Elena Panciera
@elenapanciera
Italy
Words have been at the center of the life of Elena Panciera since she can remember. She got a PhD in History of the Italian Language from the Istituto Italiano di Scienze Umane and the University of Paris 8.
Then she ‘changed sides’: she put her linguistic knowledge to the service of companies, to help them communicate better who they are and what they do. Then, she became more politically and ethically aligned with intersectional transfeminism.
Today she works in the D&I field, with a focus on inclusive and accessible communication. She helps freelance professionals, companies, and non-profit organisations communicate in a kind and respectful way. She has the ambition to change the world, one word at a time.
Get to know Elena 🎙️
Can you start by painting a picture of what a typical day looks like for you? What fuels your passion for the work you do, and how does it tie into your involvement with WCEU?
I’m a freelance communication consultant, and I’m easily bored, so it’s very difficult to imagine a “typical day” for me: I carefully try to make every day special and different from the others. Some years ago I slightly changed my job: I used to work as a technical and business writer. At some point, though, I decided that my values were too important. I yearned to contribute something more meaningful to the world than explaining how to correctly use an industrial digital printing machine. This led me to explore the power of language used with kindness and respect. That’s why I’m here – I believe accessibility, built on inclusive communication, is key to fostering a fairer and more equitable world for everyone.
What sparked your interest in becoming a speaker at WCEU? Was there a particular moment or experience that motivated you to share your insights with this community?
I discovered the Italian WordPress Community a few months ago, thanks to Simona Simionato and Margherita Peonara, who invited me as a speaker. I must confess that I had some prejudices: I thought I would find myself speaking to a group of young male nerd developers. Instead, I discovered a group of people extremely diverse in terms of age, gender, geographical origin, cultural background, but all united by a great desire to collaborate and improve the community and the whole society. I realized that this could be a good environment for me, and that’s what it turned out to be: I found open-minded people, willing to improve themselves and the world. This is why when the opportunity arose, I decided to involve Chiara and try to participate as a speaker at the WCEU: our aim is to share our skills in the field of accessibility with this community, to make them more powerful and make them go further.
For those awaiting your talk, could you give us a preview of what we can expect to learn from your talk? Any sneak peeks?
“What kind of accessibility do deaf people need?”: most people, I think, would answer this question by bringing up sign language interpreting or subtitles. Together with Chiara Pennetta, we’re going to point out how those aren’t always enough. Deafness is a wide and diverse spectrum, so linguistic and communication accessibility should be equally wide.
Is it your first time at a WCEU or WordPress event? Any standout memories or lessons learned that you’d like to share?
It’s my first time! I am really excited!
Looking beyond the scheduled sessions, what do you hope attendees will take away from their overall experience at WCEU? How can they leverage the event to enhance their professional development or personal growth?
I believe that the strength of an event like WCEU lies in the speakers’ presentations, of course, but above all in the people who attend: their experiences, skills and diversity. I believe that there will be enormous opportunities for professional networking, but I also think that the informal, friendly, and collaborative atmosphere can lead to acquaintances and relationships that transcend mere professional collaboration. This was certainly the case for Elena with Simona and Margherita, for example. In fact, after involving Elena in the community, they have now become professional references for her, but also friends and mentors.
