Certified Localisation Professional

The Certified Localisation Professional (CLP) programme (also spelled Certified Localization Professional (CLP), see spelling differences) provides for the education and certification of professionals working in internationalization and localization. It is offered by The Institute of Localisation Professionals (TILP) which has the primary aim of developing professional practices in localisation globally. As an institute, TILP is a professional body that sets examinations of competence and acts as a licensing authority for practitioners. TILP [http://www.tilponline.org] is a non-profit organization (abbreviated "NPO", also "not-for-profit"), owned by its members and lead by a Council elected at its Annual General Meeting. TILP is the industry's only professional institute based solely on individual membership [ [http://www.multilingual.com/articleDetail.php?id=1039 New Organizations Serve the Localization Industry] ] and represents both localisation industry professionals and professionals active in localisation-related areas. While there are a number of academic and commercial localisation training programmes being offered, the Certified Localisation Professional (CLP) programme is the only professional programme of its kind that is being delivered world-wide and on a not-for-profit basis. It was originally developed in the context of a European Union funded project. [ [http://www.multilingual.com/articleDetail.php?id=517 Certified Localisation Professional] ] Between 2006 and 2008 it has been supported by the European Union [http://www.localisation.ie/techlink TechLink Project] under the [http://www.delind.ec.europa.eu Europe Asia IT&C Programme.]

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The CLP programme is offered at three levels [ [http://www.tilponline.org/clp CLP Programme] ] :
*Level 1 (introductory)
*Level 2 (advanced)
*Level 3 (professional)

Each level is currently divided into three strands, each reflecting different professions within localisation:
*Management
*Engineering
*Linguistics

TILP is involved in accreditation and accredits course providers offering courses leading to CLP certification. TILP itself offers courses leading to Level 1 certification and is planning to offer courses leading to Level 2 (in 2009) and Level 3 (in 2010).

Development Team

The CLP course material has been developed by members of The Institute of Localisation Professionals (TILP) in order to support the Institute's mission of developing professionalism in the industry. The material has undergone a careful peer review process and will be constantly updated to reflect the rapid changes in the industry.

CLP Level 1

TILP CLP Level 1 courses are based on an online self-learning component and an intensive four-day onsite training and examination component. Both components have to be completed before Level 1 certification can be achieved.

Online course components cover the following modules:
*Introduction to Information Technology
*Localisation and the Software Engineering Lifecycle (see also Software Development)
*Software I18N Enablement and Character Handling
*Localisation Kitting and File Preparation
*MS Windows-based [User Interface] Localisation Tools
*MS Windows- based Computer Assisted Translation (CAT) Tools
*Introduction to Terminology, Term Bases and Terminology Resources
*Introduction to Test Plans, Scripts/Cases, Bug Reporting and Classification
*Introduction to Website Localisation
*Introduction to Localisation Project Management

The four-day onsite intensive training courses are being offered by members of the TILP Local Partnership programme in different locations around the world. The onsite training courses are delivered by TILP appointed and accredited trainers in collaboration with local partners. The content of the onsite courses is identical between locations, except for Day 1. The onsite courses are structured as follows:
*Day 1
**Introduction to Regional Localisation Issues (the content of this module is adapted to reflect specific local interests and will be delivered by a local trainer)
*Day 2
**Localisation Project I - Project Analysis; Project Planning; Internationalization Testing
*Day 3
**Localisation Project II - Translation; Localisation Engineering and Testing; Project Closure
*Day 4
**Exam Preparation
**Exams

Fee Structure and Benefits

Fees have been agreed with local partners to reflect the purchasing power of people living in the different regions where CLP courses are being offered. This is why course registration fees in developing regions are around €200 while fees in more developed regions are between €500 and €800 euro.

Course participants receive a special CLP Tools Distribution that includes full versions of:
*Alchemy Catalyst 7.0 Translator/Pro Edition*
*SDL Trados 2007 SP2 Freelance Edition*
*SDL Passolo 2007

Participants also receive:
*One-year Associate Membership of TILP [http://www.tilponline.org]
*One-year subscription to Multilingual magazine [http://www.multilingual.com]

The Institute of Localisation Professionals (TILP)

The Institute of Localisation Professionals (TILP) has the primary aim of developing professional practices in localisation globally. TILP is a non-profit organisation, owned by its members and lead by a Council elected at its Annual General Meeting. TILP represents both localisation industry professionals and professionals active in localisation-related areas.

Develop professional practices globally

It is the primary goal of TILP to develop professional practices in localisation globally. TILP represents localisation industry professionals and professionals active in localisation related areas. These include:
*Software publishers and publishers of other material using electronic media eContent providers
*Localisation service providers
*Tools developers
*Trainers and educators (including third level colleges)
*Researchers TILP aims to
*Provide professional certification.
*Be the representative body for localisation professionals
*Be the reference point at global level for the localisation industry and those requiring information about it
*Promote the industry through a variety or publications and activities
*Provide the infrastructure for a range of activities supporting the development of the industry
*Maintain direct and regular contact with localisation companies, government departments and agencies, researchers and students, and the media and international consultancy firms

Activities

To achieve its aims, TILP will provide professional certification and establish a register of professional members. It will also organise a range of related activities:Annual conference
*Workshops for localisation professionals
*Executive briefing for the TILP Council
*Support of organisations that contribute to the development of the profession.
*Web-site
*Lobbying and awareness raising

Collaboration

The implementation of the CLP Programme is supported by the European Union of Associations of Translation Companies (EUATC) [http://www.euatc.org/] , the European Union TechLink project [http://www.localisation.ie/techlink] , Alchemy Software Development [http://www.alchemysoftware.ie/index.html] , SDL [http://www.sdl.com/en/] and Multilingual magazine [http://www.multilingual.com/] .

The TechLink Project

TechLink will link two of Europe’s premier educational institutions in the areas of localisation technology, localisation training and distance learning - the [http://www.localisation.ie Localisation Research Centre (LRC)] based at the [http://www.ul.ie University of Limerick] , Ireland, and the [http://isg.urv.es/ Intercultural Studies Group] at the [http://www.urv.cat/en_index.html Universitat Rovira I Virgili] in Spain - with one of India’s premier software technology centres, the [http://www.cdacmumbai.in/ C-DAC Mumbai] (formerly the National Centre for Software Technology) thus supporting its efforts to provide accredited teaching and training for localisers. [http://www.tilponline.org The Institute of Localisation Professionals] (TILP) will contribute its expertise in the area of professional certification.

TechLink’s objectives are to:
*Establish and reinforce links between educational centres working with the localisation communities of Europe and Asia. These communities will be accessed initially through the TechLink partners, and later through the TechLink Network, an extension to the already existing Localisation Teaching, Training and Research Network operating under the umbrella of the LRC.
*Raise the awareness among the European localisation community, especially amongst researchers, educationalists, tools and technology developers and standards bodies, to the needs and requirements of Asian language communities.
*Analyse the educational and training needs of localisers in Asia, specifically India and South East Asia (requirement specification).
*Adapt existing curricula and existing localisation teaching and training courses to these needs. Develop distance teaching and training courses (eLearning).
*Accredit Asian educational and training partners by the Institute of Localisation Professionals (TILP).
*Offer localisation education and training courses in Asia.
*Establish the TechLink network of teaching and training organisations and collaborate with industry associations, including the Globalisation and Localisation Association (GALA) and the Localisation Industry Standards Association (LISA). TechLink will organise University and technical training courses in localisation, using European technology, information, curricula and teaching adapted to the needs and requirements of its Asian partners. Localisation skills will be upgraded, knowledge transferred, institutional capabilities improved, research will be integrated and curricula developed. Beneficiaries will be students, academic and business professionals especially Asian SMEs. The liaison and collaboration established during this project will be long lasting.Online course material is made available by TechLink (via TILP) for non-commercial use under the Creative Commons license and according to [http://www.tilponline.org/clponline/privacy.shtml published policies] .TechLink is supported by the European Union Europe Asia Programme

The European Union Europe Asia Programme

The [http://www.europa.eu.int/comm/europeaid Asia IT&C Programme] was launched in October 1999 as an initiative by the European Union (EU) in order to co-finance mutually beneficial projects in Information Technology and Communication between Europe and Asia. Information Technology and Communication is a cross-cutting theme, which supports and enhances the development and co-operation policy of the EU. The total budget allocated to the First Phase of the Programme was €30 million. In November 2003 a Second Phase of the Asia IT&C Programme was approved. EU-Asia IT&C Phase II rolls out in 2004 and the indicative amount available for the 2004 Call will be €9.95 million.The Programme can supply up to 90% co-financing to Information Technology and Communication projects proposed by a consortium of non-profit organisations from EU Member States and selected Asian countries in the areas of agriculture, e-Governance, education, health, environment, and transport. The 90% co-financing will apply only to those actions, where the main beneficiaries are in one of the 8 Least Developed Counties.

See also

* Bidirectional script support
* CJK
* Developed regions
* Developing regions
* Examination
* Globalization Management System
* Glocalization
* International Components for Unicode
* Internationalization and localization
* Input method editor
* Non-profit organization
* Separation of concerns
* Region code
* Language localization
* Game localization
* Computer russification, localization into Russian language
* Language code
* Professional body
* Pseudolocalization, a software testing method for testing a software product's readiness for localization.
* Punycode, translating Unicode into the character sets for network host names

Notes

References

* "Perspectives on Localization", Keiran Dunne (editor), American Translators Association Scholarly Monograph Series XIII, John Benjamins Publishing, [2006] . ISBN 0890-4111
* ".NET Internationalization: The Developer's Guide to Building Global Windows and Web Applications", Guy Smith-Ferrier, Addison-Wesley Professional, 7 August 2006. ISBN 0-321-34138-4
* "A Practical Guide to Localization", Bert Esselink, John Benjamins Publishing, [2000] . ISBN 1-58811-006-0
* "Business Without Borders: A Strategic Guide to Global Marketing", Donald A. DePalma, Globa Vista Press [2004] . ISBN 978-0976516903
* "The Moving Text: Localization, translation, and distribution", Anthony Pym, John Benjamins Publishing Company, [2004] . ISBN 0929-7316