Translation theory has a lot to learn from localization. Efficiency, teamwork, how to explain problems to clients, how to work with technology, to name just a few. So why would localization have nothing to learn from translation theory? I suspect it is a problem of sifting ideas from the jargon. But that complaint works both ways (just check your own multiplying sigla!). If one cares to see through the clouds, there might just be some interesting ideas in translation theory. Those ideas might even have something to say about localization. More to the point, they might undo a few of the myths circulated by localization hype. Here we shall suggest just a few.

 A new EU-funded project under the Leonardo da Vinci II program promises to create a freely accessible repository of data for training translators in the use of translation tools. Alan Wheatley reports below on the results of a recent Translation Memory Survey conducted as part of eCoLoRe’s mandate. It bears some similarities to the recent LISA survey on the same subject. However, there are some important differences as well. While the LISA survey focuses on industry usage of TM and treats it essentially as a business function, the eCoLoRe survey concentrates primarily on individual use of TM, highlighting who is using TM and how. Perhaps most importantly, it provides a good overview of the issues that keep many translators from using TM.

Chinese is the world's most widely spoken language. Approximately 1.5 billion people around the globe speak one of its variants, yet it remains one of the languages about which people outside Greater China have remarkably little understanding.

The multifaceted evolution, unique geographical distribution and sheer complexity of the language have all been factors in causing difficulties in communication not only between Chinese and non- Chinese speaking regions, but also within China. This clearly affects the ways in which to deal successfully with China, and yet it is not uncommon to meet specialists in Chinese translation and interpretation who do not have a clear idea of the complexity and diversity of this ancient language. A brief survey of the nature of Chinese today is a good starting point from which to gain a better grasp of these issues.

An innovative business model takes off in the localization industry? 

Merger mania is back. After a break from the last round of high profile mergers and acquisitions in 2002, the consolidation seen in 2005 wordss the premise that the localization industry, only 20 years young, continues to mature and become more sophisticated. Previous acquisitions, such as those from Alpnet or Berlitz, expanded their acquirer's client base and reduced redundant costs to enhance the overall bottom line. Similarly, SDL's recent purchase of TRADOS, the industry-leading TM tool, and Lionbridge's acquisition of Logoport last year drastically increased their capacity to provide technology and globalization management solutions (GMS). Integrating these GMS solutions into the globalization process will allow them to realistically address important challenges they face in reducing costs. More importantly, it will increase the flexibility and integration of the 1st Generation, multi-level subcontracting models they have built over the years. Their ability to meet this challenge will change the industry's dynamics we work in. Hopefully, only for the better.

You know what I mean…

Jumping to conclusions, taking things for granted, we all have been there! Localization projects often run awry because of imprecise or implicit communications. In particular when it comes to deliverables (You need those html files compiled into a .chm?) and services to perform (You expect who to build this software?) for a particular project.

After years of outsourcing, offshoring, even “nearshoring,” leading companies are reversing course, bringing their R&D processes, including localization project management and engineering, back in house. They’re doing it for the following reasons:

During this month when Americans celebrate their Independence Day, I think about our industry and the changes that continue to reshape it, and I see some commonalities resulting from the revolutions of then and now. Similar to what happened in 1776, our own Internet revolution has had a liberating effect on economic entities of all scales and types, regardless of their location. And, similarly, the consequences of this liberation will take some time to reveal themselves and to be fully comprehended, developed, and exploited.

Abstract
This article gives an overview of localisation in The Netherlands, both in education and industry. The discussion on education is further narrowed down to the area of training institutes that offer courses on the translation aspects of software localisation; the discussion on industry comprises the whole spectrum. On the education side, the article gives an overview of localisation courses offered in The Netherlands and the tools used in such courses. On the industry side the article gives an overview of the localisation market in The Netherlands, i.e. its players, the systems used and produced, etc. The discussion also focuses on the participation of industry in training. Finally, one of the authors, who is a graduate himself, briefly discusses his expectations and experiences.

Many of us know Umberto Eco for books such as The Name of the Rose and Foucalt’s Pendulum, both of which were international best sellers, translated into dozens of languages. Aside from his career as an author of best sellers, Eco is professor of semiotics at the University of Bologna and one of the best-known thinkers about language and literature. Recently, Eco turned his attention to translation with Mouse or Rat? Translation as Negotiation (2003, Weidenfeld & Nicolson).