As a 20-year localization industry veteran, I’ve been attending LocWorld conferences for several years in North America, Europe, and most recently, Asia. It’s always a whirlwind week of back-to-back meetings, networking events, and informative sessions. And, last week was no different! On behalf of Women in Localization, I’m delighted to share with you my Top 5 highlights of the week:
5. It’s so refreshing and inspiring to interact with students – the next generation of localization professionals. LocWorld29 had several students from Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey (which happens to be my alma mater!) and Santa Clara University in attendance. I loved interacting with these students full of questions about the industry, career possibilities, and mentorships.
4. The LocWorld program is becoming more diverse, with a variety of sessions on topics from Sub-Saharan African linguistics to global marketing research insights, to in-depth localization software engineering best practices. There were sessions that genuinely appealed to every conference attendee demographic.
3. The Women in Localization lunch tables are always popular and well-attended. I had the pleasure of chatting about the slow disappearance of “words” with the person seated to my right, and about the appropriateness of crowd-based translation solutions with the person on my left. The food and conversations were amazing. Thanks, Ladies!
2. The “Internet of Everything” is here! This movement presents both a challenge as well as a threat to the localization industry. Language Service Providers who focus strictly on“words” are certain to struggle in the future. A broad services offering, including analytics, social intelligence, rich media, and distribution capabilities, will be critical for healthy growth.
1. My #1 highlight of the week was to Chair the “Celebrate the Diversity of Africa” fundraising event for Translators Without Borders (www.translatorswithoutborders.org). More than 140 people gathered for conversation, cocktails, dinner, and entertainment to raise much-needed funds for this amazing, non-for-profit organization. The event raised almost $10,000. It was so rewarding to see clients, LSPs, and partners unite for this amazing cause. Thank you again to all who attended or contributed. Together, we are an impressive, powerful industry!
Allison McDougall (Board Member)
Allison McDougall began her career in localization on the client side at HSBC, and moved to the supplier side 16 years ago. As a Vice President at Lionbridge, she is responsible for a global team of business development and account management professionals dedicated to helping some of the world’s leading brands with their customer experience management strategy. Allison is based in Boulder, Colorado and is excited to help bring further visibility to Women in Localization through public relations efforts.