Cool Careers in Localization Angelika Zerfass – Zaac Petra Dutz – SDL Markus Kuhnert – 1io Barbara Hoegler - Citrix

Our Customers’ Business Electronic and Bio-Analytical Measurement Life Science and Medical Devices Wellness and Life Style Manufacturing Internet Publishing and Broadcasting Education and Health Services

Rockant Fun Facts 4 23% 56% $24 billion Average reduction in staff turn-over through consulting and training Cents shaved off total cost per word within six months of engagement 56% $24 billion Increase in staff productivity through implementation of technology and workflows Estimated total annual revenue that customers make through localization

Cool Careers Language Engineer One of the cool careers in our industry has to do with all the technical stuff, like file formats, troubleshooting, defining preparation or post-processing processes, learning new technologies etc. Localization World Conference 2015 Berlin Angelika Zerfaß, Translation Tools Consultant

1995 Degree in Translation (Chinese/Japanese) + Computational Linguistics 1995-1997 Japanese Embassy (Germany) 1997-2000 Trados (Japan/USA) During the last 15 years I have come closer and closer to being a language engineer myself. Starting out as a translator (the only one who had a laptop at that time) through the Japanese Embassy (where I would help my colleagues to get into Windows 3.11) on to Trados as a training and support specialist for their tools I finally decided to go freelance in the year 2000. First as a trainer, but then clients asked for tools comparisons, workshops and in the last years more and more people turned to me with their questions on error messages, evaluation of translatability, file preparation, data migration etc. Independent trainer since 2000 Training Webinars Workshops Training material Consulting Technical Support

Language Engineer What do they do? Evaluation of translatability / analysis of the source material Preparation of files / conversions Setup of translation tools (filters, pre-translations, import/Export of TMs, term bases…) Post-processing Troubleshooting error messages / finding workarounds Develop macros, regular expressions… Develop processes with available tools Educate clients/project managers/translators about best practices Document solutions / prepare step-by-step guides From technical support it is but a small step to being a Language Engineer

Language Engineer Skillset Like to play detective Do not be afraid of new things With ever and ever more complex tools and file formats, the need for people who can be the intermediary between developers, project managers and translators when it comes to technical questions is growing. Some call it Language Engineer, some call it Support and QA person or technical project management, some call it Localization Engineer (although that goes more in the direction of software localization). You should not be afraid of new things and always eager to learn and teach yourself You should like to play detective to find the cause of a problem and develop a solution You need to be very logical to understand what the computer does You need to be able to communicate the same thing to different players in their language (developer lingo, translator speak, PM talk…) Creative / out-of-the-box thinking Be logical and organized Communicate with different players

Language Engineer Background Knowing more than one language is a plus Experience with translation tools and translation projects is a plus Anything else (except the skills) can be learned  With ever and ever more complex tools and file formats, the need for people who can be the intermediary between developers, project managers and translators when it comes to technical questions is growing. Some call it Language Engineer, some call it Support and QA person, some call it Localization Engineer (although that goes more in the direction of software localization).

Careers in Localization at Enterprise level Barbara Hoegler Sr. Manager, Localization Services Citrix

Facts about Citrix Localization Enterprise software, mobility apps, technical content, marketing, legal, web content, KB, education 20+ people in a globally distributed team 30+ languages Localization platform, MT, linguistic testing, localization consulting

Emerging in-house roles Process designer/solution architect M&A, constant change Variety of content types/formats Waterfall to agile methodologies Holistic view and analyze needs of departments Terminologist Drives global brand recognition/consistence MT success

How do you get there University degree: linguistics + technology Get involved early, don’t wait Specialize in new trends

About myself Past Today Trained Translator (EN, IT) Faculty of Translation Studies, Linguistics and Cultural Studies (FTSK), Germersheim Support & Training Engineer Trados GmbH Consultant Professional Services Trados GmbH Language Technology Expert SAP AG Today Partner Manager (D/A/CH) SDL (since 2009) Lecturer FTSK, Germersheim (seit 2005) Lecturer Hochschule Karlsruhe (seit 2012) Member of Termnet Executive Committee

A typical student today … is a digital native is uncertain of what to do after graduation (other than “just” translating) is unaware of the importance of intercultural skills and the value they can bring Much more familiar with technology than 10 or 15 years ago (a plus) Intercultural skills today are more importan than ever before Very often, they leave university without knowing the interesting options the industry offers. Many of them discover these options only by chance (like myself)

What can our industry do to be more attractive Become more involved in training Guest lectures Specialized workshops Train-the-trainer courses Invite students (and lecturers) to an open house day Offer paid(!) traineeships Involve students in real-life projects, e.g. sub-contract a paid project Encourage students to better market themselves Self-marketing: The whole industry would benefit

BUT … This does not apply to students exclusively We need much more awareness and self- confidence in the value of what we do and the value we create Language is a the core of international success! … but rather to a lot of people in our business

Yes, we can! There are so many options of what we can do with the knowledge and skills we have, we just have to have a bit more confidence in ourselves!