Interview with a Localization Engineer

Special thanks to Jody Parente for contributing her time and sharing her experiences. Jody made Aliyah with Nefesh B'Nefesh in 2005 and started working here as a localization engineer shortly afterwards.

What kind of engineer are you?
In reality, I'm not an engineer. I don't have a degree in engineering or software development. In a world where everyone must have a fancy title, those of us who work on the technical side of things are called engineers. In our industry, it is called Localization Engineering.

Can you describe what that type of engineer does for someone who is unfamiliar with the field?
A localization engineer handles all the technical aspects of the localization process. What is localization? It can be defined as the process of taking one product and modifying it to fit the needs of your target markets. Typically, this means translation of a product into its foreign language equivalent, including date and time formats, currency, color sensitivities (e.g. white is the color of death and mourning in Eastern cultures), etc. Sometimes, internationalization must be done first, which prepares your product for a multilingual, international market. An example of this would be to use the icon of an envelope to indicate mail instead of a blue mailbox that is similar to the mailboxes in the U.S. I don't think the mailboxes in any other country look that way.

Specific tasks of a localization engineer include: preparing files for translation, configuring Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) tools for each project, managing translation memories (repositories of previous translations), figuring out ways to effectively and efficiently translate material, resize software GUI to fit the new translation, and knowing a little about many different software programs for software development and documentation.

What education is needed for your job? Israel vs US?
Because localization and internationalization are such specified fields, there isn't so much official education out there. Since I got started in the industry about ten years ago, I know of several university programs that have opened up in California and Ireland. I was a Spanish major and was looking for a job that was more technical, and answered an ad that said, "Computer. Will train. Foreign language experience a plus." Here in Israel, we train our employees about the localization industry, though they come to us with experience for their role --project manager, sales, marketing, etc.

For your profession, what work settings are available in Israel?
As mentioned previously, localization is a specialized industry. There are a few localization companies in Israel, and a few additional companies that focus on Desktop Publishing and documentation, who may also provide localization services to their clients.

What licensure is required?
None. 

Do I need to know Hebrew?
No, though it helps. Our clients are mostly in the high-tech sector, and English is the lingua franca of the high-tech world in Israel. Every once in a while I'll be faced with a person who doesn't speak English, but that is usually because they grew up in a place other than Israel. 

What experience do I need?
You just need to be a creative thinker, solutions driven, willing to learn a lot of new things, and also to have some kind of technical experience. I consider myself more technical than your average computer user and less technical than a computer programmer. For example, I prefer to write my "To Do" lists on a piece of paper rather than on some electronic gadget.

What is the market like?
The market is small, but there is always a need. Companies are looking to take their products globally, in this continually shrinking world. So the demand is there.

Are there any technical differences to be aware of between Israel and the US?
No technical differences.

What are the best routes for continuing education?   
Learning the industry terminology, downloading trial versions of CAT tools, understanding the workflow of a localization project, and increasing general familiarity with many programs including Microsoft Word, Excel, PowerPoint, TRADOS, FrameMaker, AuthorIT, WebWorks, etc.

Do I need to join any professional organizations?
As an individual, no. Companies typically join LISA (Localization Industry Standards Association), GALA (Globalization and Localization Association) and attend the Localization World conference.

Is there anything else you would like to share with new olim?
Be open to new things. You never know when things will just fall into place. Hang in there! Have Israelis review your CV before sending it out; even the English one. Realize that "Kol Yisrael Achim" means that people will help you. It also means that you shouldn't take negative statements personally.

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