Main Content
Antwerp 2007
Teaching Localization
for Global Business Readiness
A LISA-Lessius University College Collaboration
Lessius University College, Antwerp, Belgium
10-12 December 2007
Translation curricula across Europe increasingly pay attention to localization and globalization issues. In order to meet the needs of a rapidly evolving market, EU faculties and institutes of translation and interpreting provide courses on translation technology, on website, software and documentation localization, language technology standards, and on localization in the broader sense of adapting a text, or a product or a service, to a target culture. Market needs are also met by localization courses in the framework of professional education and by company training through life-long learning and post-graduate programs.
Important issues in localization training include the materials used, the selection and complexity of course topics, and the ability to keep track of rapidly evolving standards and professional practices. They also include the business and marketing aspects of adapting communications, products and services for use in multiple cultures.
Participation is open to academia and industry professionals in the fields of translation, localization, open-standards development, and marketing and research. This includes academic faculty, researchers, linguists, technical writers, project managers, test engineers, web developers, software developers, publishers and marketers.
Terminology Management as Part of the Translation Process – How Companies Find the Skills They Need
Barbara Inge Karsch - Terminology Researcher, Microsoft Corporation
Many companies have identified the need and secured the budget for terminology management to support their localization process. They have various ways of finding the skills needed, but their approach varies, depending on their environment. Karsch will provide examples of the skills required for compiling and using a terminology database effectively. She will also cover the spectrum from full-time, in-house terminologist to the inexperienced localizer and provide suggestions for integrating basic terminology skills into the education of localizers and translators.
The Importance of Education for the Localization Industry
Drs. Marcel Thelen - Head of Department for Translation and Interpreting and Senior Lecturer in Translation and Terminology, Maastricht School of International Communication, Zuyd University
The Department of Translation and Interpreting of the Maastricht School of International Communication (Zuyd University, Maastricht/The Netherlands) has been active in localization training for more than a decade. Being a practice-oriented translator training institute, it has always actively sought to reconcile theory and practice in its curriculum since its foundation in 1981, and has focused on the cooperation between training and the professional world. Drs. Thelen will outline the Department’s current localization training program, along with the various ways in which it cooperates with the professional world and commercial institutes, including weak and strong points. He will pay special attention to the university’s in-house simulated translation bureau and “learning company.”
Industry Relevance of Translation Student Perception of Localization Issues
Christophe Declercq - Lecturer in Translation with Localization, Imperial College London and Antwerp University College
Daniela Ford - Lecturer, University of Westminster
Declercq and Ford will discuss the relevance of how students perceive localization concepts and issues. Their analysis also applies to people new to the world of localization and hints at some specific issues in the industry-education relationship.
Fostering Public Awareness of Localization Issues
Julia Otmakhova - Linguistic Expert, Palex Ltd
According to a survey conducted by Palex Ltd, the general public in Russia is still not aware of what localization is. Moreover, even the majority of language professionals and students of language departments have a very vague notion of localization and its challenges. Otmakhova will describe Palex’s efforts to build awareness through collaboration with universities, educational materials, free on-site training for students, translation/localization contests and articles in local publications. She will also outline the benefits that language service providers (LSPs) can derive from such initiatives.
Training Opportunities for Teachers in Professional Translation in the Field of eContent Localization
Daniel Zielinski - Researcher and Lecturer, Saarland University, eCoLoTrain Project
Zielinski will present the results of the Leonardo-da-Vinci (European Commission) project, eCoLoTrain, which provides online course materials for eContent localization, accompanied by methodological and didactic guidelines for teachers in traditional translator training. The materials are intended to support teachers to integrate translation and localization technology in their traditional translation classes. Courses developed under the project include basic ICT Skills, Terminology Management, Translation Memory Tools, Software Localization and Project Management.
Designing Curricula in Localization for Students with a Humanities Background
Prof. Dr. Uwe Reinke - University Lecturer, Cologne University of Applied Sciences, Institute for Translation and Multilingual Communication
The introduction of BA and MA courses in Germany has led to a major restructuring of university curricula. It has also opened new possibilities and challenges for localization training because the audience now ranges from BA students in multilingual communication or modern languages, to students pursuing a specialized MA, to professionals in multilingual documentation who wish to enhance and broaden their qualifications. Notwithstanding this diversity, most students have a humanities background in common, so curriculum design must now take this background into consideration. Prof. Dr. Reinke will review the constraints in the design of localization courses resulting from these and other parameters and show how Cologne University of Applied Sciences tries to meet the challenges and make the most of their students’ potential.
Between Academia and the Needs of Industry - The Anhalt Bachelor and Master Curriculum in Software Localization
Martina Panzer - Researcher and Lecturer, Anhalt University of Applied Sciences
The department of Computer Science at Anhalt University has offered a Bachelor’s degree in software localization since 2005 and will add a Master’s degree this year. The curriculum is characterized by intense cooperation with computer scientists and localization professionals. Translating and technical writing; practical training in localization technology, quality assurance and project management; and insights into programming and IT fundamentals prepare graduates for the localization market. Panzer will describe both degree programs and show how the curriculum bridges the gap between academia and the needs of industry. Authors are: Prof. Dr. Uta Seewald-Heeg and Prof. Dr. Ursula Fissgus.
10 Years of Localization Teaching in Ireland - The Challenges, The Outlook and Fruitful Industrial Collaboration
Dr. Sharon O’Brien - Lecturer, Dublin City University
Localization has been taught as an optional module in the Graduate Diploma/MA in Translation Studies at Dublin City University since 1997. The students are students of translation, as opposed to localization per se. Some are technical, others are not, all of which presents interesting challenges to the lecturer. Dr. O’Brien will discuss ten years’ of experience teaching a localization module that caters for students who end up working in different roles in localization and who come to the module with different skill sets and expectations. Challenges such as limitations on time, technology and skills will be discussed. Proposals will be made for how we can more efficiently train translation students in order to prepare them for the localization industry. In addition, fruitful industry-academic partnerships will be discussed and recommendations will be made for how all of us can make this kind of collaboration even more fruitful.
Localization Related Standards
Andrzej Zydroń - CTO, XML-INTL
Arle Lommel - Publications Manager, LISA
Recent far-reaching developments in the field of localization industry-related standards from LISA OSCAR, OASIS and W3C have created the basis for an advanced and highly efficient approach to the problems of document creation and localization. Not only do these standards potentially save money by eliminating hurdles to the interchange of data by differing systems, but they also provide the basis for effective automation of publishing and translation workflow. Learn how to build advanced, cost-effective and efficient authoring and localization systems using Open Architecture for XML Authoring and Localization (OAXAL), based on TMX, XLIFF, SRX, GMX-V, xml:tm, Unicode TR29, W3C ITS and DITA.
Localization Tools and Compatibility: Technical Aspects
Gerrit Sanders - Localization Consultant, Xenotext
In today’s global marketplace, translators are expected to process content in a wide range of formats, so content typically requires the use of several specialized tools. Compatibility issues may arise between different versions of these tools or between different platforms. To make things worse, tools and platforms often suffer from bugs, design flaws and other shortcomings. In order to be prepared for real-life projects, localization students need to become familiar with all of these technical issues. Sanders will share his views on the right approach to apply in an academic environment: focusing on the big picture (content creation, internationalization and localization), as well as on the micro level (tools, features and problem-solving).
The New European Standard “Translation Services – Service Requirements” (EN 15038:2006) and Its Relevance for Language Industry and Training
PhD. Gabriele Sauberer - Executive Secretary, TermNet
PhD. Sauberer will share how EN 15038 is being implemented across all Member States of the European Union, Iceland, Norway and Switzerland. It is being given the status of a national standard, and conflicting national standards are being withdrawn. The purpose of the standard is to establish and define the requirements for the provision of quality services by translation service providers, offering both service providers and their clients a description and definition of the entire service. At the same time, it is designed to provide translation service providers with a set of procedures and requirements to meet market needs.
Textual Conventions in Localization: What the Industry Can Learn from Translation Studies
Miguel A. Jimenez - Lecturer and Researcher, The School of Translation and Interpretation at the University of Granada
The localization industry has as a goal to produce local versions of websites that have “the look and feel of locally-made products” or, in other words, are perceived as if they had been originally developed in the target locale. Nevertheless, the industry has not produced to date an in-depth analysis of culture-specific web genre conventions in the most important locales. In order to study these issues, a 40,000 web-page monolingual comparable corpus (Baker, 1995) was compiled and empirically analyzed. The corpus comprised a monolingual reference corpus of Spanish corporate websites and a corpus of localized versions of prominent North American company websites. Jimenez will demonstrate, through an intra- and extralinguistic analysis of the results, the areas in which localized versions diverge considerably from those websites originally produced for a specific locale. He will also share how he has applied this research to web localization training.
Translation Resource Management in a Global Company
Rudy Tirry - Country Manager, Lionbridge
Lionbridge Technologies is one of the largest private buyers of translated words worldwide. Tirry will provide insights into how the company recruits, handles and supports its enormous pool of external writers and translators. He will also describe the opportunities that the company offers for translators, interpreters, students and translation education programs.
Teaching Localization and Translation Technologies at the University Jaume I: The Experience So Far and New Challenges as an Official Master Program
Prof. Dr. Amparo Alcina - Professor, Senior Lecturer, Universitat Jaume I
Laura Ramírez Polo - University Lecturer, Universitat de Valencia
In the localization industry, there are many processes and professional profiles involved: engineers, managers, project managers, developers, terminologists, translators, proofreaders, etc. Every profile requires specific skills, ranging from programming, management abilities, project team capacity, writing skills and domain specialization. Therefore, when we talk about “education in localization,” we have to be clear what kind of professionals we are training, and what students expect from the program course they have chosen. In 2007-08, a post-graduate program in Translation Technologies and Localization, lead by the Universitat Jaume I in collaboration with the Universitat de Valencia and Universidad de Alicante, will be introduced. This new program is based on the experience gained with the MA in Translation Technologies and Localization offered by the University Jaume I over the past four years. Prof. Dr. Alcina and Ramírez Polo will discuss their experience with the original MA program, along with the challenges they have faced in designing the new curriculum. They also want to understand from the audience what other market requirements there may be, so that they can modify their new program to meet them.
Preparing Students for the Translation Market: a Professional Master Program at Lille III University
Prof. Dr. Ilse Depraetere - Professor of English Linguistics, Lille III University
Prof. Dr. Depraetere will describe the ‘Master en traduction spécialisée multilingue: technologies and gestion de projets’ that was set up at Lille III University in 2004. She will first sketch the background that resulted in the creation of the professional Masters in CAT and PM. She will pay particular attention to the professional nature of the Masters, and the ways in which this approach prepares students more effectively to meet the needs of the translation market – proven by the success rate of employment of program participants. Prof. Dr. Depraetere will also cover the long-term internships that are required of students, course content, course format and teaching staff. She will provide information on CIFRE scholarships, which are designed to establish a closer collaboration between the academic world and industry.
Teaching Terminology Online for Translator Training in Florida
Dr. Elizabeth Lowe McCoy - Associate Director and Associate Scholar, University of Florida Center for Latin American Studies
Florida is a culturally diverse “gateway” state in the U.S. with growing translation needs for international trade, law and health care. However, opportunities for translator education are very limited, and many translators practice without formal training. One of the areas of greatest weakness for untrained translators is terminology and terminology research. Dr. McCoy will focus on globalization issues in the state of Florida, demographics of the state’s translation industry and solutions that she has devised for teaching terminology online in this environment.
Teaching Translation Technologies with Online Sessions
Angelika Zerfass - Consultant, zaac
Zerfass will outline how to design, create and deliver online sessions for translation technologies such as translation memories. She will discuss various ways of delivering content, as well as the differences in setting up online sessions compared to classroom sessions. Zerfass has extensive experience in holding live online sessions on different topics and will share her experiences on what works and what doesn’t in this specialized setting.
LICS: The “Language Industry Certification System”
PhD. Gabriele Sauberer - Executive Secretary, TermNet
This session gives you a first overview on the new International certification platform LICS which stands for “Language Industry Certification Systems”. The platform, main objectives and services of LICS will be introduced to you and some basic questions will be answered, such as “Why certification - and how and where to get LICS certificates?”
