vendredi 26 septembre 2008

The new paradigm in cross-cultural commerce

In a recent period of plunging stock markets, stalwart banks folding overnight and exchange rates flipping from one extreme to the other, finance, management and marketing professionals all over the world are reviewing their marketing cost structures. For the best-organised and most future-ready few among them, this process already began years ago, and they are the ones best prepared to evolve, continue and profit.

But what does organised and future-ready mean? For some, this will include shifting marketing supports from material to digital, from TV to Internet, etc. For many, part of what it means is the capacity to shift client targets and outsourcers according to movements in markets, demand, currency values and flows, and pre-preparedness in terms of localisation.

The problem with market localisation, i.e. targeting a foreign market or culture, is that being prepared often means going back to the beginning of the communication process, for the product, the service, and even for the company itself, from the initial concept through the various supports to advertising, buzzes and re-localised personnel and sub-contractor documentation.

An ideal example is the snappy company website created for a French market, a few years ago, updated with rich content, good forms & interactivity, Flash animation, video, 3D, & other Rich Media… And then, having grown well, they decide to take that big leap into the American market – ship out the site and the supports to a translation agency, integrate the translated pages into the same website & Bob’s your American uncle.

So how do you translate a Rich media, Web 2.0 website? Ask the website designers. If they really can’t be bothered they will just ask the translators to “translate the site”. If they think they’re clever, they’ll list the terms and phrases they want translated, which they can reintegrate into the “en” site later.

Both of these are guaranteed to produce catastrophic results.

There is a lot more to translating and localising a text/image/audio/video/regional message than throwing a dictionary at it. Ever thought how you translate the US “$” sign from American English into French? Silly question. It’s the same, of course.

Is it? You’d be surprised. But a typical web designer would assume it is, so would not allow for it to be translated. Similarly with numbers. “29,000” is not the same amount in some other languages. And even if the numerous idiosyncrasies in syntax and grammar are taken into account, what about the next step? Chinese? Arabic?

The bottom line is, start at the top line, at the beginning of your communication project. Consult your language/localisation specialists about multilingual compatibility at the beginning of the project, not as some afterthought to be added in a few days once it’s all complete. Before even moving to a single other language, good foresight and adaptability in terms of eventual localisation will depend on the entire architecture of your site being designed accordingly.


Internationalisation of Internet use, language of e-commerce, and language populations on the Internet

Share This:    Share This: digg.com  Share This: ma.gnolia.com  Share This: www.stumbleupon.com  Share This: del.icio.us  Share This: Facebook  Share This: favorites.live.com  Share This: www.technorati.com  Share This: furl.net  Share This: myweb2.search.yahoo.com  Share This: www.google.com

3 commentaires:

Anonyme a dit…

Exactement...
le "$" ne se place pas dans le même endroit en anglais et en français, pour continuer avec cet exemple !

Anonyme a dit…

top [url=http://www.c-online-casino.co.uk/]casino games[/url] coincide the latest [url=http://www.casinolasvegass.com/]online casinos[/url] unshackled no consign hand-out at the chief [url=http://www.baywatchcasino.com/]baywatch casino
[/url].

Anonyme a dit…

When the proFuct has been approveF insiFe the testing stage, it is now reaFy For its whole launch. This is perhaps one From the most arFuous anF costly stage[url=http://www.germanylovelv.com/]louis vuitton knolckoffs[/url]
This chapter incluFes the Fevelopment with the market, the correct channels, the support From the proFuct, anF the builFing up From the volume oF proFuction..IF I hanF them out, I am able to Fiscuss [url=http://www.germanylovelv.com/]Louis Vuitton Outlet[/url]
the Folks I am oFFering them to. This allows me create a revenue speak to, anF explain to the inFiviFual about my proFuct or support. But emailing them is Free oF charge, anF also a massive time saver. Marketing printeF mugs is usually close to For many years your worFing neeF to be FesigneF consequently. When you have a telephone number or web page on the mug, make sure it wont change beFore long. StuFy suggests that its simpler [url=http://www.germanylovelv.com/]louis vuitton knolckoffs[/url]
incluFe your website tackle as opposeF to a contact number For those who Font have room For both..
AccorFing [url=http://www.germanylovelv.com/]louis vuitton knolckoffs[/url]
webmasters, owning an autoresponFer is really a must For anyone who is serious about succeeFing in email aFvertising anF marketing. ConsiFering that list creating is essential For almost any on the internet marketer who Foes promotion through e-mail, you'F probably sooner or later require an email marketing anF aFvertising answer. Using a excellent number oF inFiviFuals with your checklist can give you an even better eFge at builFing Far more sale[url=http://www.germanylovelv.com/]louis vuitton knolckoffs[/url]

|