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a corporate web site must include: global content, translated into many languages to be used for the whole world, and local content, directly drafted in each language for the local market.  |
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Having determined the company’s target public, the web can be adapted taking into account two variables: the content and the language. According to the World Wide Web Consortium (W3C), an international body which develops inter-operative technology (specifications, directives, programming and tools) to give the Network its maximum potential, the
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theoretical models.
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Web in one language, with single content
Recommended, for example, for webs addressed to an international technical public.
If addressed to a general public there is the risk that the customers will not understand the information or will not feel comfortable on account of the cultural distance. This model can be particularly problematical if the web is intended to sell, convince or entertain.
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Web in one language, with adapted contents
Some webs, in spite of being in a single language, adapt the content to the local customer. For example, when the customers speak the same language but have different buying habits, different prices or currencies, different legal requirements, etc. This model is more complex than the first but is more suited to the user.
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Multilingual web, with the same content in all languages
This type of web simplifies the understanding of its message but disregards the cultural differences of local customers.
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Multilingual web, with the content adapted for each language
If the purpose of the company’s web site is to persuade the customer or sell him a product, the ideal is a multilingual web also adapted to the local culture and the customer’s interests. This model is the most complex.
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In practice, webs usually have global content and local content. Robert Hopkins Jr. (1996), president of the web translation company Weblations (http://www.weblations.com), considers that a corporate web site must include:
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global content, translated into many languages to be used for the whole world, and
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local content, directly drafted in each language for the local market.
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Among the examples of global content we find: information on products, technical support documents, tutorials, business profiles, messages by international trade marks and the design of the web itself. This material is applicable everywhere and is relatively unaffected by national or cultural differences. Normally it represents the major part of a web site.
Among the examples of local content are: products available on a local scale (usually a subgroup of the international mixture), local promotions, sales and advertising campaigns and local sales contents points. If prepared correctly, the most important and interesting editorial material can be the local content. A few pages of material can do a lot in convincing the public that the company belongs to its culture. |
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