Too soon?

Hardly. I took that photograph at the Google Developer Day in Berlin in November 2011. Google runs these events globally. The event itself was very well attended with some excellent presentations on Android, Google TV, App Engine, and a tonne more. Coloured me excited by those Android 4.0 Ice Cream Sandwich user experience guidance sessions aimed at developers, too.

All serious tech players run such events and a lot of them are free to attend provided that you apply in time and your credentials are even reasonably credible. So, why not add some of these events to your conference calendar?

The point of all this is that as language industry professionals you can steal a march on localizing emerging technology and new interactions by attending such events. Start your research into terminology, style, cultural differences, and so on, before anyone even thinks about approaching you for your services.

Watch out for sessions on user experience and design guidance in particular. You could even influence matters in the right direction before it’s too late.

Remember this: In the global mobile app development space it’s increasingly likely that it’s just going to be you, the translator, and the app developer sitting at his or her kitchen table. Understanding this tech stuff and how it’s developed is important.