Export Marketing

Six months ago, the Professional Association for Localization was more a concept than a reality. Now, after much hard work and dedication, that reality is truly taking shape.

Client companies and industry providers are battening down the hatches and bailing, throwing all but the essentials overboard including the ballast. The "R" word, so long uttered only in hushed tones, now spans the headlines: Recession. Faced with a justifiably nervous client base and stressed resources, the localization industry must now ...

"There are many periodicals in many formats out there for the general localization population. These have a broad range of topics and appeal to a broad audience. [ClientSide] will be dedicated to the interest of the professionals purchasing and managing localization on the client side of the industry."--Shaun P. Daggett

A personal essay

"You lucky so-and-so! You make your own hours," people say to freelancers. "No alarm clock, no commute, no suit, no tie, no panty hose, no fixed lunch hours, no dog and pony shows for the clients from out of town ..." Contrary to popular belief, life as a freelancer is not ...

For over half of the last ten years, I have worked freelance, as a technical writer and as a desktop publisher specializing in localization. Recently, I accepted a full-time position at the Boulder office of ForeignExchange Translations as a document localization lead. I announce the transition for two reasons.

To reach a desired audience, many factors must be considered when choosing colors: age, income level, gender, and the essential nature of the "message". The larger and more diverse the audience, the more complicated the choice becomes. Choosing colors to satisfy a global audience can be a mind-boggling undertaking.

Linda McMurrer, Desktop Publishing Manager at Welocalize, developed a training program for her department. In an e-mail interview, she explains the process and the results.

The combination of linguistic and technological skills can be synergistically productive. Miscommunication can undermine the synergy. The new localization program at the University of Quebec at Hull (UQAH) acknowledges the importance of both disciplines, and embraces and promotes their synergistic potential.

Half the battle of a localization is a meticulous analysis of the source documentation. This article describes the process for analyzing the DTP component of the source document in broad strokes.