Localization Resources

Important Industry Websites

Introduction to Language Services by GALA
If you’re wondering, “Wait, what exactly is localization?” then this page by GALA (Globalization and Localization Association) is a good place to start. It explains the difference between localization and translation, defines terms like internationalization, and outlines the different roles in the language services industry. More information at gala-global.org. GALA is a Women in Localization partner.

Translations Commons
Translation Commons is an online community offering an independent platform for sharing linguistic knowledge freely, so that, together, we create a world without communication barriers where no language and no linguist is left behind. Translation Commons is targeted to the needs for professional enrichment of language service professionals and students, translators and interpreters and all under-resourced language groups.

E-learning

Localization Essentials by Google
Udacity and Google teamed up to make a free Localization Essentials course that covers core localization concepts, processes, and job functions. It is taught by members of the localization team at Google and offers a good introduction to localization at a large enterprise.

Localization for Developers

This online software localization course from LinkedIn Learning (online learning with lynda.com content) covers essentials like unicode, pseudolocalization, externalizing strings, and right to left languages in the context of the overall localization workflow and best practices. The three-hour course is available with a Lynda.com subscription and is recommended for engineers and localization managers who work with technical teams.

Podcasts

Globally Speaking
This podcast, hosted by industry titans Renato Beninatto and Michael Stevens, covers a wide range of topics and current localization trends, from neural machine translation to global market strategy. Find out more at globallyspeakingradio.com.

The Worldly Marketer Podcast
International marketing consultant Kathrin Bussmann hosts this podcast covering global marketing topics that range from social media in Japan to multilingual web design. Check out this episode featuring the Women in Localization co-founders on the global success of the organization. Find more information and a list of episodes at verbaccino.com.

The International Buzz Podcast
Wordbee’s industry podcast features conversations with industry veterans with a variety of backgrounds. Give it a listen at www.wordbee.com/international-buzz.

Recommended Reading

Truly Global
Since its publication in 2016, Truly Global has been widely acknowledged as the ultimate guide to enterprise globalization. Women in Localization President and co-founder Anne N Schlegel draws on her extensive experience leading globalization teams at companies like NetApp and VMware; the book covers how to build a globalization team, select a vendor, decide which countries to target, set up a global content strategy, and much more. Moravia’s review called it “The One Globalization Guidebook You Can’t Miss.” Its 87 pages are packed with information that is as useful to localization veterans as it is to industry newcomers. More information at trulyglobalbusiness.com.

The General Theory of the Translation Company
In their book The General Theory of the Translation Company, Tucker Johnson and Renato Beninatto (yes, the co-host of Globally Speaking) examine the industry from the perspective of a language service provider. They analyze market influencers, the core functions of vendor management, project management, and sales, and other essential areas like finance, quality assurance, and technology. Hear Tucker discuss the book on the Wordbee podcast, The International Buzz. The two authors are also co-founders of Nimdzi Insights; you can find more information on the book at nimdzi.com.

Global Content Strategy: A Primer
This guide explains how to plan your global content strategy and manage content for foreign markets. The author, Val Swisher, is the CEO of Content Rules and a frequent speaker on the topic; consider this book a crash course on global content management. Learn more about the book Global Content Strategy on Amazon.

Multilingual Magazine
Multilingual is a monthly publication and online resource that reports on topics connecting global business with the language industry. If you’re interested in breaking into the industry as a project manager, you might like the article “How to become a localization project manager” by Women in Localization member Olga Melnikova. More information at multlilingual.com.

Slator Weekly
Slator’s weekly newsletter is a must-read for keeping up with the business side of the industry. Stay up to date on acquisitions, leadership changes, new developments in technology, and more. Sign up at slator.com.

Research

Common Sense Advisory
CSA Research is an independent market research firm. They are well-known for industry studies on topics including artificial intelligence, vendor management, localization maturity, global marketing, and procurement. You can read more about Common Sense Advisory on their website.  You can also sign up to receive their blogs by email. CSA Research is a Women in Localization partner.
commonsenseadvisory.com

Nimdzi Insights
Nimdzi offers research and market analysis reports to guide companies in the global market. In addition to insight reports, they also feature webinars and other resources on industry rankings and trends. You can follow their blog and sign up to receive new research reports when they are published.
www.nimdzi.com

Events and Training

Women in Localization chapters host events around the world on a wide variety of localization and international topics. Find out about upcoming events near you on LinkedIn and Twitter. There are many other excellent localization meetups hosted by various organizations; we recommend this list of events and professional training programs by IMUG, a localization meetup group based in Silicon Valley.

Conferences

Localization Institute

The Localization Institute specializes in conferences and training for localization and global marketing to help you achieve global success.  Thousands of industry professionals have dramatically improved their localization and global marketing knowledge and skills through our certifications, conferences, seminars and round tables.

The Localization Institute is a Women in Localization partner.
www.localizationinstitute.com

Brand2Global

Brand2Global is a world leader in promoting education and training in the fields of global branding, global marketing, global digital media, and localization. Brand2Global offerings include conferences, certification programs in global marketing/branding/digital media/localization, podcasts, and round tables.  Brand2Global is organized by The Localization Institute.

Brand2Global is a Women in Localization partner.
www.brand2global.com

LocWorld Conferences

LocWorld is the leading conference for international business, translation, localization and global website management. With a specific emphasis on global business, the conference provides an opportunity for the exchange of high-value information in the language and translation services and technologies market. Yearly conferences are held in Asia, Europe and North America.

LocWorld is a Women in Localization partner.
www.locworld.com

Other Resources

Global By Design
If you’re interested in marketing, web, and design, you’ll like this site by John Yunker. He’s been writing about web globalization for over 15 years. He shares analyses of top global companies, software localization, the latest in machine translation, and other diverse topics.
globalbydesign.com

The Content Wrangler
This website has a wealth of resources related to all kinds of content, but for our purposes, check out the section dedicated to translation and localization. There are articles and video content on the challenges of localizing for 70+ markets, balancing localization with standardization, communication in humanitarian relief, and translating idioms from around this world.
thecontentwrangler.com

Global SEO and Digital Marketing by Chris Raulf

Chris Raulf is well-known in the industry for his global SEO expertise. In addition to his training courses and consulting services, he has also created excellent online resources for international SEO, including free online guides, webinars, and a premium online training course.

Chris has generously offered a 50% discount on his self-paced SEO training course. Join the Women in Localization LinkedIn group for the discount code.
chrisraulf.com