Special Interest Groups

GALA Special Interest Groups (SIGs) are committees that connect members on topics of mutual interest and make meaningful contributions to GALA’s knowledge base. Meetings are designed to facilitate networked learning, with mini-presentations, special guests, and plenty of time for discussion. Group members can participate in discussions and ask questions on the group's Basecamp.

SIGs

The following SIGs host regular meetings (monthly) and utilize GALA's Basecamp for discussions. Complete the form below to sign up for one or more groups. Note: you will need a GALA user account to join a special interest group or register for an upcoming SIG meeting. View and register for upcoming meetings on our Event Calendar.

Join SIGs

There is little doubt that audiovisual localization, i.e., localization of timed content, is one of the fastest growing and technologically interesting parts of our industry. In some areas it is quite similar to text based work and in other areas it is different and much more complex.

This SIG will work to demystify audiovisual localization, provide a forum for questions and concerns, and try to keep up with the ever-increasing rate of technological change. Meetings will be a mix of service and technology based topics.

Moderators: Ralph Jung (Dell Technologies), Andrea Ballista (VOISEED SRL), Derek Ryan (TRANSLATED SRL), and Carlo Eugeni (University of Leeds)

Requirement(s): GALA membership
Meetings: second Thursday of each month at 8:00 am Pacific / 17:00 CET

This group connects professionals employed on buy-side localization teams to discuss the unique considerations of managing localization, globalization, internationalization, and translation departments within a larger organization. Discussion topics change monthly and may include internal evangelization, process innovation, technology implementation, resource coordination, and more.

Moderators: Marcus Danei (SAP), Alessandra Binazzi (Alessandra Binazzi Consulting), Trish York (Medtronic), Cornelia Sittel (Salesforce), Johan Sporre (IKEA Retail (Ingka Group))

Requirement(s): GALA membership; Organization Type: Client
Meetings: third Wednesday of each month at 8:00 am Pacific / 17:00 CET

The Inclusive Language + Terminology SIG explores developing linguistic considerations relating to Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion. The group explores different themes, including implementing inclusive language initiatives, technical updates to terminology, and global linguistic developments.

Moderators: Serge Ansar (International Baccalaureate), Amanda Hawthorne (Electronic Arts), Roxana Dinu (New York University), Bettiana Quiroga (Eriksen Translations Inc)

Requirement(s): GALA membership
Meetings: fourth Wednesday every other month at 8:00 am Pacific / 17:00 CET

Interpreting services and technologies have seen rapid growth in recent years and interest in the topic has grown steadily since GALA first began addressing this market segment several years ago. This SIG will work to identify the unique issues, needs, and challenges in the interpreting and technologies segment and will explore collaborative solutions to advance the interpreting sector as a whole. All with an interest in these services and technologies are welcomed.

Moderators: Viviana Bernabe (Welocalize), Aki Hayashi (Dell Technologies), Giulia Silvestrini (Acolad)

Requirement(s): GALA membership
Meetings: second Wednesday of the month at 8:30 am Pacific / 17:30 CET

The findings of this SIG are published in A Common MTPE Handbook for Academia, Clients, LSPs and Post-Editors.

With a steering committee to keep things moving in the right direction and the GALA community to bring the knowledge and enthusiasm, the MTPE Training SIG will operate as a time-limited, collaborative community project between LSCs, clients, and academic institutions. The SIG developed a set of best practices for training professionals who conduct post-editing activities. Now that the handbook is published, the SIG will meet a few times throughout the year to ensure it remains updated.

Moderators: Lucía Guerrero (Expedia) and Viveta Gene (Ionian University)

Group Representatives: Cristina Anselmi (Electronic Arts), Diego Cresceri (Creative Words), Jessica Yaacoub (Bromberg Translations), and Parthena Charalampidou (Aristotle University of Thessaloniki).

Requirement(s): GALA membership
Meetings: first Monday of the month at 8:00 am PST / 17:00 CET, October 2023 - May 2024.

Participating in SIGs

Join SIGs

You can join a SIG via the "Join SIGs" button (which includes access to Basecamp and the official committee members list) or just register to attend individual meetings.

Requests to join a SIG are moderated by GALA staff. When you are approved, the SIG will appear in your list of "Committees" and you will receive a notification from Basecamp that you were added. As a SIG member, you may receive communications from the group, such as surveys and announcements.

You will need to register for SIG meetings. The registration information can be found on the Event Calendar. After completing the registration information, you will receive a confirmation via Zoom with your unique link to join the call. SIG meetings are not recorded in compliance with many of our members's privacy policies.

Questions on joining a SIG? Contact us at [email protected].