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Culture and Website Localization
With the increase in computer ownership and internet use rising every day the internet is increasingly becoming the primary port of call for information, shopping and services. Moreover, computer and internet users are gradually coming from non-English-speaking countries. At the end of 2002, 32 percent of internet users were estimated to be non-native English speakers. This figure is growing constantly. In response, companies have rapidly become conscious of the advantages of website localization.
Website localization is the process of changing an existing website in order to make it available to a target audience, interactive and culturally relevant. Localization of websites is a multi-layered process involving both skills in programming and linguistic/cultural awareness. The chances are that a localization project would experience issues if either is absent.
In certain cases, it is the absence of linguistic and cultural feedback that enables a project to localize a website. The following examples describe areas in which a clear understanding of the target culture is needed in order to provide insight into the impact culture on website localization.
Language in Website Localization
It is not as easy to translate a website from English into another language as it might seem. There are several variables that have to be taken into account when translating the content of a website. Do all the words, phrases, sayings and metaphors translate to the target language directly? If this is to be read by a highly collectivist society, will it be prudent to translate the term “every man for himself” into a text describing a business or product? Does the website’s content use humor?
Consider the variants carefully when converting to another language. If it’s an Arabic website, is it targeted at Tunisians, Iraqis, Yemenis or Egyptians? If you are targeting all Arabic speakers, then make sure your translator employs Modern Standard Arabic.
One must examine the language style and target audience. The vocabulary, grammar and punctuation must reflect this if the audience is international business staff. A more casual language must be used if the audience is informal or youth-oriented. Much like we can define the difference between a site using ‘posh English’ and ‘street English’ in the United Kingdom, other cultures would have the same language experiences. Use the wrong language in your localization pro for the incorrect reader
It is important to determine what information is required to be moved to the new site. Do not presume that all information on the English site is transferred automatically. The target community and environment must be measured. Is it a culture that relies on information-rich writing to fully understand a concept or a product, or is it a culture that relies more on images, or requires little text to understand ideas and concepts? If you use a lot of technical vocabulary on your English blog, think how best to pass these concepts without using a language.
Pictures in Website Localization
Images hold inside them many implicit cultural messages. They can talk volumes about your business or product. Pictures or pictures may have such negative connotations that may dispel viewers. This is now a field which, luckily, receives attention in the localization of websites.
For example, if a travel site in a Muslim-populated country used images of sparsely dressed women in bikinis, disco dancing and beer drinking, it is likely that they would not have been very popular.
When including photographs of employees, it is prudent to tailor them to what the target audience would look at positively. The Director’s image behind the desk in the office would be perfect for seniority respectful of society, but it is easier for an inclusive society to show the Director a mix with the staff.
It is through images that websites can either appeal to or repel an audience.
Symbols in Website Localization
As with images, symbols can cause localization problems. Icons that use fingers like an OK sign or a V-sign can mean different things to different cultures. Our Western symbols don’t necessarily mean the same thing abroad. An example sometimes cited is the image of a house referring to a home page or a mailbox. The use of animals in logos can lead to embarrassment and more problems. For example, pigs are considered unclean in the Middle East, and cows are considered holy in India.
Colours in Website Localization
Colors are often filled with cultural meanings that need to be analysed in the translation of the website. Choosing the wrong colour for your logo or backdrop will not necessarily have catastrophic effects, but it is often advisable to avoid them. In Japan, for example, white is often synonymous with mourning. Red is auspicious in China. In Africa, those colours reflect various tribes.
Navigation in Website Localization
It is even the most taken for granted elements of website layout that must be properly examined for a good project of localization. In the West, we believe that how we present websites is how things should naturally be done. This is a far cry from the facts.
The influence on layout through translation is a common problem faced in localization. Based on the target language in the localization, foreign scripts will make your pages require more space or less space. They don’t read all languages from left to right. Arabic is from right to left and it is from top to bottom for both Japanese and Chinese.
Access to certain pages is also a factor which can be regarded as significant. If it is ‘member-only’ access, highly hierarchical cultures may perceive a site favourably, whereas an egalitarian culture may find it uncomfortable.
Content in Website Localization
In every localization process, analysing the written content is essential to its success. This is important not only for the correct transfer of elements such as dates, currencies, and measurement units, but also for the presentation of the correct picture.
Will the platform, for instance, concentrate on a product or a business? Both carry certain factors depending on the target community with them. Readers would want to see information about senior members if an organisation is promoting itself in a community that recognises seniority and hierarchy. They would also want to assess them, along with their titles and rank, through information on their professional credentials, experience and contacts. Such regions in the UK should normally be avoided because it borders on self-indulgence and bragging in our society.
Conclusion
All we do, speak, read, hear and consider is influenced by culture, and even websites can not avoid the influence of culture.
Culture’s effect on website localization is massive. The few examples given above are simply the tip of the iceberg. The amount of factors that have to be taken into account allows both a website designer and a cross-cultural relations specialist to have experience. In parallel, they will recognise the problems that will hinder a site’s effective localization.
It is important that businesses involved in the internationalisation of their company understand website localization at a time when the internet is entering more and more homes and take care to use appropriate cross-cultural research.
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