ISI Founders Transition Company to Longtime Colleagues, Underscoring Commitment to Continuity

NORTH HOLLYWOOD, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--More than 30 years after founding ISI Translation Services (www.isitrans.com), a recognized leader in language solutions for healthcare and financial services, George and Cathi Rimalower have transitioned the company to former COO Emilie Villeneuve and Michael Bearden, ISI’s longtime VP of client relations. George Rimalower, who is retiring, will continue to serve as an advisor and consultant to the firm.

“We’re steeped in the special blend of high tech and high touch that are the essential ingredients of the ISI culture”

With the transition, Villeneuve has been named CEO and Bearden company president.

According to Rimalower, who started ISI in 1982, the change is the culmination of a measured, three-year process. “Since 2010, Michael and Emilie have been running ISI in every way that matters,” said Rimalower. “With their combined 20 years of experience at the company, it’s fair to say that few corporate transitions are as seamless as ours has been.”

ISI is known worldwide for combining the latest technology with expert human touch at every stage – from concierge-style project management to translating, editing, desktop publishing, proofreading and review – to enable successful communication in 100+ languages and dialects.

“Although the leadership of the company has changed, virtually nothing else has,” Bearden said. “ISI remains committed to providing industry-leading language support, through our translation and interpreting services. Emilie and I are invigorated and excited about our new roles. We anticipate a bright future for ISI and our clients, based on the strong foundations of the company’s past, and the promise of further innovations to come.”

In her 12 years at ISI, Villeneuve has engaged in her passion for helping people of different cultures from around the world communicate successfully. Growing up in France, Villeneuve chose to study English at age 11, and then started learning Spanish at 13. She spent the bulk of her career at ISI working with translators, editors and clients to further ensure quality translations, design and graphics that maintain cultural integrity.

For almost a decade at ISI, Bearden has used his extensive experience in production and translation project management to best match clients’ needs with the correct tools and processes to achieve successful communication in any language. Bearden holds a master’s degree in English literature, and has pursued his love of language as a writer, journalist and adjunct professor of English at the university level. His passion for language and communication was cemented while teaching a variety of multi-level ESL classes in a bilingual environment in Latin America, including grammar, conversation and reading.

“When George and Cathi first broached the subject of retirement several years ago, Michael and I realized that this was a tremendous opportunity,” said Villeneuve. “We all saw that we could craft an effective, methodical transition plan that would serve all of ISI’s constituencies – our clients, our global network of translators and our employees -- without disruption, and Michael and I could continue the client work we love to do.“

Bearden assured ISI’s clients that the firm’s relationships with its business partners will continue unchanged. “We’re steeped in the special blend of high tech and high touch that are the essential ingredients of the ISI culture,” said Bearden. “It’s who we are.”

About ISI

ISI (www.ISItrans.com) enables successful communication through full-service language and localization solutions, from a global team of linguists deeply rooted in the cultural and technical nuances of virtually every language used in business. ISI is a recognized leader in language solutions for healthcare and life sciences, including insurance, pharmaceutical and medical instrumentation companies. ISI has provided language services to some of the biggest healthcare companies in the world, and was one of the first to address the special linguistic and cultural needs of both non- and limited-English-proficient communities of the United States. ISI is based in Los Angeles, with hundreds of translators in the United States and worldwide.