Increasing Internet access means bringing nations and people around the world closer together. You may ask: "Isn't English the global language of business and the Internet?" Despite the popularity of English, most people still prefer to read information in their native language. It is easier, they feel more comfortable, and they can better understand the essence of the message. Language is much more than words. Language is the tool we use to transfer meaning.

Your website may be the first glimpse that a potential foreign customer has of your company. What type of opinion do you want them to form: one of being responsive to the local market, one of delivering high quality, one of valuing communication? Translating your website will help position you in the foreign marketplace.

Since language is alive and vibrant, changing all the time, making a translation read as if written by a native can often be difficult. This is especially true for the Internet and the high tech industry where terminology often changes very rapidly. This means that there are some issues you should consider if you want to translate your website.

How to Internationalize your Website?

Strategy First:

• Define your objective
• Define your product/service distribution structure overseas
• Define your target markets and audience
• Define languages to attract this audience
• What is your budget for the Web?

Analysis:

• Analyze the original website for material that may have to be adapted
• Plan ahead - develop a site that can be internationalized easily
• Language used (avoid slang, jargon, sayings)
• Technical specifications
• Measurements, currency, etc.
• Images and symbols

Localization Plan:

• Product/Service? Does it have to be localized before marketing it abroad?
• Adaptation of measurements, descriptions, images, etc.
• Does the product/service comply with overseas regulations?
• Foreign exchange issues

Pre-Translation Considerations:

• Terminology & glossary building for consistency
• Multilingual coding
• Latin-character vs. non-Latin-character
• Text, button labels, headlines, titles, etc.
• Text in graphics - layered vs. not layered

There are many other issues to consider. Please contact Peritus Precision Translations, Inc. for an initial consultation.