Letter from an Alumnus!

Below is a letter we received from a student in last year's program. He's found a job as a result of the program and wanted to share his good fortune with me and the future prospective students to the program.

When I signed up for the 2010 UW Extension Certificate Course series “Localization: Customizing Software for the World”, I hoped it would open unrealized areas of professional consideration. Little did I bargain for the rich experience provided by the instructors of all three courses, the subsequent response of my fellow students, the welcoming infrastructure the Extension provided, and our exposure to this exciting, internationally growing professional arena.

Within a very short period of time we were introduced to highly respected professionals working for various high-technology organizations in the region. They taught and explained to us best practices in all levels of the software and project development processes. We were able to make direct connections in a field that is gaining importance daily. As an invaluable plus, our group established a close, supportive community during the courses, and we have exchanged suggestions, contacts, internet links, job postings and miscellaneous useful information to help each other enter the Localization field and others.

Personally, I find my new certificate allows me to be considered immediately for professional areas based on my linguistic, technical, and project management skills. It is a sought after confirmation from a highly reputable institution that I have what it takes to move ahead supporting international business and development. I’m far confident after having gone through the program that I can be competitive in all aspects of “Loc”… Unanimously, we all miss our Wednesday evening Localization experience!


Best wishes always,


Lee Gordon
2010 Certificate in Software Localization Alumni

Working for a Localization Company!

A couple of my classmates and I were hired by SDL International, a week after we graduated from the Localization Course at the UW.

It is my fourth week, and every day at work, I feel the benefit of taking the course. Being familiar with the best practices, with the tools and processes followed in the industry as well as understanding the vital importance of Localization in today's economy; all this has helped ease us into our new posts as project coordinators.

I have no doubt that if i have not taken the class, this opportunity would not have presented itself!

SDL is very excited about us, being the first Localization students they have ever hired!

It is a thrill to comprehend the jargon, to see the big picture as well as the details entailed in localizing a product. It is exciting to be part of how a product reaches different target markets around the globe!

Khadija

Localization student welcome

Welcome to the localization blog. I am a former student now working at Amazon (after a very long hiatus of unemployment). I will write here from time to time about localization issues, and I have a few other places you can see my writing if you're interested. I have an article in Multilingual for April/May 2010 entitled "Beginning a career as a Localization project manager". Well, I'm not one, but the class was helpful. I just found a role I couldn't pass up and I figure in time my localization background will open doors here for me. If you'd like to read more of my writing that touches on localization I also have a blog that I will leave up, though today will be its final post due to conflict of interest. You can see it at http://pcerda.wordpress.com.

I highly recommend the course and I wish you the best of luck. pc

Contributors

Check back on this blog regularly. The UW Certificate program staff will sometimes list news about the program and the courses as well as changes that may be in planning. You'll also get a chance to read posts by program instructors Paulo de Oliveira, Carla DiFranco, and Hiram Machado. You may find job postings, relevant industry news & trends, job market information, tips from industry leaders, and internship opportunities. We'll also ask board members to contribute which will provide the perspective from companies and organizations such as Microsoft, Google, Adobe, Getty Images, Lionbridge, LISA, and more.

New Online Loc Program

Starting in Fall 2010, the Loc program will go online. What does that mean? Well, it means that students can continue to come to class in person, but now there will also be an online section so that students can attend classes remotely and live. They can see the instructor's screens through screen casting, they can hear the instructor's lectures and interact with the instructors and students through either voice or chat. To learn more about the online program, go here.