Business

The Poool, an independent reference directory of media localisation professionals, announced that it is adding a certification component to its platform. The Poool was launched in early 2021 and has already proved to be a valuable resource according to testimonials from many localisation providers. Over 750 professionals have already subscribed and secured new clients through it.

The Poool platform has been developed by OOONA, a global provider of management and production tools for the media localisation industry, and is backed by multiple industry stakeholders.

The Poool is managed by a steering committee and an advisory board consisting of representatives from industry associations, academia, researchers, independent professionals, and language service providers.

The steep increase in demand for media localisation services of all types, due to the proliferation in streaming content, has brought about a growing demand for talent. The wide diversity of applicant backgrounds makes it difficult to verify the quality offered by localisation professionals without having to put them through rigorous and expensive testing procedures.

The Poool aims to change this state of affairs with the launch of the AVT Pro Certification, a professional qualification that will be recognised and accepted by buyers of localisation services as a badge of quality and competence.

“We aim to acknowledge professionals who have the linguistic knowledge and technical skills needed to provide high quality services to the audio-visual industry,” says Prof. Jorge Díaz-Cintas and Dr. Serenella Massidda, the two leading academics who have been tasked with designing, developing and executing the AVT Pro Certification program.

The initiative is led by The Poool steering committee, which consists of the two aforementioned academics as well as one representative from each of the sponsoring organisations, who have pledged their support. The result of extensive discussions, the AVT Pro Certification is the brainchild of a group of experts who sit in The Poool advisory board and represent the industry, professional associations and academia, and which reflect current market needs.

The AVT Pro Certification initiative is endorsed by eight sponsoring organisations to date. They will contribute to the shaping of the program and will influence the prioritisation of the languages in which it will be rolled out. All registered users of The Poool will benefit from the guarantee of excellence that AVT Pro Certification will provide in their search for qualified candidates. The sponsoring organisations are Blu Digital Group, Collot Baca Localization, Firstlight Media, IDC, Roundabout Entertainment, Visual Data, ZOO Digital and OOONA.