Newsletter - Message from the board
Message from the Board Q1 2008
Kim Harris, GALA Board Chair
The past year has been a whirlwind for our core of dedicated volunteers and staff at GALA. We have launched and improved a number of programs to benefit both member companies and the industry at large, and we have continued to see our membership grow.
I am pleased to share with you an overview of some of our most recent activities and accomplishments. If you have not had the opportunity to visit our website or participate in a GALA activity lately, I encourage you to take part in the many initiatives we have planned for 2008.
You undoubtedly noticed the buzz surrounding the recent acquisition of Idiom by SDL in February. In response, GALA organized a teleconference discussion with the CEOs from both companies. The teleconference was well received, with over 120 member participants. As a trade association, our members need a neutral place to discuss events such as these that have an impact on their business. You can read about the discussion in Rebecca Petras’ article. If you would like a copy of the audio file, which is free to members, contact us.
In other news, we recently launched the 2008 GALA Webinar Series, a group of expert and tools presentations that are free for GALA members. With member companies located in over 45 countries, it is not easy for us to gather under one roof for events, and we are excited to offer GALA members the ability to participate virtually in GALA activities from anywhere in the world.
This year GALA is also collaborating with the European Language Industry Association (ELIA) to co-produce Networking Days, a popular event series launched by ELIA in 2007 for owners and directors of small to medium-sized translation and localization businesses in Europe. We are thrilled to be co-hosting three ND events in Europe this year and hope to see some of our members there as well!
GALA will continue to promote our industry in 2008, reinforcing in the media that local communication is an indispensable component of a successful global strategy. If you have a story or case study that expresses how our industry touched the greater world of business, we would love to hear from you.
GALA will also continue to provide valuable resources to the industry. Our recently upgraded Language Technology & Services Directory has been one of the top five resources accessed by visitors to the GALA website for the past three months. Meanwhile, we are enjoying increasing success promoting our dedicated job board, LocalizationCAREERS.net, where qualified candidates register almost daily.
In closing, I would like to extend a big THANK YOU to my predecessor and outgoing GALA Board member Stephen Ryan (Moravia Worldwide) for his deep dedication to GALA as Chairperson and his tireless contributions and loyalty to GALA and the industry as a whole. I would also like to thank our outgoing Treasurer Christiane Bernier (Lionbridge) for her endless hours of plugging numbers and keeping the GALA 2010 Plan in check and her volunteer time invested in the association.
I look forward to seeing you this year at one of our GALA initiatives or meetings or at another industry event, and thank you for your continued support of GALA!
For the GALA Board,
Kim Harris
GALA Board Chair