module specification

This is an optional module, offered to FT students, PG Cert students and 2nd-year PT students.

The module will have a dual aim: to provide you with an awareness of translational issues peculiar to localisation, and to give you the basic practical skills necessary to develop further experience in a professional localisation environment. You will gain an insight into the cultural, linguistic and technical nuances that distinguish products across countries and determine their success, taking into account local requirements and market needs; you will also familiarise yourself with the workings of the localisation industry, including an understanding of the individual stages involved in the overall localisation process. You will receive advanced practical training in the use of translation environment tools (TEnTs) and other programs used by localisation professionals, both desktop-based and in the cloud.

If there are no sufficient student numbers o makea module viable , the school reserves the right to cancel such a module. If the School cancels a module it will use its reasonable endeavours to provide a suitable alternative

TR7042 or equivalent

The module syllabus will provide you with an awareness of translational issues peculiar to localisation, and give you the basic practical skills necessary to develop further experience in a professional localisation environment. LO1-02

During the generic classes you will study the background to localisation (the industry) and gain an overview of the processes involved in a localisation project. You will explore the use of localisation tools through a number of practical sessions focussing on more advanced use of the TEnTs taught in TR7042, thus developing your awareness of translation-related issues along with technical skills. LO3 

You will also benefit from language-specific sessions with a practitioner who will guide you through group feedback sessions and individually supervised sessions in preparation for the localisation project to be produced as part of your final assessment. LO4

You will be encouraged to actively engage with the module by participating in both in-class and online discussions on selected localisation-related topics but also in self-study activities (in blended learning mode). In-class activities and remote activities range from collaborative work to individual work; they will provide you with a variety of materials sourced from accessible channels online which will allow you to advance your knowledge, reflect on your progress and improve your performance as you go along. These activities also attract regular formative feedback. When working in blended mode, you will also receive dedicated peer support via the Discussion Board on the teaching platform.

On completion of this module, you will be able to:
1. Use and identify a wide range of resources, file formats and localised materials to evaluate their appropriateness for their target recipients.
2. Gain an understanding of the considerations that apply in dealing with different types of source material (mainly software programs and websites).
3. Develop a set of basic, practical skills for handling the particular requirements of localisation work using the available tools, including more advanced work with TEnTs as learnt in TR7042, and know how to apply these skills in a professional context.
4. Acquire sound practical and evaluative knowledge of the processes involved in the performance and management of a localisation project (including documentation, project evaluation and quality assurance).

The assessment will aim to test both your understanding of the translation issues involved in localisation and the practical skills required when localising a piece of software and/or website material.

In preparation for the final assessment, you will work on a small, formative portfolio which will include website and software content to raise and develop your awareness of localisation and its requirements in relation to your source and target language/culture.

The final assessment will therefore have 2 components, one practical and one evaluative. For the practical component, you will be given a set of source materials to localise using the techniques and tools taught during the module, taking into account the necessary procedures. For the evaluative component, you will produce a commentary describing the localisation process conducted, highlighting a given number of technical and translation-related issues you encountered and explaining how you resolved such issues.

https://rl.talis.com/3/londonmet/lists/334FCD11-2958-0733-D023-EBCC74723990.html?lang=en-GB