Globalization     What Is Globalization? From The Big Picture To The Details Monday, August 1st, 2005: 12noon Pacific Time   To some people, "globalization" and "localization" are nearly identical terms. But in fact, an effective globalization strategy must address issues well beyond those of a simple localization project. Furthermore, localization involves many more details than mere translation. Finally, there is far more to a good translation process than simply changing the words to another language. And don't forget - after you build all these localized websites, you'll need to maintain them all, keeping them in synch as you do so. All of this - and more - can be encompassed by the term "globalization".   Presented by: Philip Bouchard, Managing Director of Projects   Philip Bouchard has been with Onlinefocus for more than 4 years, first as a Senior Project Manager, and then as Managing Director of Projects. Prior to joining Onlinefocus, Philip acquired 20 years of experience in the design and development of educational computer software - including several best-selling titles focusing on geography and cultures.   Philip has long held a deep passion for languages, cultures, and international issues - deepened by living for a year in South America. Philip has played a key role in the FedEx globalization efforts - where Onlinefocus has built and maintains parallel websites for 188 countries, in a total of 16 languages. Our streamlined globalization system allows for rapid and simultaneous updates to this huge number of websites - at a fraction of the cost of maintaining all the sites separately.   Speaker Notes How is globalization different from localization? Suppose you work for a company that, until now, has operated exclusively in the U.S. However, your company is now opening a major office in Germany, and you need a website to go with it. You'll be offering pretty much the same products and services in both countries, with only some minor differences. In this case, you'll be focusing on localization issues - to localize your U.S. website to Germany.   An effective globalization strategy must address issues well beyond the issues faced by a simple localization project. Localization involves many more details than mere translation. There is far more to a good translation process than simply changing the words from one language to another. After you build all those websites, you'll need an effective system to maintain all those websites and to keep them all in synch.   Globalization To create globalization strategy and framework, you need to address a set of business decisions, and a set of technology decisions. The globalization strategy is the primary reflection of the key business decisions, while the globalization framework is the primary reflection of the key technology decisions.   Localization Localization is lot more than translation. First and foremost, localization is the process of adapting your materials (in this case, a website) to be appropriate for the local market. It's something of a balancing act, because you also have to consider your international objectives, such as consistent branding. For example, A common expression in Colombia is "Le provoca un tinto?" which means, "Would you like some black coffee?" But the same phrase used in Spain would be interpreted as "Does red wine make you fight?" If you're trying to sell coffee - well, the two different interpretations certainly put a different spin on your marketing campaign.   Translation Process Translation, in short, is copy writing. Too often people assume that anyone who can speak a foreign language can be an effective translator for that language. But would you assume that anyone who speaks English is qualified to write the copy for your U.S. website? No, your standards are probably a little bit higher than that. If you were hiring a copywriter for your U.S. website, you'd probably consider the quality of the candidates' writing, their writing style, their knowledge of your industry and its terminology, and so on. The same considerations are important in ANY language, even if the copy is translated.   There are some technical considerations in the translation process, as well:   How do you ensure that every bit of language has been found and translated? Copy in need of translation is not limited to the HTML. It's also found in graphics, databases, Flash, etc. How do you manage the translated text so that all of it ends up back in the right places?   Maintenance Maintaining the international websites is often a bigger issue than building them in the first place - and probably more expensive too. If you want an efficient worldwide maintenance strategy, then you need to plan that strategy before you build the websites.   Register   Telesymposiums are free to join and your level of participation is up to you. Sit and listen or share your experience and expertise.   Register now         © 1996-2006 Onlinefocus, Inc. | Contact Us | A UCI Web Group Company. All rights reserved.