Women in Localization has been fostering a global community for the advancement of women and the localization industry since its founding in 2008. It has since expanded to over 20 chapters with over 5,000 members globally and this August, the long-awaited LA chapter was launched. Heading up the management team is our CEO of Supertext USA, Inc., Kristy Sakai, together with Sue Bolton and Nora Snee of Netflix, Marina Ilari, linguist and Nika Allahverdi of Nimdzi Insights.
#WLLA in LA LA Land
Despite the city’s global reach, Los Angeles’ localization community has always lived below the radar with the spotlight of localization fame pointing towards Silicon Valley. But with streaming services bringing the world even closer to Tinseltown and LSPs like Supertext expanding their presence, it was high time localization had an industry body in LA – even better, one that supports women’s success. And so this superteam from diverse areas of the industry came together to found the LA chapter of Women in Localization (WLLA).
“LA has been waiting for a Women in Localization chapter to open and form a strong, supportive community in this diverse, multilingual, globally-minded city,” said Bolton. “I’m thrilled that we now have this opportunity to support women in this area!”
Kicking things off
On August 21, WLLA held its launch event at Netflix’s LA headquarters among 150 attendees. Generously sponsored by Netflix’s dubbing team, it was the perfect mix of networking, appetizers and drinks, and truly insightful presentations – including moving talks by two members of the Netflix dubbing team and a captivating clip that demonstrates how Netflix is moving the entire dubbing industry forward. The event was a great success and WLLA membership is already 100-strong.
“The atmosphere was just as we’d hoped – supportive, dynamic and just great fun. The event also gave us an opportunity to learn more about what the members are looking for. We’re looking forward to growing with the community,” said Sakai.
“The event marked the beginning of the exciting opportunities to connect and network in Los Angeles,” said Ilari.
Sharing expertise and experience
WLLA’s plans for the future include more networking events, panel discussions, mentoring programs and smaller neighborhood meetups. A volunteer network is being established as we speak. Stay up-to-date by becoming a Women in Localization LA chapter member!
This week's LA Chapter launch was an absolute success – from the number of people who came out, to the touching and poignant stories from the dubbing team at @netflix. We look forward to future events, meetups, hikes, and coffee dates! #WLLA @WomenInL10N pic.twitter.com/wOZxDfsnzf
— Women in Localization Los Angeles (@WLLosAngeles) August 23, 2019
Image via Supertext