Business, Localization

Localization Training … in Chico!

September 1, 2006 | by Alison Dent

By Shweta Sathe

The “Northern” in Northern California Translators Association took on a special meaning when the Triple Certification seminar came to Chico in June. Among a few other NCTA members, Shweta Sathe attended these three days of intensive workshops, hands-on practice, videos, and lectures.

I developed an interest in localization after completing a full-fledged French-to-English software localization project as part of my Master’s coursework at Kent State University, and managing linguistic Q&A website translation projects at Peritus Precision Translations. In order to gain a deeper understanding of localization and internationalization, I enrolled in the Triple Certification course offered by California State University/Chico, GALA, and The Localization Institute.

In addition to the standard workshops, the course offered 46 hours of online instruction in the form of PowerPoint presentations, lecture notes, and videos of real-time lectures recorded in previous semesters. There were tests at the end of each instruction segment to make sure we actually internalized the material. The online setup was also helpful in connecting with other course participants ahead of time. I really enjoyed this opportunity since it triggered additional peer-to-peer exchanges. The workshops provided a unique platform for novices like myself to mingle with industry leaders and to exchange ideas and learn from each other.

From my perspective as a Project Manager, I found these sessions especially useful:

Localization Kits

This session addressed the preparation of a localization toolkit, consisting of all resources and instructions such as source files, glossaries, translation memories, and locale-specific style guides.

Project Management

  • Insist on clear communication and encourage people to speak up if there’s a problem. Everyone can have a bad day!

  • Start a project only when you get a final ‘approval’ or PO. This is applicable to translation vendors and freelancers.

  • Be proactive in identifying a problem before it occurs or find a solution and fix the issue RIGHT AWAY.

Localization Budgeting

Prepare detailed budgets for translation, testing (linguistic & functional), DTP and multimedia, and translation memory creation and maintenance.

I would definitely recommend this certification program to anyone who wants to learn more about localization, meet great people in the field, or simply has an interest in languages and international business and wants to find out what it takes to work on the industry. For further information on next year’s coursework and registration procedures, visit https://www.csuchico.edu/localize/.