By Mariana Pozzi Salgado
Some people believe the best things in life begin unexpectedly and with little expectations. That’s certainly the case with English Services. It all began in Mendoza, Argentina, in 1998. Someone special believed that my humble approach towards helping employees grow at global companies was an exceptional idea. That’s when our in-company English training model commenced. We began helping professionals communicate better in English by applying innovative techniques. With adequate observation and open-mindedness, English Services was founded on the basis that there are always new ways of conducting business.
In 2000, Argentina experienced a rocky period filled with many losses, instability, and uncertainty. Nevertheless, we applied innovative techniques and persevered. We eventually made the most of the situation and evolved from face-to-face instruction to online classes.
High demand in bilingual call centers led us to think creatively in 2003. The next year marked an important milestone for English Services. Our workload increased rapidly which allowed us to open our first office in Recoleta, Buenos Aires. Consequently, our operators were swiftly trained to fulfill the high demand from foreign customers.
Our services grew even further when foreign companies hired us to translate material. Sadly, in 2008, we faced significant challenges after losing clients unexpectedly. Despite the disruption, we pushed forward and aimed for success with dignity.
Our Very Own Intranet
As part of our 2012 strategic plan to simplify administrative tasks, we launched our very own intranet system. With the platform in place, we dedicated our full energy to studying new methodologies to deliver language services in the most productive way possible. Over time, the intranet became a more diverse and efficient interactive portal—not only for internal use but also to communicate with customers and suppliers. The intranet became what we call today ES Conecta, a management tool that accelerates processes in a friendly and practical way.
Meet Our COO
Laura Díaz joined as our Operations Manager in 2015. She’s grown within the company in a very unique way which granted her the position of Chief Operations Officer, my second-in-command. Laura is always ready to step up and manage our diverse business operations. Her kindness and empathetic approach make her the best COO for our company. She establishes policies that promote our culture and vision. Laura truly understands our goals and, with her enthusiastic and lively personality, makes everything in operations easy to manage.
Teamwork: Key To Success
In 2018, we were thrilled to have been selected by the Government of the City of Buenos Aires (GCBA) to translate the Youth Olympic Games. The selection process was based on merit, teamwork, and service quality. The two-year project made a great impact on our language services business. I am forever grateful to the entire team who confirmed that anything is possible with perseverance and a strong desire.
Time went by while we moved offices twice, first to San Telmo and then to Puerto Madero. Business was slow but steady. Naturally, there were some changes in the team. Some moved on leaving behind their marks, while others joined with creative ideas. We continued to strive for excellence and help people learn how to communicate in other languages. We’ve even helped our students debunk the myth that learning a new language is impossible.
Observing and listening to our clients led us to recognize some interesting processes:
- – Learning needs to be fun
- – Learn from mistakes
- – Try new things
- – Reflection and metacognition promote growth
- – Celebrate success
- – There’s always room for improvement
Our Silver Lining
The global pandemic propelled our work-from-home model. The situation highlighted one of our strongest values: teamwork. We can’t wait to come back to our office in San Telmo to fully embrace our unity once again. In the meantime, however, we are working towards our goals and nurturing our strong foundation of creativity and collaboration.
It’s of utmost satisfaction when our students recognize their language growth. Learning a language doesn’t have to be a dull experience. It can be fun, but never a waste of time. Our idea is simple yet precise: motivate and promote self-confidence throughout the learning process—the rest cannot be explained, only experienced.
