Ethnolink turbocharges growth with acquisition of Sydney’s Language Professionals

While financial details of the acquisition have not been disclosed, Ethnolink founder and CEO Costa Vasili says the acquisition will “turbocharge” the company’s growth in NSW.

The deal comes on the heels of Ethnolink last week announcing it was on track to double its staff headcount to 100 by 2025 after winning a two-year contract to translate safety educational resources for the eSafety Commissioner.

Founded in 2011 by Vasili, who was recently named one of Australia’s Top 100 Young Entrepreneurs, Ethnolink offers translation and localisation services, multilingual video production and more to government, not-for-profit and corporate clients across Australia in 150-plus languages.

The Language Professionals acquisition expands the company’s existing footprint in Sydney and complements its operations in Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth.

It also takes the company’s full-time staff headcount nationally to more than 50, making it the largest specialist multicultural communications agency in Australia.

Language Professionals, led by seasoned industry veterans Max Doerfler and Françoise Le Cossec, has built an extensive reputation servicing government and corporate clients over the past 35 years.

The company will continue to operate under the Language Professionals brand within the Ethnolink group, providing world-class translation services to its existing clients.

Language Professionals’ clients will also gain access to Ethnolink’s increasingly popular suite of multicultural communications services, including community consultation and multicultural research, in-language campaign and strategy development, co-creation of static and video creative assets, community distribution of campaign assets and multicultural media plan development.

"Language Professionals is an extraordinary business built by highly regarded industry stalwarts Max and Françoise,” says Vasili.

“There is a strong philosophical alignment between Language Professionals and Ethnolink’s personnel, including a commitment to a world-class client experience, and a focus on high-quality translation services.”

The acquisition comes on the back of the company unveiling Ethnolink Edge, a bespoke technology platform designed to streamline multilingual campaigns across Australia.

Vasili anticipates a seamless merger of the Language Professionals operations with Ethnolink with plans to expand its reach in the Sydney market.

Language Professionals is known for its extensive work with NSW Government departments and agencies, and Australian Government clients such as the Fair Work Ombudsman and Services Australia, as well as corporate clients such as Qantas and KPMG.

Among Language Professionals' pivotal projects was the translation of Australia's 2000 Sydney Olympics bid into French and Spanish, which ultimately led to the awarding of the 2000 Olympics to Sydney.

"We are delighted to be turning over Language Professionals to a company that shares our commitment to quality services” says Doerfler, director of Language Professionals.

“Costa’s dedication to providing high-quality services and Ethnolink’s vision for enhancing multicultural communications align perfectly with our values.

“This acquisition ensures our clients will continue to receive the highest level of service they have come to expect from Language Professionals whilst also benefiting from Ethnolink's innovative service offerings."

Ana Barciela, Ethnolink’s NSW state manager and the new account manager for Language Professionals' clients, will play a crucial role in the company’s expansion plans for Sydney.

"I am thrilled to support the clients of Language Professionals with high-quality translation services,” says Barciela.

“NSW is an increasingly diverse state, and public communications need to reflect our diversity."