a question in our minds. It's like, well, how much return will we see on that investment? Is it worth everybody trying to build and adopt and all that? So in a way that has brought, I think it's brought some diversification amount. It has obviously meant that some LSPs have already closed down, some people have left the industry. So you could also say that in a way it has led to some consolidation on the supply side as well. [00:38:17] Speaker A: I think it totally has gone. It has taken to some consolidation. It has made companies more efficient in many ways. It has helped us think as well about what are the important pillars and technology being one of those important pillars, but also the human side. But not only that the humans are there, but what are those humans doing? And those humans are going to be meeting as members of the Ellie association throughout this year with many amazing events. Anu, if we can stay with you for a little bit, Anu, what can you tell us about the event this year? And of course, I'm going to ask Roberto and Francoise to tell me what's exciting to them about what's coming up for Elia this year. And I assume as well, the members of the association are looking forward to these amazing events. Anu, what can you tell us about it? [00:39:04] Speaker C: Right, so we still have the four annual events that Francoise talked about setting up all those years ago. The first one takes place just about now, so 19th and 20th of February. That's our together event where we bring together LSPs and freelance linguists. So freelance translators, freelance interpreters. So that's the big community event, if you like. Then we've got a more exclusive event coming up in May. We call that the Focus on Executives. So it's for the top leadership levels of LSPs and we've just launched the program for it. So have a look at it online. I think it's really exciting. It's really on the spot of these pain points that all LSP leaders are experiencing at the moment. And then in the autumn, at the beginning of October, we have networking days that's going to be in Spain this year, so look forward to that and the discussions there. So it's based on roundtable discussions these days, so not so much pre organized program, but you know, everybody has to bring their own contributions to the table. And then we round up the year in December with our PM Focus on PM work, which is obviously specifically designed for that group of our colleagues. [00:40:21] Speaker A: Great, Roberto. Francoise, when you see these events, what comes to mind when you see them? [00:40:27] Speaker D: Well, excuse me, Roberto, but when I saw the topic chosen for execs, I was really thrilled and of course I won't go there because it's none of my business today, but I find the topic that was chosen about decision making is really to the point and, and really relevant to the, to the moment. And first, well, I will encourage people that I'm in touch with to go because I think you can get a lot out of it. [00:41:04] Speaker B: Well, in my case I participate, so it's. Well, not, not in all of them, but I have participated in the Focus on Executives last year and I will go this year again in Crete, Greece, I think. Well, I've always played a role, the role of a CEO in my own company. So I think this is the kind of event that fits what meets my needs in terms of discussion with my peers. When I had my company, we sent over people to the focus on PMs and focus on Sales even at the time. So this differentiation of events, I think it's really, it's really a plus of Aaliyah and the fact that the focuses are so on target. This makes these Events very different from all the others we have in the language industry. [00:42:08] Speaker D: To my knowledge, it's the only association that is really this focused, well, role focused meetings. And I think it's a good event where you can get a lot from. [00:42:26] Speaker A: And ANU before, of course, we're wrapping up. We're coming to an end of this amazing conversation. For those that are interested in joining Elia as members, what should they do? For those that are interested in the events? Do they need to be members to attend these events? Where can they find the information? How can they get involved if they want to? [00:42:47] Speaker C: Right. Well, we obviously have a website, so I would say start from the website. If you don't know any of the people, if you haven't got a human to contact, if you know somebody, I would always recommend talking to a human. Let's say that you don't have to be an earlier member to come to an earlier event. So you can come and taste, you can come and see if you like it. We also organize sort of small group sessions for those who are interested, so you could ask about those. When is the next online session where you can just ask questions about Elia and there will be somebody from the staff or from the board to answer those questions. So, you know, you don't have to sign on the dotted line immediately. You're very welcome to come and have a look first. [00:43:31] Speaker A: And I am sure that many of our listeners, if they are not already part of Elia, they would like to participate and those that are part will be joining your amazing events. We do know that our owner is going to be there, Renato is going to be there in Portugal right now in February. I know Sophie Solomon is going to be one of the keynote speakers. So very excited to see what happens there. Hopefully I'll be able to join one of the ELLIE events this year. A I've looked into doing networking days or focus on execs. Very excited to look at those opportunities. Francoise, you were going to mention something. [00:44:13] Speaker D: Yes. I want to say something that we didn't say, but which is very important. I personally experienced it and I think a lot of people I've met have all said that coming to LEA events gave you a lot of energy. When you go back, you're full of new ideas of hope and I think this is particularly important in those days. So it's, it's an energy booster. [00:44:45] Speaker A: That is great. And before we go, of course, love to give each of you the opportunity. Francoise has shared with us her final thoughts. Roberto, are there any final thoughts? Comments, invitations for the audience. Same with Ano and Francoise, of course. [00:44:59] Speaker B: Well, final comments. I don't know. I mean, I've been the. One of the initiators of the association, so I laid the foundations, and then I had the chance. Well, the luck, to see the association being nurtured and fed and grown by Renato as well. Because let's not forget, Renato was a president of the association for one year, right before Francoise, I think. And then we had Francoise, and then we had Cleo, and then we had Diego, and then we are having Anu. Now, all these amazing presidents made the association what it is today, with all the work that they could count on by the board members and by also simple members that participated because they just wanted to help and. And lend a hand. So I have. I am, and I've been very proud of this association. I mean, from the very beginning, I still think this is the best association [00:46:04] Speaker A: in the world, [00:46:07] Speaker B: at least, because Aliyah does certain things that others don't do, while others do different things and very well, usually. So I have grown so much through the association. I personally have grown so much. I've learned so much from the others. So if I can say I am the perfect example of the product of Aaliyah rather than the founder of the association. And exactly what. What I achieved, what my company achieved, the one that I sold, what my current company's achieving is the fruit is the. The real legacy that I. That. That I. That I had from. From this incredible organization. And I always say it, I have received much, much more than I have given. And this, for me, is, well, the best outcome possible. And so that's it. [00:47:10] Speaker A: Thank you. Very exciting to hear that, Anoa. Francoise, I don't know if you want to share something. [00:47:14] Speaker D: Yeah. Okay. So, as Roberto said, I want to stress the idea of community. You know, not only community at a certain moment, but community along all these years, that managed to build. Yes. A very nice place to be. Well, for me also, Elia, and being the president of Elia with extremely smart people in the board, has grown me incredibly. So I want to thank Elia and all the people that have participated. [00:47:55] Speaker C: Yeah. I wanted to say that, you know, we're living tough times now, and a lot of LSPs are having to be very tight with their budgets, and many are probably thinking about their membership fees to various professional associations that they're members of and trying to justify that investment. And I think it's really good to recognize that, like, our industry changes, our companies have to change. Also associations are going through change and their purpose and their reason for existing changes over the years. And I think, you know, over my 30 years in the industry, these associations have served us as market research sources of data about the markets. But now we have market research organizations like NIMSI and the others, so they don't maybe serve that purpose so much anymore. For many of us, they have served as selling platforms. You know, we've taken our goods there and we've tried to sell them to the other people who come to the events, but maybe that's getting a little bit old as well now. So people are saying, what's the point of belonging to an organization these days? What value do I get out of it? And for me, it's crystallizing at the moment. That it is the peer support and the peer benchmarking that gives a lot of value at the moment. So if you don't have that through some other membership, maybe you belong to something in your own country, or, you know, maybe there's a local business group where you are, but if you don't have that, then this is a way of getting that. And the thing about peer groups is that, you know, the value comes from what people give into it. So it's not about that. Somebody is there and puts out fantastic buffet of things for you to enjoy. You have to give and then you get. That's how peer groups work. So that's why I would like to imprint people's minds. If we see these associations as peer groups, then we will adjust our expectations and what we have to give in order to achieve. [00:49:55] Speaker A: Yes, thank you, Anu, as this is probably the best final message for this conversation. True for Elia as an association, and true for every other association around the world. True for our own humanity and our own societies. Not what the world can give us, but what can we bring to the world. So thank you so much, all of you, for sharing your experiences in the industry as well as your experiences with Elia. I'm very excited to, of course, let everyone in the audience know that we are media partners for the association and that we are constantly looking forward to having these sort of conversations within the multilingual platform and letting everyone know how the events are going to happen, where they are going to happen, and what happens after the events actually take place. So thank you, everyone, for joining us. Thank you, Roberto, Francoise and Anu, for being here with us today. [00:50:49] Speaker B: Thank you so much for having us. [00:50:51] Speaker D: Having me, [00:50:55] Speaker A: of course. And thank you, everyone else, for listening to Localization today. Like I just mentioned, A big thank you to Roberto Ganzerli, Francoise Bajon and Anu Carolina Carnegie Brown for sharing the story of Elia not just as an association, but as a community built on trust, collaboration and shared growth. Their journeys remind us that the strength of the language industry has always come from the people who invest in each other, exchange ideas openly, and build structures to outlast any single company or technology shift. Catch new episodes of localization today on Spotify, Apple Podcasts and YouTube. Subscribe Red and share so that others can find these conversations. I'm Eddie Arrieta with Multilingual Media. Thanks for listening and we'll see you next time. Goodbye.