| Let’s face it, business websites always aim to | | | | online transactions like buying a certain product. |
| reach a wider audience in the different parts of the | | | | Americans may be used to this but not the Germans |
| world. Going online is the easiest and one of the | | | | and the Chinese, among many other races. Germans |
| most effective ways to go global. By developing | | | | use cash or money order while the Chinese prefer |
| websites, companies have a great chance of drawing | | | | haggling. |
| more visitors who can become their potential | | | | Colours are also important. |
| customers. | | | | They play a significant role in a website’s |
| This going global thing is called internationalization and | | | | design but more than that, they mean different |
| a vital part of this is understanding the varied cultures | | | | things to different cultures. Red, for instance, signifies |
| of the world. Of course, one of the best ways to do | | | | danger in North America while other cultures use the |
| this is to use the language of your intended market. | | | | colour green or black for similar purpose. If black |
| This is critical since not everybody speaks the | | | | means mourning in Western culture, Asians use the |
| universal language which is English. | | | | colour white. It is then vital that colours are well |
| When applied to websites, going international means | | | | chosen when creating international websites. |
| using different languages of your target audience for | | | | Conversion of currency, weights and measures are |
| their benefit. This process is called localization in web | | | | essential. |
| design and it is here where the website translation | | | | This is to provide convenience to your target |
| tools prove very useful. Forrester Research, in their | | | | audience especially when they shop online. You would |
| study of multilingual websites, found that international | | | | not want them to use a separate calculator, would |
| web users are three times more likely to browse | | | | you? Otherwise, you would only lose your visitor. But |
| through a site and buy a product from a site in their | | | | with an automatic conversion facility on your site, |
| native language. | | | | your visitors will readily know the correct information |
| Specific terms should also be carefully studiedfor | | | | they need. |
| better understanding of your target audience. An | | | | Finally, being sensitive to your international audience |
| example is the shopping cart used by most | | | | and their values can go a long way in establishing |
| e-commerce websites in North America. Shopping | | | | trust and confidence on your site as well as building |
| cart literally refers to a container that holds the items | | | | favorable business to customer relationships. While |
| being purchased by people but the term may | | | | the culture in North American may be informal such |
| confuse Europeans who are used to shopping with a | | | | as in their greetings, web designers should research |
| basket and not a cart. | | | | on the appropriate ones used in other cultures to |
| Language is just one factor, though. | | | | avoid offending your visitors. The Japanese, for |
| Another aspect to consider in website localization is | | | | example, use formal greetings that usually include the |
| the shopping habits of online users which vary by | | | | last name of the person being addressed to while the |
| culture. Not everybody uses a credit card when doing | | | | Europeans have their own way. |