About this Author
John Yunker is founder of Byte Level Research and author of the widely acclaimed book, Beyond Borders: Web Globalization Strategies and editor of Global By Design. He has covered the emerging field of Web globalization for half a decade and has published a wide range of reports dedicated to best practices in Web localization and internationalization.
About this blog
Going Global focuses on the risks and rewards of expanding into new geographic and cultural markets, from Web globalization to international marketing to global usability.
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Monthly Archives
June 30, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
When an organization begins offering Web content in multiple languages, it must decide how best to direct Web users to these languages.
Enter the "global gateway."
The global gateway is a term I began using a number of years ago to refer to all the visual and technical devices a Web site may employ to direct users to local content quickly and seamlessly. Elements may include everything from a country specific domain name (such as www.amazon.fr) to a splash global gateway to geolocation.
But I want to focus on e visual device that is used quite frequently in the global gateway: the national flag.
See how Toyota uses flags as links to the many country-specific Prius Web sites:
But while flags do a great job of linking to country-specific Web sites, they don't do so well linking to language-specific Web sites. Which brings me to the Web site for the upcoming Live 8 event.
This Web site offers three languages: English, Italian, and German. The links to the languages are located in the region I call the "sweet spot" -- the upper right corner of the Web page. Here is a detailed view:
I'm finding that more and more Web sites are positioning their global gateways in the sweet spot - a good move, because not only is this position highly visible, but more and more Web users are being conditioned to look for global navigation within this region.
Unfortunately, the flags themselves create the impression that the Web site is more exclusive than I imagine it was intended to be. The British flag is naturally used to denote English, but does this mean this content is not meant for Americans, Australians, and others? You get the idea. In truth, there is no flag that can adequately denote English any more than a flag that denotes Spanish.
So what should Live 8 have done instead of using flags? While it is not quite so visually engaging, plain old-fashioned text would have sufficed. Just be sure that the text is displayed in the Web user's language, such as Deutsch instead of German.
Some of us in the localization industry would recommend that companies avoid using flags altogether. I'm not quite so adamant against them because I have seen them aid in usability. The key, however, is in knowing when they will impair usability.
Comments (1)
+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Web Globalization
June 29, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
With SDL buying TRADOS, the maker of the leading desktop translation memory (TM) tool, globalization tools competitor Idiom is betting that translation agencies will be reluctant to buy TM tools from SDL, since SDL also sells translation services.
Enter the Idiom WorldServer LSP Advantage Program.
Details are light on this announcement (where's the pricing?) but you have to give credit to Idiom for trying. Based on my very unscientific survey the other day, the agencies I spoke with were generally fine with the SDL/TRADOS deal, but sentiments could easily change once it comes time to purchase new software. However, even if a translation agency decides to look around for TM alternatives to SDL/TRADOS, Idiom will have its work cut out in raising awareness and credibility.
The exciting thing about this announcement is that this is just the tip of the iceberg. Now that there is all this consolidation in the top tier of the localization industry, we're going to see lots of new and existing companies hoping to take advantage of the new competitive environment.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Globalization Vendors
June 27, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
The rumors were true: Lionbridge announced that it is acquiring Bowne Global Solutions (BGS) "for at least $180 million (excluding cash received), in a combination of cash and common stock. The transaction is expected to close in the third quarter of 2005 and is expected to be accretive to Lionbridge earnings within the first full quarter of combined operations, excluding restructuring and related expenses. An investor webcast and a conference call are scheduled for 9:00 am EST Tuesday, June 28th."
So there you have it. Lionbridge is the new king of the globalization services hill -- "creating a $400 million provider with global scale across more than 25 countries and approximately 500 customers."
It's been a very busy week in the globalization industry. First SDL/TRADOS and now Lionbridge/BGS. I'll have lots to say about this deal as I learn more, but I do think it's a good move for Lionbridge, provided the company can continue to diversify beyond the software industry.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Globalization Vendors
Posted by John Yunker
My favorite tech news site, Engadget, announced today the launch of its Japanese language site. It already offers a Chinese site and I expect the Spanish site to be announced shortly.
Engadget provides an excellent case study of how small businesses can capitalize on the benefits of Web globalization. For Engadget, Google Adwords, now available in more than 40 languages, provides the business model. But it's not just virtual companies that stand to benefit from Web globalization. Consider the B&B who wishes to grab a growing share of those international travelers coming to the US to take advantage of a weak dollar.
A multilingual Web site isn't just for IBM and Starbucks anymore. We're going to see more and more small businesses invest in Web globalization in the years ahead.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Web Globalization
June 25, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
Last week, I asked for reactions to the SDL/TRADOS acquisition and boy did I get an earful, most of it positive and most if it from translation agencies. Here are a few excerpts:
• " If SDL keeps its promise, and continues to listen to customers and produce good products, which they have promised, the result could be a combination of 2 great ways of approaching TM."
• " It certainly doesn’t feel good to take your money to your competitor, but I wonder if buying from SDL can really harm us. ... And what will the end result be? A withering Workbench and a blooming SDLX? A mix of both? Just SDLX? And if two distinct tools will continue to exist, it may be interesting to observe if SDL is using the same tool for their customers as they promote to others (us). I think for SDL it will be challenging to build and retain the image of a neutral business partner."
• "As a Trados user, I have reservations about the support and future products from the new SDL. I hope that this is a step in the right direction in creating better tools and services for our industry. I will be interested to see how limited competition will affect the pricing."
• " We've been struggling with which company to purchase software from and now that won't be an issue. Glad we had some patience."
I'm still talking to buyers of translation services to get their reaction to the deal; so far the responses have ranged from neutral to positive. Most clients aren't terribly concerned about who makes their software, just so long as standards are supported, price is held in line (or reduced), and usability continues to improve.
Finally, a number of readers said they thought the TRADOS purchase price of $60 million was too high. This price is roughly 2.5 times earnings. Compare that against a multiple of 1 that translation agencies generally command and this price may indeed seem high. But it's also important to note that the past two years were hardly the best time to be hawking new enterprise software, which was precisely what TRADOS was trying to accomplish. This year, we're seeing new optimism, increased spending, account consolidation, and a sense of urgency among companies seeking to expand globally; the timing may play nicely into SDL's hands.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Globalization Vendors
June 24, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
So now that SDL has announced its plans to buy TRADOS, the buzz around the industry is when Lionbridge is going to finally pull the trigger on purchasing its larger competitor Bowne Global Solutions (BGS). Based on what I'm hearing, the question isn't "if" but "when."
Last month, I asked Lionbridge CEO Rory Cowan what the main benefit of buying BGS would be and he answered "volume." Now that Lionbridge has production centers up and running in India and a brand-new translation memory tool, it is ready to scale.
And the acquisition would put Lionbridge within arm's reach of a half billion dollars in annual revenue, making it the gorilla in this industry (at least until an IBM Global Services decides to drop in).
But, regardless of what happens, the globalization services industry is really starting to get exciting again. Between the consolidation, innovation, and overall industry growth, this is a great time to be in the business of helping companies go global.
PS: I wrote about Lionbridge's new translation memory service in the June issue of Global By Design
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Globalization Vendors
Posted by John Yunker
Apple's globalization of iTunes appears to be moving right along. According to the press release, "iTunes Music Stores were launched in the UK, France and Germany in June 2004, and now operate in 17 European countries including Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, Greece, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland. The European iTunes Music Stores have catalogs of over one million songs each, and feature content from all major music companies and over 1,000 independent record labels."
Now we wait for Apple to tackle Asia. Sites for Australia, New Zealand, and Japan are expected this year.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Business Globalization
June 23, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
eBay held its annual developers conference and, according to this article, is not close to launching any translation service for sellers. Here's an excerpt:
Another questioner wanted to know if eBay had any plans for a translation feature, saying it was difficult for sellers to sell in a multi-cultural, multi-language region, for example on a European site where browsers might be from Germany, Italy, Spain, etc. Steinhorn responded they hadn't thought through all the ramifications of such a service, for example, if eBay's translation was "less than spectacular." Don Durbin suggested a good approach might be to partner with someone within the country to do the translation, and indicated one seller had created a tool with tabs within a listing for different languages such as English, Italian, etc. She said she did not expect eBay would be offering translation services in the near future.
And eBay's loss of Japan to Yahoo! is clearly still a source of pain:
Cobb and Jordan's answers seemed to highlight the international focus of much of the conference. The "biggest blight" on the record of international has been Japan, said Cobb. "We were late" in the Japanese market, said Jordan. The Japanese didn't respond to an English-written product with dollars," he said wryly, to laughter from the audience.
What eBay doesn't highlight is that their classified portal, Kijiji, is already localized for Japan; so to some extent they are trying to get back in. And, I believe, they really have no choice but take another shot at Japan. I wrote about this earlier this year in our eBay Global Profilereport.
On a separate note, eBay has partnered with B-B trade portal in China, Global Sources. You can read about the deal here.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Business Globalization
Posted by John Yunker
I spent Saturday at the Association of Language Companies conference in Pasadena and gave a talk on Web globalization. I'm glad I went. I'm seeing more and more agencies trying to grab a share of the rapidly growing Web globalization industry. My presentation was on the "Web globalization opportunity (and risk)."
Because I had so many requests for the presentation, I've posted it online here: www.bytelevel.com/global.
The key takeaways from the presentation are:
1. Web globalization is inevitable for most companies and, as a result, a huge opportunity for translation agenices.
2. Many translation agencies avoid Web globalization because they think they don't have the skills or tools. And yet many Web globalization projects are surprisingly easy to manage.
3. If you want to hone your Web globalization skills, start by globalizing your own agency Web site. Doing so sends a message to prospects that you are skilled at Web globalization. You don't have to translate your entire Web site - a "brochure" Web site in a few languages will do the trick. Be sure to include Chinese or Japanese (or both); Arabic is a hot language these days as well.
4. When selling Web globalization services, remember that your buyer may be new to translation. They may not know the difference between internationalization and localization and they may not appreciate it if you assume that they should know it. That's why I use the term Web globalization or web site globalization. People get it. When selling Web globalization services, you're going to have to invest the time to educate your clients. So many companies are just dipping their toes into these waters.
5. Just because you are already the "agency of record" for a company does not mean you'll also get the Web globalization account. It's important that you stay in touch with the marketing and Web teams so they know to include you in the RFP.
6. Along these lines, Web globalization is often the "back door" for aggressive vendors into new accounts. The danger of ignoring Web globalization opportunities is that you allow competitors to develop a relationship with your clients. And, since so much content is moving toward to the Web, you risk being marginalized down the road.
7. If you think you're too late to the Web globalization game, think again. Most companies are just getting started localizing their Web sites. Opportunities are enormous.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Business Globalization | Translation | Web Globalization
June 22, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
Simon Anholt is the author of Another One Bites The Grass and Brand New Justice, two books that don't get nearly the amount of attention they should.
I'm glad to see Simon resurface recently in a partnership between him and research firm GMI. They have launched the Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index.
According to the Web site, "Nation brand is an important concept in today's world. Globalization means that countries compete with each other for the attention, respect and trust of investors, tourists, consumers, donors, immigrants, the governments of other nations and the media: so a powerful and positive nation brand provides a crucial competitive advantage. It is essential for countries both rich and poor to understand how they are seen by the publics around the world; how their achievements and failures, their assets and liabilities, and their people and products are reflected in their brand image."
Sweden came out on top overall (The lower the score the better)...
It's probably next to impossible to find someone who doesn't have a positive image of Sweden. But I was surprised to see the US score so high. The study acknowledges that only a limited number of countries were included in this first survey and that the US might not have scored so high if countries like France, Australia, New Zealand, and others were included. It will be interesting to follow this survey in future quarters.
This index is free for download, for now at least, and well worth a read.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Cultural Issues
June 21, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
There was a great article recently in the Wall Street Journal that describes the challenges that Disney faces in launching Hong Kong Disneyland later this year. According to the article, there are more than 290 million consumers in China under the age of 14. Imagine the number of Mickey Mouse hats they could sell!
And yet Disney has had very mixed results with theme parks outside the US. On one hand you have Paris, which is still struggling to make ends meet; on the other hand there is Tokyo, which is a massive success. The big question is whether China's culture will embrace Disney's culture. This article excerpt illustrates the uphill battle that Disney faces:
While Hong Kong's relatively wealthy 6.8 million citizens are well versed in Disney's cartoons-and-Cinderella culture, the brand is far less pervasive in mainland China. Many Western media and consumer-products companies have stopped exporting their Western goods, choosing instead to develop more locally tailored fare. Chinese consumers are drawn to luxury, but still want culturally relevant products. And sometimes the government demands Chinese goods: It recently proposed banning foreign-made cartoons on prime-time TV.
Britney Spears doesn't burn up the charts in China. Today, 70% of music and 90% of all programming on Viacom Inc.'s MTV China is made in China. At Yum Brand's KFC, 85% of the menu is unique to China, with some cross-cultural hybrids, such "Dragon Twisters" with Peking duck sauce.
So Disney is making some attempts to localize the experience for its Asian guests, like creating more photo opportunities and changing "Main Street, U.S.A." to "World Bazaar." And let's not forget the now-infamous "shark fin soup" episode; Disney recently agreed to take that item off its menu after pressure from outside Asia. Which begs the question: How local can you be to one culture without offending another culture?
Cultural speed bumps are inevitable these days. I am glad to see Disney putting the effort into balancing its global culture with China's culture. My prediction is that Disney will do well in Hong Kong and exceedingly well when it sets up shop in Shanghai. That is, until a local competitor builds a "Chinaland" equivalent, trying to beat Disney at its own game.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Business Globalization
Posted by John Yunker
The term "transcreation" doesn't exactly roll off the tongue, but it is getting used increasingly by a new wave of firms seeking to distance themselves from translation firms.
This article profiles an ad agency that is marketing transcreation as a value-added service. Here's an excerpt:
Tayrona, whose clients include Hilton Hotels and larger ad agencies working for such multinationals as furniture giant Ikea, has some 20 staffers on contract from Los Angeles, Mexico, Colombia and Argentina. It's a virtual office of collaborators connected by Web cameras and keyboards, and helps reduce overhead, Osorio said.
The firm charges 24 cents per word compared with 30 cents to 40 cents per word from larger agencies, and guarantees more authentic copy.
"Many advertising agencies are charging too much for clients," he said. "They're paying too much for meeting rooms so they can watch people scratch their heads in meetings."
In defense of the translation industry, a good translator also transcreates. That's just part of the job. But savvy executives see an opportunity to offer translation-like services at a better rate. I suspect we'll be seeing a lot more of transcreation in the months ahead. Why? Because translation sounds like a commodity; transcreation sounds like a service.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Translation
June 20, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
SDL International, the world's third-largest translation/localization agency announced today its plans to acquire TRADOS, the maker of the world's most popular machine translation software.
In the translation industry, this is very big news.
Every translation agency that uses TRADOS (which is most of them) and thousands of their clients that also use TRADOS will be affected by this deal.
And this is also a very big gamble for SDL. The company is betting that the "full service" solution of software and services is what clients want and need.
Meanwhile, Lionbridge is bettting on a different business model and it will be very interesting to see how this all plays out.
I had a brief chat with SDL on Friday about this deal and they are clearly very excited. SDL has been competing with TRADOS with a lower-priced software tool that was steadily gaining market share. In fact, SDL had been running a marketing campaign that basically urged companies to "switch" from TRADOS to SDL. Now, companies don't need to switch.
The larger question will be if SDL can succeed where TRADOS has struggled: in selling enterprise content management software. SDL thinks it can, and I think they'll do a good job, provided they get a handle on what large enterprises really want and need. The traditional business model of selling enterprise software is broken and in need of new ideas and pricing models. I look forward to seeing how SDL tackles the TRADOS GXT software.
Here is the press release
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Globalization Vendors
June 19, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
The announcement by the WSJ that Google is prepping a payment service is big news in the ecommerce world and, I think, good news for consumers.
According to the article, "Exact details of the search company's planned service are not known. But the knowledgeable people say it could have similarities with PayPal, which allows consumers to pay for purchases on Web sites by funding electronic-payment accounts from their credit cards or checking accounts. Some consumers like PayPal for the security it offers, since it allows them to share their banking or credit-card numbers only with PayPal without having to divulge the information to merchants."
PayPal is a great service. My company uses it and it has allowed us to accept payments from all over the world. My only concern has been the flood of PayPal phishing spam and what effect it is having on user trust and behavior.
But now we have Google getting into the game, with a service possibly called Google Wallet. At the very least I believe that Google Wallet will pressure eBay to rethink its global expansion strategy for PayPal. Currently, PayPal follows in the footsteps of eBay. When eBay launches a country Web site, it's just a matter of time before PayPal supports that market.
However, PayPal might be wise in expanding into markets ahead of eBay because Google has a track record of "going global" at a blistering pace. eBay knows well, after ceding Japan to Yahoo! a few years back, how being a late entrant into a market can hurt. And yet Google is going to face its share of roadblocks along the way. The reason PayPal has gone global relatively slowly is not so much technical but legal. PayPal needs to forge partnerships with local banks and get regulatory approval in these markets before it can enter, and you can imagine the time and lobbying involved; I've heard that this process alone can take up to 18 months per market. There is still no PayPal China.
I would imagine that Google is going to have to do jump through the very same hoops that PayPal has jumped through, unless it is taking a different approach altogether.
Regardless, I'm glad to see Google getting into ecommerce in a global way. It will push PayPal to be even better, most likely keep processing fees low, and keep the folks at Visa, MasterCard, et al at bay.
Comments (2)
+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Business Globalization | China | Web Globalization
June 16, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
According to this AP article, the European Union has promoted Gaelic, Ireland's native tongue, to "official" status.
This is good news for Gaelic translators, as the EU will have to churn out official documents in this language, in addition to the 20 other official EU languages. The EU translation bureau is easily the world's largest translation agency. According to the article...
Translation costs for the EU's 20 official languages had already been spiraling out of control. In January, officials said the amount was set to pass $1 billion following the entry in 2004 of 10 new EU members chiefly from Eastern Europe.
Now that's one heck of a translation bill. And this bill is only going to get bigger...
The European Union also granted semiofficial status Monday to three other regional languages: Basque, Catalan and Galician.
Residents of Galicia in northwestern Spain, Catalonia in eastern Spain and the Basque region straddling the Spanish-French border will all be able to receive EU documents in their home tongues — but only because the Spanish government agreed to pay for the costs of translation.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Translation
June 15, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
According to Bloomberg, the US Hispanic population is growing three times more quickly than the US population as a whole.
Here's an article excerpt...
Hispanics accounted for half the U.S. population growth from July 2003 to July 2004 and numbered 41.3 million, about 14 percent of the population, as of July 1, 2004.
The U.S. population is about 296.3 million. Population growth from July 1, 2003, to July 1, 2004, was 2.9 million, the Census Bureau said, with half of that coming from Hispanics.
Over that period, the Hispanic growth rate was 3.6 percent compared with a growth rate of 1.0 percent for the population as a whole, the bureau said.
Given these statistics, it's little wonder that US companies are aggressively launching Spanish-language Web sites. I've compiled a growing list of these Web sites here.
If you have any to add, please email them to info@bytelevel.com
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: US Hispanic Market
Posted by John Yunker
According to the Moscow Times, Starbucks has opened its first retail location in Russia.
No Russian Web site yet, but I have no doubt that one is in the works. That makes it 19 countries (and counting) for Starbucks.
And, after a brief trip to Osaka, I have to say that Starbucks is doing very well in Japan. The chain is not nearly as ubiquitous in Osaka as it is in Tokyo, but it's getting there...
UPDATE: I stand corrected. There are more than 30 countries around the world that include at least one Starbucks. Here is the current list (Russia not yet included):
- Australia
- Austria
- Bahrain
- Canada
- Chile
- China
- Cyprus
- France
- Germany
- Greece
- Indonesia
- Japan
- Jordan
- Kuwait
- Lebanon
- Malaysia
- Mexico
- New Zealand
- Oman
- Peru
- Philippines
- Puerto Rico
- Qatar
- Saudi Arabia
- Singapore
- South Korea
- Spain
- Switzerland
- Taiwan
- Thailand
- Turkey
- United Arab Emirates
- United Kingdom
- United States
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Business Globalization
June 14, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
The news that Microsoft's new China MSN blogging portal is censoring "prohibited language" such as "democracy, freedom and human rights" is unsettling to say the least.
"MSN abides by the laws, regulations and norms of each country in which it operates," said Brooke Richardson, MSN lead product manager.
Every country has its rules that companies must play by, but what if these rules are just plain wrong? I understand that Microsoft is desperate to do business in China and I understand that if Microsoft doesn't play by China's crazy rules that some other multinational most certainly will (see Yahoo!, eBay and countless others). Privately, many executives tell me that they are playing nice with China in the hopes that these rules one day are relaxed. But by playing by the rules aren't you giving China less incentive to relax them?
The mark of a great company is one that is not afraid to turn away business if it violates their sense of ethics. When American-based companies assist a government in banning the use of words like "freedom" and "democracy" these companies have become part of the problem and not part of the solution. This isn't localization; this is capitulation.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Business Globalization | China
June 7, 2005
Blink ›
Apple iTunes Japan Planned for August
According to Engadget, the iTunes Music Store will indeed open in 2005 in Japan. That would make it a total of 20 iTunes country stores, with still plenty of room left to grow.
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Posted by John Yunker
The techie news blog engagdget is launching a China site, with more countries/languages to follow. According to engadget, the site "will feature translations of Engadget posts, as well as original stuff specifically for the Chinese market, and will be the first of several foreign language editions of Engadget that we’ll be launching in the coming months." The site is cearly in 'beta' still.
On the plus side, the site smartly positions the language selector in the "sweet spot" of the upper right corner of the Web page. But on the negative side is the awkward URL: http://chinese.engadget.com/. The problem with using the "Chinese" label is that there is more than one Chinese language in use around the world. Now, if the site were labeled as engadget China, users would know to expect Traditional Chinese. And the site's URL could simply be www.engadget.cn. But it could be that engadget wants to avoid targeting specific countries and stick only with languages (and I'll explain why in a sec).
Also, many of the "template" text items like "read" and "filed under" could use translation as well. But, clearly, it is early yet.
Now, why is engadget rushing to add all these languages Web sites?
Adwords
As Google keeps expanding its Adwords program into more and more languages, it provides a nice roadmap for growth for virtual companies such as engadget. This is why engadget is taking the "language" approach rather than the "country" approach. Makes good sense. Currently the site isn't using Chinese-language adwords, but I'm sure that will change.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: China | Web Globalization
June 5, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
The standards organization OASIS recently approved Darwin Information Typing Architecture (DITA) version 1.0 as an OASIS Standard -- a "status that signifies the highest level of ratification."
So what exactly is DITA?
According to the press release, "DITA consists of a set of design principles for creating "information-typed" modules at a topic level. DITA enables organizations to deliver content as closely as possible to the point-of-use, making it ideal for applications such as integrated help systems, web sites, and how-to instruction pages. DITA's topic-oriented content can be used to exploit new features or delivery channels as they become available."
Still not clear?
I'm afraid this is one of those standards that only an information architect could love. Fortunately for me, I did have the benefit of an Idiom presentation on DITA recently. The presentation illustrated how the standard will aid in managing content across languages as well as across departments and media (Web, print, mobile).
And there is a real need among enterprises for an XML standard that allows them to "chunk" content in a way that allows for such wide-scale reuse and translation. I'll know more when I see some real-world success stories, of which there are none as of yet. But I'm sure the folks at Idiom and Arbortext are writing up their case studies as we speak.
So where will we be seeing DITA commercially?
Here are the principal vendor supporters: Idiom, Arbortext, BMC, IBM, Intel, Nokia, Oracle, and Sun. The ones to watch are not just these folks but also the folks not on the list, particularly Documentum, Interwoven, and Vignette. It will be interesting to see if other CMS vendors jump on the DITA bandwagon.
If you want to learn more, and have a few hours to spare, here are the tech specs on DITA.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Business Globalization | Globalization Vendors | Software Localization | Translation | Web Globalization
June 4, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
In 2002, Beyond Borders: Web Globalization Strategies published. That's a very long time ago in book publishing years, so I'm pleased to say that New Riders Press (now known as Peachpit Press) is re-printing the book.
Web globalization is hot these days and this book, to my knowledge, is the only one out there that provides hands-on advice and best practices. In fact, the book is selling better today than it did in 2002 (when Web globalization was still a novelty for most companies). Personally, I'm just real happy to see it out there still as it truly was a labor of love to write.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Web Globalization
Posted by John Yunker
According to this article China's translation market is anywhere between US$1.3bn and US$2.5bn; this is according to the Translators Association of China.
Also according to the assocation, there are 3,000 registered translation companies in China, although the article mentions that there could be more than 10,000 agencies (primarily mom and pop types) in all.
This market revenue estimate seems a bit steep to me. If we assume that the 3,000 registered firms are doing $2bn in revenues, that would mean each firm is averaging more than half a million dollars in revenues. Since most small firms in the US and Europe average less than $200,000, I'd say the $2bn number is aiming a bit too high. If we were to try to get to $2bn using all 10,000 Chinese firms, each firm would still need to generate US$180,000 -- still too high on average.
Of course, the wild card here is what percentage of revenues is driven by the Chinese government. Perhaps the government alone is contributing $500m or so to the pie; if that's the case I can see how the association is reaching this market estimate.
Any thoughts/input from you vendors out there?
PS: I almost forgot the mention the point of the article: "The State Commission for Administration of Standardization recently approved China's first set of standards on the quality of translation, effective from Sept. 1 of this year."
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Translation
Posted by John Yunker
TRADOS recently held a globalization summit in France with attendees from companies such as SAP, VERITAS, FedEx, Credit Suisse, Monster, GlaxoSmithKline, HP, Intel, Symantec, World Health Organization, and Cisco Systems.
According to the press release, executives identified their top five most important global business issues, in order of importance:
(1) reducing time needed to launch products and campaigns in world markets
(2) increasing customer satisfaction in world markets
(3) reducing globalization costs
(4) expanding into new markets
(5) controlling multinational brands
Interestingly, every one of these issues can be at least partly addressed by an effective global Web site.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Web Globalization
Posted by John Yunker
PayPal continues its strategy of following in eBay's footsteps by lauching PayPal.es to support eBay.es.
According to the press release the "new site (https://www.paypal.es) is written in Spanish, offers information customized for Spanish PayPal account holders, and enables payments in Euros, the common currency in Spain."
PayPal currently supports six currencies: U.S. Dollars, Canadian Dollars, Pounds Sterling, Euros, Japanese Yen, and Australian Dollars. I find it very interesting that PayPal supports Yen even though eBay offers no Japan Web site (yet).
PayPal Spain joins the list of 11 PayPal countries currently supported. There is plenty of room left to grow, as there are more than 22 eBay country Web sites (and counting).
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