Talk of the Town

Nothing Lost In Translation Here: Top-Notch Service And A Talented Staff Spell Success For This Businesswoman's Global Vision.

Exchange Magazine - November, 2004 (An Entrepreneur publication)

VITAL STATS: Liz Elting, 38, co-founder of TransPerfect Translations

COMPANY: translation services company with headquarters in New York City

2004 PROJECTED SALES: $35 million

SAY WHAT? She always had an ear for the cadences of language - from the time she was very young. Elting knew it was all about multilingual communication. In college, she started working in the translation industry and saw a need for a wider range of services for clients, with a higher level of customer service. When she got her MBA in 1992, she turned her idea for a full-service translation company into reality. Today, with 22 offices in places such as New York City, Denver and Geneva, to name a few, Elting's language is simple: globalization.

PEOPLE TALK: "The old saying 'Hire people who are smarter than you' couldn't be truer. Throughout TransPerfect's growth, I've sought out people whose strengths complement mine," says Elting. "I respect these people immensely and have learned a great deal from them. The primary reason for TransPerfect's success is that we have the most talented, hard-working and results-oriented professionals in the industry." Since stellar personnel is her strongest asset, Elting has created a world-class benefits program that includes not only the typical health and retirement packages, but also bonuses, vacations, a dinner service for late-night workers, and birthdays off for each employee.

GOALTENDING: Success wasn't an accident for this extraordinary businesswoman - she plotted her course from Day One, with yearly evaluations with her staff of where the company was and what they wanted to accomplish next. "We set goals for ourselves, and, at the end of the year, we'd see how we did. [It's good] to have a lengthy business plan as you start, but you also need annual goals."

WOMAN POWER: "I really have not found it to be any more difficult being a woman [entrepreneur]," says Elting. "In my experience, it's been neither and advantage nor a disadvantage. I have found that personality, character and leadership qualities are much more relevant than gender."

—Nichole L. Torres