NEW YORK, December 6, 2011 -- TransPerfect, the world's largest privately held provider of language services and technology solutions, today announced that company vice president and GALA chairman Hans Fenstermacher presented the keynote address at this year's Action for Global Information Sharing (AGIS) Conference, December 1-2, 2011, in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia.

Organized by the United Nations Economic Commission for Africa (UNECA), the Localisation Research Centre (LRC), and the Centre for Development of Advanced Computing (C-DAC), the conference seeks to promote worldwide access to information and knowledge. For the first time, AGIS '11 connected Africa's language industry and decision makers with the mainstream localization and translation industry and researchers.

Fenstermacher's speech, entitled "Translation = Access: Language as the Last Barrier to Global Information," addressed the increasing role that language access plays in the digital divide, and how new innovations in technology can help bridge that gap.

"Effective information sharing is critical to bridging the gap between the haves and the have-nots: it connects people, spurs innovation, and can save lives in times of crisis," said Fenstermacher. "But information has to be accessible in the language of the user. The translation industry has the means, but also the obligation, to help make information accessible in the right languages."

About TransPerfect
With annual revenues of over $250 million, TransPerfect is the world's largest privately held provider of language services and technology solutions. From offices in 75 cities on five continents, TransPerfect offers a full range of services in 170+ languages to clients worldwide. With an unparalleled commitment to quality and client service, TransPerfect is fully ISO 9001 and EN 15038 certified. TransPerfect has global headquarters in New York, with regional headquarters in London and Hong Kong. For more information, please visit our website at www.transperfect.com.