Localization World 2009 Highlights Impressive Speaker Line-up

SANTA CLARA, CA (Gawkwire.com) During Localization World 2009, “Know-How for Global Success,” attendees from more than 30 countries will learn globalization best practices and the latest innovations in localization and Web development from speakers who are market leaders in international business. In addition to offering two keynotes, organizers of the conference have gathered senior executives from Yahoo!, facebook, Dell, Cisco Systems, Intel, VeriSign, and Google, among others, to deliver case studies and presentations on topics such as cultural competency, rolling out products in multiple countries simultaneously, and the impact of multilingual content on business success. Research analysts from Common Sense Advisory and the Gilbane Group will also present.
 
Localization World 2009 delivers comprehensive education and networking opportunities for both beginners and experienced professionals. The programs cover four concurrent program tracks: Global Business Best Practices, Managing Global Websites, Core Localization Competencies and Advanced Localization Management. Some highlighted presentations and panels include:

• Let’s Get Practical: Building a Global Web Community Platform, with speaker Valerie Hufbauer of the World Bank

• Global Megatrends: the Convergence of Globalization, Internet and Innovation, with speaker Nitish Singh of St. Louis University

• Windows 7 Localization Quality: a Journey, with speakers Ulrike Irmler and Jim Rodrigues of Microsoft

• Social Web Localization, with Danica Brinton, Apple/LocLabs; Regina Bustamante, Plaxo; Ghassan Haddad, Facebook; Joaquín Moreno XING AG; Nico Posner, LinkedIn and Siko Bouterse of Hi5

• Special Challenges of Localizing Software as a Service Products, with speakers Shawna Wolverton and Teresa Marshall of SalesForce.com
 
The two keynotes include Dave Luhr, COO of international ad agency Wieden & Kennedy, and Chris Anderson, editor-in-chief of Wired Magazine. In his keynote, Wired editor Chis Anderson, author of “FREE,” makes the case that in many instances businesses can profit more from giving things away than they can by charging for them. More than a promotional gimmick, this is a business strategy that may be essential to a company's survival in a global economy.
 
“The costs associated with the growing online economy are trending toward zero at an incredible rate. Never in history have the primary inputs to an industrial economy fallen in price so fast and for so long,” says Anderson. “In 1961 a single transistor cost $10, the latest chips have over two billion transistors and sell for $300, with transistors effectively too cheap to price. The traditional economics of scarcity just don’t apply to bandwidth, processing power, and hard-drive storage, and this is just one engine of our new reality.”
 
Anderson addresses the growth of the reputation economy, explains different models for applying FREE and discusses how to compete when competitors are giving away what you are trying to sell.
 
On the pre-conference day, there will be several roundtables and also some free “Introduction to Localization” programs. Organizers are holding the line on fees, offering a much expanded program at last year’s rates. The headquarters hotel is the Hyatt Regency Santa Clara. The conference, produced by MultiLingual Computing, Inc. and The Localization Institute, will be held October 20 – 22 at the Santa Clara Convention Center. Event sponsors include: Lionbridge Technologies, Inc., Across Systems, milengo, SimulTrans LLC, and WeLocalize. Full program details and speakers’ biographies are available at http://www.localizationworld.com/  To register: http://www.localizationworld.com/lwsv2009/registration.php