Elanex selects the Côte d’Azur for its launch in France
"The Côte d’Azur has all the requisite assets for our business, with its multicultural population, its internationally oriented local economy..."
Based in San Francisco, Elanex combines its own industry-leading technology with a 23,000-strong network of linguists, to supply translation and localization services in over 110 languages. Outside the American continent (the USA & Canada), the company is also active in Asia and Australia, and has recently decided to strengthen its presence in Europe.
It has selected Sophia Antipolis as its base in France, where it is headed up by Patrick Aubry, an industry veteran who was formerly Vice President continental Europe for Lionbridge Technologies and responsible for operations and sales.
December 2008, Interview
Three questions to Patrick Aubry, General Manager France:
1. As a localization specialist, what was it about Elanex’s approach that won you over?
I’ve always been interested in cultural differences and solutions to overcome language barriers. In my opinion, the language divide is just as important as the digital divide. And Elanex can provide both a coherent global knowledge management system and cutting edge innovative solutions to these complex problems, particularly in the fields of translation tools and automation of repetitive tasks. This has become particularly important today as customers want to deal with one partner for all their localization and translation needs in order to reduce costs and turnaround time, and increase their return on investment.
2. Elanex on the Côte d’Azur… what were the reasons for your choice?
The Côte d’Azur has all the requisite assets for our business, with its multicultural population, its internationally oriented local economy and its easy access thanks to the international Nice-Côte d’Azur airport.
In addition, there is already a highly developed localization/translation sector in the region, which provides an excellent pool of talents. Finally, the Côte d’Azur’s key fields of activity are areas in which we have a well established reputation. These were the reasons why we chose Sophia Antipolis as a gateway for the French market.
3. What is the Sophia Antipolis site due to develop?
We plan to grow rapidly, with the launch of a services center which will provide an interface for local customers, offering technological and linguistic solutions adapted to their needs. On a broader scale, we are also launching a global expansion strategy around Europe and we’ve just opened offices in Rome in Italy and Antwerp in Belgium, with whom we’ll certainly develop joint strategies.
Contact