Abstract:

Constant changes in the economic environment, where globalisation and the development of the knowledge economy act as drivers, are systematically pushing companies towards the challenge of accessing external markets.

Web localization constitutes a new field of study and professional intervention. From the translation perspective, localization equates to the website being adjusted to the typological, discursive and genre conventions of the target culture, adapting that website to a different language and culture. This entails much more than simply translating the content of the pages. The content of a webpage is made up of text, images and other multimedia elements, all of which have to be translated and subjected to cultural adaptation. The user must never notice that the site was originally created in another language. In addition, commercial and business translation have certain particularities which must be studied and borne in mind so as to achieve the desired communication goals.

The translation process entails that a language professional will perform various roles, completing each stage on time and undertaking multiple tasks in order to meet the conditions for delivery of the translation in accordance with certain quality parameters (Olvera-Lobo et al., 2007a, 2007b, 2008a, 2008b, 2009, 2011, 2014, 2015; Robinson et al., 2011, 2013, 2016). For its part, localization involves different agents in the localization process although their number may vary from a sole person responsible of the entire process to a multiplicity of agents in large organisations: managers of businesses, localization managers, localization engineers, terminologists, locators, quality control operators and freelance translators, among others. The process also varies considerably depending on the nature of the project (marketing website, web-based application, e-commerce site, and so on), the technologies involved, the resources available and even the type of translation process employed.

This contribution presents the application of a new teaching methodology to the teaching/learning of localization in the undergraduate training of Translation and Interpreting, applying the didactic model PATT (Professional Approach to Translation Training), widely extended in the teaching of Translation, that has been adapted to the new characteristics of this new professional profile. In the context of localization we have revised and redesigned the model to integrate knowledge and skills required in localization.

The revision of PATT has involved modifications to enhance the quality of the learning experience of localization students and make the assessment process more transparent. These changes entailed more detailed scaffolding to incorporate a range of tasks enabling learners to further exercise higher order thinking skills.

In this contribution we present a new didactic model adapted to the localization learners and their application in the localization process.

Keywords:

Localization, translation, translation training, new markets.