Localization

On August 21 and 22, 280 participants from 16 countries met for the 11th Translation Forum Russia. The conference has been held annually for over a decade, but for the first time it switched to online. Fortunately, the new format didn’t put a damper on the TFR’s usual heated discussions, provocative presentations, and innovative ideas.

Fujitsu is a well-established Japanese information and communication technology company with a global footprint. With Global Delivery Centers (GDCs) in eight countries around the world, the company provides services to over 180 countries and regions, operates in over 40 languages, and helps customers achieve global success.

Instructional videos are a big deal. When was the last time that you went to YouTube to watch a video on how that smartphone or that car or that fancy vacuum cleaner worked before deciding on buying it? Or comparing different brands to see which one spoke to you the most? We bet it wasn’t that long ago!

King is a mobile video game publishing company, with franchises such as Candy Crush, Farm Heroes, Pet Rescue and Bubble Witch being played by millions of players worldwide.

We all know that human input is still invaluable when reviewing localized content. But with ever-improving localization technologies, where does a manual approach to auditing matter most?

Do you remember the last time when people were NOT talking about machine translation (MT)? We don't. Wherever you go, there’s someone talking about MT. With few exceptions, it seems like the only major disruptors in our industry over the past few decades have been breakthroughs in language technology.

BUX launched in 2014 with the aim to allow users to trade market stock in an easy and seamless manner using nothing but an app on their mobile devices. Today, BUX services more than two-and-a-half million users across nine countries and has expanded its range of apps.

We all know how quickly the video game industry has grown into a worldwide market. We also know how important localization and cultural adaption is for companies seeking to go global. But what is the best way to integrate language technology into game development? What technologies are available and which ones are the best?

Some machine translation providers are holding out hope for MT systems that adapt to document context. Could this development eliminate the need for custom MT engines? Will context-enabled MT help MT achieve human parity? Will we still need to customize a few years from now? Let’s discuss further.

You were at the center of this year’s edition of LocWorldWide. Yes, you. Each and every one of you reading this. Because we are all end users of content in one way or another — source or localized. The focus this year was on global end users and how to engage them. And, of course, the role of localization in this endeavour.