Localizing STC

By James V. Romano, STC Director

As some of you are aware, I work in the localization field. Our task is to prepare products and documentation for local markets around the world so that people can get the most benefit from them. Our main activity involves language translation, but there are also technical issues, cosmetic issues (formatting, layout, design), and of course, the broader scope of how content is managed over the revisions and repurposing of the information life cycle.

STC must also be localized. In order for a global organization to reach, communicate, and bring value to its membership around the world, it must “think globally and act locally” so that the diverse professional audience it serves may have a meaningful and value-driven relationship with it.

How does an organization such as STC localize itself? Let’s look at three areas currently under examination:

Localized dues: For the past year, STC’s Membership Committee has been working on a plan to localize our dues structure. Currently, STC members worldwide all pay the same membership rate—for example, $135/year for an e-membership. In contrast, localized dues will adjust the rate for the local (that is, by country) economic context in which the member resides. Localized dues, then, will mean that India members may pay dues that are adjusted for the emerging economy in India (translation: lower rates). The proposal to introduce localized dues for 2006 (for both new and renewing members) will be voted on at the next Board of Directors meeting on September 24, 2005. Although the rates for localized dues are not official yet, stay tuned for more information from your Director and your Chapter President, who has been helpful in shaping this exciting new proposal.

Localized Education: Not surprisingly, STC’s traditional set of education offerings—webinars, telephone seminars, conferences—have been offered during times and in conditions that are focused on the U.S. time zones and audience needs. That’s hardly localized, and not very market savvy! How many Indians would wake up at 1 A.M. to tune in to a program on content management? (OK, a cricket match, maybe.) However, by leveraging technology and developing market-sensitive strategies, STC will be able to start developing localized education offerings that address the needs and wants of our local membership markets around the world. A team of specialists, focused on a number of key local market segments (with India being one of them) will be developing such localized education programs and offerings over the next one to three years, based on input and feedback from the local markets themselves. Shortly, STC will have a Membership Manager in place to coordinate such activities, as well as an India team to help develop that market. If you’d like to contribute ideas or efforts on this team, please contact your Chapter President, who will be coordinating the initial launch on behalf of STC-India.

Localized Networking: the LIG. We all know about SIGs (Special Interest Groups). Now, please welcome LIGs (Local Interest Groups). A LIG is a local group of professionals that is not as formally organized as a chapter, but with a full array of activities and events that bring people together to do the usual chapter-like things: networking, programs, and information exchange. Sounds familiar? It should: STC-India has been a pioneer in developing the LIG concept, with “city chapters” in Delhi, Mumbai, Pune, Chennai, Bangalore, and most recently, Hyderabad. This organizational structure enables local professionals to meet and network without the more complex organizational requirements of a full chapter. The concept is catching on in other parts of the STC world, such as Eastern Europe. The LIG is about as grassroots as one can get, and holds great promise as a growth vehicle for STC globally.

Localizing STC is all about making it relevant to its members, wherever they may be. Through initiatives such as those mentioned above, your leadership is striving to make the STC experience global in scope and local in relevance. Stay tuned for more details on how we will be delivering value to you as STC members.

(James V. Romano is a senior member of STC and President and CEO of Prisma International. He is currently the Director-Sponsor of STC Region-6, which includes the India chapter.).