Localization and Translation Curriculum for Heritage Speakers "Teaching the Speakers: Heritage Language Learners and the Classroom" Lonny Harrison Texas Language Center Center for Russian, East European, and Eurasian Studies The University of Texas at Austin

Topics  Certificate in Translation and Localization at UT Arlington  What is Localization and Translation?  The Language Service Provider (LSP) Industry  Tools of Localization and Translation  Why is this an effective curricular option for Heritage Speakers?  Jobs, Careers, Real-world Applications

GILT Familiarization with world-wide practices related to  Globalization  Internationalization  Localization  Translation

GILT in Practice Individual and group projects  Multimedia tools for computer-assisted translation;  Localization planning and execution on several major translations;  Multilingual projects in the areas of crosscultural communication, e-commerce, and entertainment;  Experiencing how interacting with technology across cultures shapes the cognitive, affective, and social dimensions of communicative interaction; Reflective journaling

Localization Industry Standards Association (LISA)

all of the business decisions and activities required to make an organization truly international in scope and outlook Globalization

the process of modifying products or services to account for differences in distinct markets Localization (L10N)

“Products” may include:  web presence or informational sources  software, systems, databases  print materials and publications  services, including e-commerce  containers and packaging, technical manuals, official documentation

Language Service Providers

Language (Localization) Service Providers or LSPs

“Textappeal” “Transcreation”

 rule-based the computer learns the grammar & syntax (first devised by Russian company SYSTRAN)  statistical approaches (eg. Google Translate) Machine Translation (MT)

 strength: recycles existing translations from database  weakness: ability to reuse translations depends on similarity of context  used by government and intelligence agencies, translations agencies, and web portals; companies that deal with multinational markets for documentation, technical services, sales support in foreign- language markets, etc.  used by the average user for “Gisting” Translation Memory (TM)

Machine Translation Translation Memory (TM)

a team of people work on localizing a product or service Customer Project Manager Content Providers Translators Localization Engineers Editors Proof Readers Quality Assurance Engineers Translation Workflow

Workflow Environments

Localization Team

Challenges with text Specific challenges with text in a web presence:  Text  Images  Logos  Color  Layout  Links Hopefully all part of a company’s plan as they develop a product from the start.

Colors of the web’s superbrands

“Definitions” of culture  worldviews, mindsets, experiences, habits held and expressed by members of a given community  patterns of human activity and the symbolic structures that give such activities significance and importance  patterns of communication and meaning  differing realities: experiences, mental images, remembrances  nuances, subtleties, often unexpressed

Research in cultural patterns  Fons Trompenaar: Riding the Waves of Culture  1994 study comparing managers in 23 cultures  eg. questionnaire on fatalism: “Are you the captain of your fate?” 88% of Americans said yes; compare to 40% of Russians said no  Time: punctuality is stressed in some cultures, in others not  Individualism vs. Collectivism  Role of history vs. Future orientation

On a practical level…  colors  calendars  animals  signs and symbols  names (people and places)  people and personalities  food  dwelling and travel

3 rd semester assignments  four (4) major projects which mirror and expand upon the learner’s previous GILT classroom experiences:  translation of significant text (10-20,000+ words) TL-to-English utilizing translation workflow software  machine-aided translation of significant expository text (3-5,000 words) English-to-TL;  significant localization project English-to-TL;  significant participation in a real-world crowdsourcing or group translation initiative.

Crowdsourcing

Why Translation and Localization is a great curriculum choice for Heritage Learners

“Over the past few decades, the localization industry has grown from simple translation services into a multi-billion-dollar industry consisting of linguistic and cultural customization of: products, software, web sites, and information through customizing the language and cultural aspects of a product, marketing campaign or web site and ensuring that all forms, dates, currencies, colors, logos, symbols, icons, graphics and much more are properly customized to the targeted local market.” diversitybusiness.com

Heritage speakers  Bring extensive cultural knowledge  Gain career-oriented practical training  Fill a critical need

Jobs and Careers In Localization

Will MT and TM replace human translators?

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