Press release
July 13, 2007
Localization Certification Program Grows with 122 New Graduates
GALA , California State University Chico, The Localizaiton Institute
Advanced Project Management Program and New Location Introduced
Seattle, WA -- Last month, California State University at Chico hosted its
second comprehensive educational workshop in localization with its
organizing partners, the Globalization and Localization Association (GALA)
and the Localization Institute. Sixty-six students received the
localization certification offered at CSU, Chico, joining 34 others who
completed the program earlier this year at its newest location in
Marseille, France, and 22 additional advanced graduates that completed the
program's new Project Management workshop. Overall, there was more than a
100 percent increase in participation over 2006, the program's inaugural
year.
Participants included professionals from translation
agencies, freelance translators, localization service vendors, experienced
client companies, and companies that are new to the challenges of
localizing their products. Similar to last year's program, participants
began the certification with forty-five hours of online coursework on
topics such as global website development, cultural adaptation of user
interfaces, software internationalization and multilingual content
management for global enterprises.
Participants then completed a
three-day workshop on the CSU, Chico campus with modules on strategies and
processes for today's industry. The workshop culminated in a certification
exam. Speakers included practitioners from Starwood Hotels, Cisco Systems,
Adobe and Hewlett Packard, as well as seasoned providers and buyers of
localization products and services. Workshop participants also benefited
from a substantial number of lab hours using major localization tools.
The Project Management certification program was new this year. It featured 30
hours of online training, a two-day workshop in Chico with guest speakers
and hands on lab activities, and a certification exam.
"Not only
did the program expand to Europe and introduce an entirely new project
management tract, but the number of participants grew significantly.
Additionally, 98 percent of the Chico attendees stated that they would
recommend the program to a friend or colleague," said Daniel Carter,
former GALA board member and GALA representative to the workshop advisory
board. "This program is a balanced mix of theory with the practical,
strategy with implementation details. It is a broad program with
information on many different levels and aspects of the industry."
The certifying partners - GALA and the Localization Institute - played a key
role in shaping the program as well as connecting the academic components
to the larger professional community.
Primary corporate sponsors,
Lionbridge and SDL, provided support for the program as well as
scholarships that allowed 6 full-time CSU Chico localization students to
attend. Program activity sponsors, Jonckers and across systems, offered
one scholarship each. Additional support of the program was provided by
MultiLingual Computing and Euromed Ecole de Management in Marseille,
France.
In addition, the program included on-campus recruiting
opportunities, which offered newly-trained localization professionals the
chance to interview with recruiting industry companies.
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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