Globalization and Localization Association Announces Initial Supporters

Seattle, Washington, USA (6 July 2011) – The Globalization and Localization Association (GALA), the largest international non-profit association within the language and localization industry, announces the first round of financial supporters for the association’s major localization standards initiative. The initial supporters have pledged support for GALA to build a comprehensive standards program focused on industry collaboration, education and training, and promotion of standards. They are:

Founder Level:

The Level

Charter Level:

ADAPT Localization Services Gmbh

itl AG

text & form Gmbh

Supporter Level:

Amway Corporation

Ccaps Translation and Localization

GlobalWay Co., Ltd.

Interpro Translation Solutions, Inc.

Logrus

Loquant Ltda.

Stoquart SA

TOIN Corporation

Welocalize

Contributors Level:

ABBYY

Baguette Translations

Clear Words Translations

Crestec

E4NET

Hewlett Packard

iDisc Information Technologies, S.L.

L10N Studio - Comunicações Técnicas

STP Nordic

TSG - Translation Services Glotas

3:30 pm Linguistic Solutions

The initial supporters will help GALA reach the goal of a sustainable, open standards program that benefits buyers and vendors of localization services and promotes improved processes for delivering international content and development worldwide. GALA is targeting donations of more than $100,000 in the first six months. With $25,000 in invoiced commitments plus an additional $8000 in pledged support, GALA is well on its way to meeting these requirements.

GALA launched the first phase of the standards initiative three months ago with the goal to understand the current state of standards and develop a plan to make standards more collaborative, accessible and useable. One of the industry’s most respected and experienced standards experts, Arle Lommel, was hired by GALA to lead the effort. Since then, Lommel has interviewed dozens of localization industry professionals, conducted focus groups and worked closely with other localization and standards organizations. He created several drafts of the GALA standards plan and received input on the plan from across the industry. Ultimately GALA conducted a comprehensive survey to receive input; the association is currently preparing the final draft of the plan.

“We learned a lot from talking to professionals across the industry, including the consensus that standards are important and should be supported,” said Lommel. “As such, we are creating a framework in which GALA will provide much needed support for collaboration in the establishment, adoption and promotion of open standards in the localization industry.”

The GALA standards plan is available for download on the GALA website.

The initiative is a volunteer effort managed and administered by GALA. All financial records for the initiative are open to the public and anyone may participate in initiative-sponsored activities.

However, a serious and sustainable effort that really makes a difference requires professional staff and infrastructure, and how much the initiative can accomplish depends on financial contributions from the industry.

Support for the initiative is still being accepted. Information on how to contribute may be found here.

For more information on supporting the initiative, please contact Arle Lommel at .

About GALA 

GALA is an international non-profit association that promotes translation services, language technology and language management solutions. The member companies worldwide include translation companies, localization service providers, globalization consultants, internationalization specialists and technology developers. GALA companies share a commitment to quality, service, and innovation in helping clients reach global markets. For more information about GALA visit www.gala-global.org

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