Language Lines - Newsletter

April 2007

From the Editor

For every company, it has become essential to have an online presence. But how can you best reach out to customers and clients worldwide? That's where localization comes in, and this important process is the featured theme of our April issue.

If you’re not quite sure what localization is, start by taking our terminology tour. Then, in our second and third features, you can see exactly what the localization process entails and how it can increase your company’s sales.

Our business writer has been busy scouring the Web to find significant and pertinent business articles for this month's news section. In keeping with the theme of localization, our news items this month present subjects linked to international trade. How can cultural differences cause clashes in business negotiations? Why do companies need new strategies to reach the Chinese market? And how should Western businesswomen dress for business trips to the Middle East?

In our May issue, we will focus on the latest generation of new technology and its role in the workplace.

We hope you enjoy this issue, and please do not hesitate to send your comments, questions and story ideas to: editor@languagetranslation.com

 

This Month's Feature: Localization

Lost in Localization? Take Our Terminology Tour

Translation and language interpretation are common concepts for most business managers. Localization terms, though, may not be as familiar to our readers. Take this quick "terminology tour" if you are lost in localization:

Localization: The term "localization" is most often used in software and web page development. It refers to transforming software or web pages into other languages. The localization includes much more than just text translation -- it takes every aspect of the target locale's culture into consideration. It also involves software engineering issues.

Internationalization: Although localization and internationalization are related, "internationalization" can be thought of as the design and information technology practices that enable localization to take place. Internationalization adapts products for potential use all over the world, whereas localization adjusts them to a specific place, or "locale." Both of these words are pretty long, so "internationalization" is often abbreviated to "i18n" or " I18n", and "localization" to "L10n" or "l10n", with 18 and 10 representing the number of letters omitted by the abbreviation.

Glocalization: The term "glocalization" was popularized "in order to emphasize that the globalization of a product is more likely to succeed when the product or service is adapted specifically to each locality or culture it is marketed in," explained Stephen Raimi in 2003. This definition of "glocalization" differs little from "localization." However, glocalization can have another meaning: using the Internet to provide what used to be local services on a global basis. A site such as Craigslist, which allows users to advertise internationally to meet their local needs, is thus an example of glocalization.

Related Links from Language Translation, Inc.

Localization

Internationalization

Website Globalization to Expand

Related Links from the web

The Localization Industry Standards Association

Internationalization (Java.sun.com)

Glocalization (SearchCIO.com)

How Localization Can Increase Sales

If your company is involved in international trade, localization can play a crucial role in optimizing your sales figures. By adapting the linguistic and cultural content of your website to other countries and regions, the target audience better understands the message you are trying to get across. So, the localization process reaps great benefits for both companies and consumers.

Localization takes into account differences in language, consumer behavior and customs so that your website can truly connect with potential customers all over the world. No stone is left unturned: colors, symbols, and holidays are all taken into account. The result is a website that best attracts your potential foreign customer.

A 2006 report by globalization research firm Common Sense Advisory revealed that most people prefer to buy online in the language they speak. In fact, more than half of consumers buy only at websites where information is presented in their mother tongue. And two-thirds of Russians and Brazilians are willing to pay a higher price in order to buy products with documentation presented in their own language.

Clearly, if your company aims to be a key player in the global economy, website localization needs to be part of your business plan. "The fact is that localization isn't something service providers do to content - it is content" explains Hans Fenstermacher of Multilingual Computing Inc. in "Authors, Localizers and Language Barriers. "That makes localized content just as important as the original."

Related Links from Language Translation, Inc.

Why Localize?

Montgomery Ward Launches Spanish Version of Website

Related Links from the web

"Authors, Localizers and Language Barriers" by Hans Fenstermacher

"Six Tips for Reaching Your Global Customers Online" (Chief Marketer)

Localization, Step by Step

Translation, cultural issues, software engineering: a localization project can seem overwhelming. But through the use of project managers and a step-by-step process, language service providers can guarantee a high quality result. Taking a look at Language Translation Inc.'s ten-step localization procedure will help your company understand what localization entails.

The first two steps clarify and define your project. Your source materials and/or website content are analyzed by a localization engineer. Then we assign a professional project manager to your project; she or he will develop a schedule and estimate with you.

The next four steps involve translation, which is the key stage in the localization process. Our translators are bicultural native speakers of the target language, and often several translators are assigned to large projects. Using the latest localization tools, our translation and localization team analyzes the text files to define a terminology glossary and prepare a shared translation memory file before actually translating your software strings, help text or website. Finally, the translation undergoes a final check by an expert in the field.

The three following steps are carried out by computer specialists. Localization engineers design and test the new version of the material. Desktop publishing technicians then participate in perfecting the new interface, and incorporate new graphics and cultural elements.

Finally, the product passes through a rigorous quality inspection to assure delivery of a perfect result that will bring in new sales to your company.

Related Links from Language Translation, Inc.

Software and Website Localization

Language Most Challenging Aspect of Localization

Related Links from the web

"Effective Multicultural Communication"(WorldTrade Magazine)

The Localization Industry Standards Association FAQs

In the news

Business Mediations Help Resolve Culture Clashes

Businesspeople come to the negotiations table with varying cultural mindsets, according to an article on Law.com entitled "How to Avoid a Culture Clash in Business Mediations." And this means that some companies must call on business mediators to help resolve conflicts stemming from cultural misunderstandings.

Although the notion of culture is difficult to define, issues that can derail business negotiations include values, language and manners. "As Geert and Gert Jan Hofstede, two leading anthropologists.have observed, culture is a kind of 'software of the mind' that guides -- though without predetermining -- the manner in which members of a particular collective think, feel and act," write Robert de By and George Mastoris. "Unlike human nature, culture is derived from one's social environment. And like software, one needs to be familiar with how it functions in order to make it work."

The authors emphasize the aspects of culture which make the most difference in business mediations: time orientation, individualism vs. collectivism, power distance, masculinity vs. femininity, and uncertainty tolerance. Familiarity with these issues can also help your company succeed at the negotiating table, thus avoiding the need to rely on business mediators to pick up the pieces!

Read the entire article

IBM Study Confirms Need for New Strategies to Reach the Chinese Market

According to recent research by IBM, multinational companies hoping to succeed in China will need to develop strategies which focus more on the country's "mass markets." Competition is increasingly fierce in China's cosmopolitan urban areas, so Western companies need to reach the smaller yet economically promising cities which represent practically 40 percent of the urban population.

The study, entitled "Winning in China's Mass Markets: New Business Models, New Operations for Profitable Growth," emphasizes the need for firms to transform their business models in order to tap these mass markets, which are currently dominated by domestic firms. The research also points out that all companies doing business in China are concerned by this necessity. Surprisingly, companies with over ten years of experience in China cannot rest on their laurels -- they are slightly less profitable than those who have been present for five to ten years.

In order to reach this segment of the Chinese market, companies must simplify distribution channels, fulfill on-site Human Resources requirements properly, and determine suitable prices for their products. With the number of Chinese Internet users on the increase, website localization can also play an important role in achieving business success in China.

Related Links from the web

Read a summary of the study

Download the study in PDF format (registration required)

What Should A Woman Executive Wear to Do Business in the Middle East?

Dress is an important cultural variable, and it is essential to know what your international business partners expect of you when you're visiting their home ground. The issue can be especially delicate for women doing business in some parts of the Middle East. In a first-hand account of a business trip to Dubai and the United Arab Emirates, Mary Ellen Randall, President and C.E.O. of Ascot Technologies, tells about her experience and gives advice to businesswomen traveling to the area.

"If you are a woman traveling to UAE, there are some considerations," wrote Ms. Randall for LocalTechWire.com. "It was not necessary to cover the head, but in some other Middle Eastern countries, that is required. Business attire is appropriate, even slacks may be worn. Skirts should not be too short. Long skirts are very popular there." She also emphasized the importance of covering the shoulders.

In general, it is always important to research manners and etiquette before traveling to a foreign country, whether for business or pleasure. Our "related link" below provides information about many more countries and regions.

Read the entire article

Related Links from the web

The International Business Etiquette Internet Sourcebook

For more news about languages, translation and localization, and international business, visit our news blog, updated three times a week.

For previous newsletters, visit our archive.

You may have our newsletter delivered to your inbox each month by subscribing to Language Lines.