logo image
  • News
    • People Moves
    • Deal Wins
    • Demand Drivers
    • M&A and Funding
    • Financial Results
    • Technology
    • Academia
    • Industry News
    • Features
    • Machine Translation
    • — Divider —
    • Slator Pro
    • — Divider —
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
  • Data & Research
    • Research Reports & Pro Guides
    • Language Industry Investor Map
    • Real-Time Charts of Listed LSPs
    • Language Service Provider Index
  • Podcasts & Videos
  • Events
    • SlatorCon Remote May 2021
    • Email Marketing for Freelance Linguists
    • Preparing for the Critical Google Update Coming in May 2021
    • — Divider —
    • SlatorCon Coverage
    • Other Events
  • Directory
  • RFP Center
  • Jobs
MENU
  • News
    • People Moves
    • Deal Wins
    • Demand Drivers
    • M&A and Funding
    • Financial Results
    • Technology
    • Academia
    • Industry News
    • Features
    • Machine Translation
    • — Divider —
    • Slator Pro
    • — Divider —
    • Press Releases
    • Sponsored Content
  • Data & Research
    • Research Reports & Pro Guides
    • Language Industry Investor Map
    • Real-Time Charts of Listed LSPs
    • Language Service Provider Index
  • Podcasts & Videos
  • Events
    • SlatorCon Remote May 2021
    • Email Marketing for Freelance Linguists
    • Preparing for the Critical Google Update Coming in May 2021
    • — Divider —
    • SlatorCon Coverage
    • Other Events
  • Directory
  • RFP Center
  • Jobs

Register For Email Marketing for Freelance Linguists and Learn How To Win New Clients.

  • Slator Market Intelligence
  • Slator Advertising Services
  • Slator Advisory
  • Login
Search
Generic filters
Exact matches only
Advertisement
Women in Localization Names New Chair, Reveals Developments and Plans

5 years ago

February 9, 2016

Women in Localization Names New Chair, Reveals Developments and Plans

Industry News ·

by Marion Marking

On February 9, 2016

5 years ago
Industry News ·

by Marion Marking

On February 9, 2016

Women in Localization Names New Chair, Reveals Developments and Plans

It is no longer just about women in localization, but also about advancing the localization industry as a whole. So says Women in Localization (WL), an organization that seeks “to foster a global community for the advancement of women and the localization industry.”

Taking over as WL chair is Eva Klaudinyova, who manages linguistic services for one of the largest Silicon Valley companies.

The new mission of WL, formulated at its strategy planning meeting in December 2015, revolves around what the group calls “three pillars”: the global community in the industry, the advancement of women, and the advancement of the localization profession.

Advertisement

Currently with 2,136 members worldwide, WL is growing fast, largely driven by word of mouth among its present membership and social media (e.g., press releases and events that drive through to social media and LinkedIn membership sign-ups).

Most members come from the US, particularly the Bay Area, the Pacific Northwest, and the Northeast. The second biggest membership area is Europe (UK, Ireland, Germany, Catalunya). The Japan chapter, albeit a year old, is running strong, and the China chapter opened in October 2015.

So rapidly has membership picked up that the group is “trying to slow the growth of new chapters a little to focus on deepening the activities within existing chapters,” said Klaudinyova.

WL rotates chairpersons annually. Slator reached out to Klaudinyova and fellow co-founders and former chairs Anna Schlegel of NetApp and Silvia Avary-Silveira of Juniper Networks, as well as board member Allison McDougall of Lionbridge.

According to Schlegel, Senior Director for Globalization and Information Engineering at California-based NetApp, when the three founders started the group in 2008, there were “very, very low numbers” for women in the technology space, which the group aims to change as one of their pillars.

Schlegel pointed out how men would “help each other out at the high levels”―not so for women as there are not that many. She discovered that a lot of colleagues had a similar need, a network that would address the underrepresentation of women in their industry and tackle gender-specific issues.

While the group was born out of lack of diversity in places like Silicon Valley, as well as fewer opportunities for advancement for women, WL’s aim has since evolved.

Chapter meetings consist of professional development support (e.g., peer mentoring, career development panels), among other things. It has also formalized its partnership with the upcoming Globalization and Localization Association (GALA) conference, where the group hosts its own track, branded and marketed as being run by WL; no longer an informal gathering of member delegates.

WL was represented in the GALA 2016 panel that reviewed proposals for speaking at the conference; according to the group a marked change from “three years ago, when it was harder to get a seat at the table.”

WL is unusual in that it has no membership dues. Instead, it seeks sponsors from both the buyer and vendor side for its events. It is open to all women in active roles in the localization industry. Given the origins of its founding chapter in the US, however, women working in the enterprise IT space are still in the majority.

WL does not impose limitations on its membership as to industry vertical, and new members from the hospitality, life sciences, and, in particular, from the vendor side have been joining in greater numbers recently. They are also starting to reach out more to women working in the more tech-centric areas of internationalization.

Asked the inevitable question about the role of men in WL, the group stressed that men are welcome and can come to any event, but the podium and all leadership positions are reserved for women.

Women who wish to open a new chapter should contact WL, after which the proposed chapter will be evaluated. It takes up to three months to get a chapter up and running. The minimum requirements for a chapter to be rolled out are: one group manager, two assistant managers, and 15 members already signed up.

Ultimately, the rationale behind such a group existing in the localization industry—as in any industry—echoes the rally-cry of the Anita Borg Institute, which the group referenced in their conversation with Slator: “We envision a future where the people who imagine and build technology mirror the people and societies they build it for.”

WL is currently working on achieving an official not-for-profit status in the US.

Image: Women in Localization includes (back row) Stephanie Gabriel, Allison McDougall, Lynda Roslund, Anna Schlegel, Mimi Hills, Silvia Avary-Silveira, Eva Klaudinyova; (front row) Liesl Leary, Loy Searle, Teresa Marshall, Michelle Carlson, Elena McCoy; (not pictured) Katell Jentreau, Luciana Vecchi

TAGS

Allison McDougallAnna SchlegelEva KlaudinyovaSilvia Avary-SilveiraWomen in Localization
SHARE
Marion Marking

By Marion Marking

Slator consultant and corporate communications professional who enjoys exploring Asian cities.

Advertisement

SUBSCRIBE TO THE SLATOR WEEKLY

Language Industry Intelligence
In Your Inbox. Every Friday

SUBSCRIBE

SlatorSweepSlatorPro
ResearchRFP CENTER

PUBLISH

PRESS RELEASEDIRECTORY LISTING
JOB ADEVENT LISTING

Bespoke advisory including speaking, briefings and M&A

SLATOR ADVISORY
Advertisement

Featured Reports

See all
Slator 2020 Language Industry M&A and Funding Report

Slator 2020 Language Industry M&A and Funding Report

by Slator

Slator 2021 Data-for-AI Market Report

Slator 2021 Data-for-AI Market Report

by Slator

Slator 2020 Medtech Translation and Localization Report

Slator 2020 Medtech Translation and Localization Report

by Slator

Pro Guide: Sales and Marketing for Language Service Providers

Pro Guide: Sales and Marketing for Language Service Providers

by Slator

Press Releases

See all
6CONNEX to Partner with Interprefy to Help Clients Host Large Scale Events in Any Language

6CONNEX to Partner with Interprefy to Help Clients Host Large Scale Events in Any Language

by Interprefy

BLEND Raises $10m to Fuel Global Growth with End-to-end Localization Services

BLEND Raises $10m to Fuel Global Growth with End-to-end Localization Services

by BLEND

Iconic Launches INTRA Translation Platform

Iconic Launches INTRA Translation Platform

by Iconic

Upcoming Events

See All
  1. Smartling - Global Ready Conference 2021

    Global Ready Conference

    by Smartling

    · April 14

    When you can't traverse the world, let the world come to you. Join our annual global event from home.

    More info FREE

Featured Companies

See all
Sunyu Transphere

Sunyu Transphere

Text United

Text United

Memsource

Memsource

Wordbank

Wordbank

Protranslating

Protranslating

Seprotec

Seprotec

Versacom

Versacom

Smartling

Smartling

XTM International

XTM International

Translators without Borders

Translators without Borders

STAR Group

STAR Group

memoQ Translation Technologies

memoQ Translation Technologies

Advertisement

Popular articles

Poland Rules on LSP Using Google Translate; Defines ‘Professional Translator’

Poland Rules on LSP Using Google Translate; Defines ‘Professional Translator’

by Marion Marking

The Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index

The Slator 2021 Language Service Provider Index

by Slator

Behind the Scenes of the European Parliament’s Pivot to Remote Interpreting

Behind the Scenes of the European Parliament’s Pivot to Remote Interpreting

by Seyma Albarino

SlatorPod: The Weekly Language Industry Podcast

connect with us

footer logo

Slator makes business sense of the language services and technology market.

Our Company

  • Support
  • About us
  • Terms & Conditions
  • Privacy Policy

Subscribe to the Slator Weekly

Language Industry Intelligence
In Your Inbox. Every Friday

© 2021 Slator. All rights reserved.

Sign up to the Slator Weekly

Join over 13,500 subscribers and get the latest language industry intelligence every Friday

Your information will never be shared with third parties. No Spam.