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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August 27, 2006
Posted by John Yunker
Quechua is the language of the Incan Empire and is spoken by roughly 10 million people throughout South America, the majority of whom live in Peru and Bolivia.
Recent developments suggest that this “minority” language is not going gently into that good night.
Google currently supports Quechua with a localized search engine.
And it is not the only software company to support this language.
I read this morning, via Michael Kaplan’s blog, that Microsoft now supports Quechua in Windows and its Office software. It will be announcing this language support with the newly elected president of Bolivia, Evo Morales, who is an Indian. I should note that this level of support only applies to menus and commands; I don’t expect to see a knowledgebase translated anytime soon. Still, a little support is much much better than no support.
In addition, The Economist features an article on Quechua, noting that a recently elected member of Peru’s Congress is now speaking Quechuan instead of Spanish.
This high-level support for the language will help ensure that multinational companies provide support as well, a positive sign for the one of the world’s oldest surviving languages.
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June 20, 2006
Posted by John Yunker
I always have wondered what Europeans would call US football if and when it became popular over there. Apparently, I'm not alone and ESPN has a solution to that pesky soccer/football naming issue. You can view the ad here
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September 26, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
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September 19, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
The New York Times has an entertaining piece on culture and its role in how long people are apt to wait in line.
The article focuses on the new Disney Hong Kong theme park, which has had experienced epic lines thus far; apparently, part of the problem is that Asians are more likely to stand in line than other cultures, resulting in longer lines. (Or, could it also be that Disney simply lets in too many people?)
Here's an excerpt:
Ms. Zhou, who has studied the psychology of queuing in Hong Kong, although not at theme parks, said there was a tendency among Asians and others in more collective cultures to compare their situation with those around them. This may make it more likely that they will remain in a line even if it is excessively long.
Ms. Zhou said this finding was rooted in a somewhat paradoxical observation: that it is the people behind a person in line, rather than in front, that determines the person's behavior.
"The likelihood of people giving up and leaving the queue is lower when they see more people behind them," Ms. Zhou said. "You feel like you are in a better position than the others behind you."
By contrast, she said, Americans and others in more individualistic societies make fewer "social comparisons" of this sort. They don't necessarily feel better that more people are behind them, but feel bad if too many people are in front of them. Lines in these cultures tend to be more self-limiting.
Here's the full article. Hurry now before the Times locks it down; it looks like they just started "TimesSelect."
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August 1, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
The second installment of the Anholt-GMI Nation Brands Index is out and the rankings have changed significantly, largely due to the fact that the survey now includes more countries (25 in all; the first edition included 11 countries).
Australia debuts in the number one spot, displacing Sweden. And the US falls to number 11...
Country Rankings
NBI 2005 Q2 Ratings
- Australia
- Canada
- Switzerland
- United Kingdom
- Sweden
- Italy
- Germany
- The Netherlands
- France
- New Zealand
- United States
I was surprised to see New Zealand so far down the list; I would have ranked it right up there with Oz. Currently, 1,000 respondents from only 10 countries are surveyed. You can download the full report here.
Going forward, it looks like they'll be charging for reports. I imagine any country that wants to improve its share of international tourists will want to subscribe to this survey.
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July 12, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
Do you display your phone number with dashes or periods?
ie: 555.555.5555 or 555-555-5555
The punctuation you choose says a lot about your company (or maybe just your choice of designer). And now it appears that there is a global angle to this story; according to this article, some folks believe periods are becoming popular in the US because they make phone numbers appear more international.
Here's an excerpt...
Another phone buff, Roger Conklin of Palmetto Bay, Fla., thinks globalization played a role. "The Europeans have been using dots from the beginning of time. Americans adopted dashes. Now that the world is getting smaller, each tends to want to emulate the other, resulting in a mixture," Conklin said.
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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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May 1, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
The NY Times has a great article about the making of Disneyland Hong Kong
It looks like Disney learned some painful but important lessons about the importance of localization from the Euro Disney disaster.
Writes Laura Holson...
When Disney opened Disneyland Paris in a former sugar beet field outside Paris in 1992, the company was roundly criticized for being culturally insensitive to its European guests. Now Disney burns incense ritually as each building is finished in Hong Kong, and has picked a lucky day (Sept. 12) for the opening.
This may seem silly to Westerners, but imagine Disney opening a new park in the US on Friday the 13th. Other details include a liberal use of the number 8 and an avoidance of the number 4. You won't find a fourth floor here.
I'm glad to see a more humble Disney localizing itself to the world. And I love this quote: "It used to be Disney was exported on its own terms," said Robert Thompson, a professor of popular culture at Syracuse University. "But in the late 20th and early 21st century, America's cultural imperialism was tested. Now, instead of being the ugly Americans, which some foreigners used to find charming, we have to take off our shoes or belch after a meal."
Now, about that Web site...
I couldn't help but notice that the Disney Hong Kong and Disneyland Hong Kong Web sites place their language navigation in the "sweet spot" of the upper right corner. This is the perfect location; here is a screen grab from the Disney Hong Kong page:
Perhaps the folks who manage Disney.com will follow Disney Hong Kong's lead. Today, if you visit Disney.com you'll have to look really hard to find the "global gateway." It's buried in a pull-down menu at the bottom of the Web page:
Now why is this a big deal? Because Web and marketing professionals are finding that up to half (and sometimes more) of their Web traffic to the .com page originates from outside the US. It's critical that these visitors find their languages and countries as quickly as possible. Disney Hong Kong gets it and I believe that Disney.com will get it too, eventually.
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April 28, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
Perhaps I expected too much. I loved The Lexus and the Olive Tree, and when I heard the title of Tom Friedman’s new book back in the fall, I got my hopes up. Just by the title, I knew what he was getting at, and I was thrilled to see such a high-profile columnist calling attention once again to this phenomenon that is globalization.
But now, having read The World is Flat, I’m a little disappointed. And yet I will recommend the book (three stars on Amazon) because I agree with his message, and I think it’s critically important that we have writers like Tom out there explaining the many ways that globalization makes the world a better place to live.
However, the book could have been much better with some ruthless editing. As a reader, I don’t like being talked down to, and I feel that Tom does that a bit too much, primarily by repeating many of the same concepts and buzzwords over and over again. For example, he explains why the world is flat early on. It’s a good metaphor, but Tom proceeds to attach "flat" to everything he sees. He sees customer service reps in India "flattening" their accents. He writes of the "coefficient of flatness" and "compassionate flatism." I felt as if Tom tried way too hard to make his flat metaphor stick. And maybe it will stick.
Here are a few nuggets from the book that did stick with me:
- "In the future globalization is going to be increasingly driven by the individuals who understand the flat world, adapt themselves quickly to the processes and technologies."
This is such a key point. The interesting thing about globalization is that it empowers individuals, even more than countries.
- Tom stresses that globalization helps the small firms as much as the big firms, perhaps even more. As the owner of a small firm, I agree. Tom quotes UPS CEO Mike Eskew: "You know who the majority of our customers and partners are? Small businesses. They are asking us to take them global. We help these companies achieve parity with the bigger guys."
- Tom talks about Eriksen Translations, a New York-based translation firm featured in my firm's Savvy Client’s Guide to Translation Agencies. Tom mentions how Eriksen embraced Skype, the VoIP service that is revolutionizing the telecoms industry. After the first six months of using Skype, the company cut phone costs by 10%. I only wish Tom had talked a bit more about translation agencies – these firms have been outsourcing work for decades and have always been early adopters of new technologies, from email to VoIP.
- "The Indians and Chinese are not racing us to the bottom. They are racing us to the top." The Lenovo/IBM deal is one example. And just wait until Chinese automakers start making their way into the US…
- "China has more than 160 cities with a population of one million or more."
Wow.
While I didn’t love this book, I liked it. If you’ve been reading The Economist for the past few years then much of this book will come across as old news. But if not, it’s worth a read. Tom is truly passionate about all that is good about globalization, and it comes through in his writing. The world needs more voices like his to prevent the US (and other nations) from knee-jerk protectionism as we collectively slouch toward a more connected world.
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March 30, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
What is it about the resurgence in "minority" languages around the world? Probably the inevitable backlash against the spread of globalization in general and English in particular.
Now it is Gaelic that is gaining momentum. According to this article, "only Gaelic will be used on road signs in the country's designated 'Gaeltacht' (Irish language) areas, which encompass more than 2,300 towns."
A 2002 census showed 1.4 million of Ireland's population of four million claimed to "have an ability" to speak Gaelic, and over a quarter of those said they spoke it on a daily basis.
Globalization is a funny, bipolar thing. The more it pulls us all together, the more we push back in an effort to remain unique. Just as it enables us to shop globally, new business opportunities arise for the "local" entrepeneur. And just when global business executives get hopeful for an English-speaking planet, local languages get popular again.
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March 28, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
Here's an interesting article about the resurgence of the Hawaiian language.
I've seeing similar instances of this phenomenon in other parts of the world. It seems that just when a culture is about to write off its native language for good, the next generation takes a liking to it. Is this enough of a liking to save the language forever? I'm not sure, but I'm glad to see these "minority" languages hanging in there.
Here's an excerpt from the article:
Hawaiian is the only indigenous language in the United States that showed growth in the 2000 census, said Verlieann Leimomi Malina-Wright, vice principal of Anuenue school. About 200,000 of Hawaii's 1.2 million people are of Native Hawaiian ancestry.
Hawaiian is recognized, along with English, in the state Constitution as an official state language. Some lawmakers want to require that Hawaiian be used on government signs and in government documents, although two bills on the matter have stalled.
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March 20, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
An interesting article in the Times (now locked down, I'm afraid) on the role that color is playing in social and political revolutions around the globe.
The Ukraine revolution became known as the Orange Revolution. President Bush referred to the recent Iraqi vote the Purple Revolution, in reference to the purple-stained fingers of those who voted.
The article notes that culture plays a large role in what color is chosen for a given movement: "In the Philippines, yellow is a sign of homecoming, so Corazon Aquino's trademark yellow dress became synonymous with the peaceful resistance that ousted President Ferdinand Marcos in 1986."
And the colors used these days are a far cry from the blacks, reds, and whites of the previous generations.
The article provides a handy color chart of the latest color/protest combinations:
Pink: Used by Iranian advocates of women's rights and reform.
Yellow: Used by pro-democracy opponents of Kyrgyzstan's president, Askar Akayev.
Cedar: Used by anti-Syrian independece-minded Lebanese.
Blue: Used by potential opponents of President Aleksandr Lukashenko of Belarus.
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March 18, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
Here's a good article on the upsides and downsides of this thing called globalization. And a few excerpts that jumped out at me:
In recent years, about 100,000 software-writing jobs have moved from the U.S. to India alone, according to the Economic Policy Institute. Those jobs would have paid a combined $136 billion a year in wages. By the end of 2005, one of every 10 jobs at U.S. information technology vendors and service providers will have moved offshore, according to data from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, Gartner and Morgan Stanley. Another 400,000 back-office jobs have already moved offshore and 3.3 million should move by 2015, according to Forrester Research.
Vivek Paul, vice chairman of Indian IT giant Wipro, figures that over the next five years, 7% of U.S. white-collar jobs could be moved overseas, and a whopping 60% of software jobs. "There's very little economic rationale for having those jobs in the U.S.," he says.
Globalization is a truly gut-wrenching experience for those who get made globally redundant through no fault of their own. What concerns me is that there appears to be a gold rush mentality about outsourcing these days. Everybody's doing it, which is why I can't help but wonder if we're witnessing a sort of offshoring bubble.
But, bubble or no bubble, a lot of people are now living out localized versions of the American dream...
Cruel to Westerners, offshoring is cause for celebration in Asia. This migration of jobs is one of globalization's greatest achievements-a fast-rising living standard in poor countries that is propelling better-educated Asian workers into an expanding middle class.
In Shanghai and Kuala Lumpur, in Delhi and Bombay, white-collar denizens of the offshoring boom now gather at hip bars and pricey restaurants. It is as if the exuberance of Silicon Valley has moved to Asia. They spend their new paychecks on trendy Western clothes, trips abroad and new cars. Every month, two million more Indians and five million more Chinese carry cell phones as their countries grow richer. Young college graduates job-hop for ever-higher pay. The future has never looked brighter. While Chinese computer programmers splurge to buy the latest consumer goods, many will live with their parents until they are in their 30s, saving three-quarters of their $5,000-a-year salaries to buy a home or a car. That is not a sacrifice for them. It is an improvement.
These are the best of times; these are the worst of times. And it all depends on which side of the world you're standing.
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March 6, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
I'm at the IA Summit in Montreal and have been pleased to find that IA (information architecture) professionals are tackling the challenges of content globalization in a big way. And this is a great thing, because the IA industry is critical to the evolution of truly successful global Web sites.
I'm not much of an IA guy, so I've been getting up to speed on industry buzzwords like facets and taxonomies and folksonomies. And the presentations by far have been terrific.
There were a total of four sessions that spoke directly to content globalization, touching on everything from translation testing to global IA (I gave a talk on one of my favorite topics, the global gateway). And there were a good number of attendees across these sessions -- mostly internal IA professionals and their agency counterparts. I did not find one localization industry professional (besides myself), but I expect that to change in the years ahead.
Thanks to the efforts of Louis Rosefeld, Peter Van Dijck, Jorge Arango, Livia Labate, and many others, I expect we'll see some really exciting things coming out of the IA industry, which will have a large impact on the localization industry. My personal goal will be to do what I can to get the localization industry and the IA industry to work more closely together to share insights and do a better job of advancing global Web sites, from taxonomy to translation.
PS: I spoke with more than a dozen IAs who are all working on brand new multilingual Web projects (from IT to services to apparel), another strong sign that companies have awakened to the importance of Web globalization. I said it before and I'll say it again: 2005 is the year that Web globalization goes mainstream.
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February 17, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
According to the AP, a "Bengali version of the longrunning American children's programme Sesame Street will be broadcast from April featuring Muppet characters drawn from Bangladeshi folklore."
Sesame Street is seen in 120 countries and localized for 30 of those countries.
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February 11, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
From Cool News of the Day...
"We hear about the spread of U.S. popular culture, making Europe, to its horror, more American. But the influence works the other way, too," says Matthew. "At many levels, we have more in common now, as the local goes global." The "culinary Babel," as Matthew (Kaminksi) calls it, isn't just a French-American thing, either: "The average German now drinks 123 liters of bottled water a year, and 'only' 117 of beer.
"In Poland and Russia, the cradle of the really hard stuff, beer is up and vodka down. In the U.S., vodka is hot." However, Matthew does not think that such stats mean that consumption patterns will result in "confusion and conformity ... Try a Bavarian weisswurst without a jug of cold Augstiner," he writes. "Polish herrings, delicious with onions and sour cream, are indigestible without a couple of shots of Zubrowka," he adds. And that's to the good, he says, because ultimately, the conformity of tastes will create more choices: "A finicky global consumeriat will demand much more," he concludes. Plenty of room for improvement, too. Matthew says he's noticed that his local wine shop in Paris now stocks Gallo, but "in an America of super-everything stores, wine selection can be spotty."
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February 10, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
At the eBay analyst briefing today, the company announced that it was investing $100 million in growing its business in China, a market Meg Whitman said will define global success over the next ten years. In other words, if you can't make it in China, you can't make it anywhere.
She's exactly right and this is one bet that will pay off huge for eBay. The company also believes that the UK will be "the next Germany," meaning that UK could equal the success of the German site, currently the largest non-US eBay Web site. The company also is investing in Italy and France, the rising stars in eBay Europe.
My only concern is that the company is overlooking emerging markets in Eastern Europe and Latin America and will suffer down the road from local upstarts. I also am not convinced that eBay is doing the best job in regards to global navigation.
I'll have a full global analysis of eBay in the February issue of Global By Design.
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February 7, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
The US Department of Defense is launching local "news" sites in an effort to counter what it believes is "misinformation" about the United States in the foreign media.
One Web site is aimed at the Balkans and the other, shown below, at the Maghreb region of northwest Africa, which includes Morocco, Algeria and Tunisia. Magharebia supports English, French and Arabic languages.
Magharebia in Arabic
Magharebia in English
Magharebia also promises daily newsletters in each language
Magharebia represents a signficant investment of time and taxpayer dollars, requiring 50 freelance writers and additional translators. I must admit that the site does do a good job of providing seamless navigation between languages. What the site fails at doing is making it clear exactly who or what is behind the Web site. The only way a visitor will find out the Department of Defense is behind this project is if he or she clicks on the "disclaimer" link; this is hardly the way one goes about building trust around the world.
What I'd also like to know is what a Web site that reports soccer scores in Tunisia has to do with placing the US in a more positive light. Do the powers at be at the Pentagon truly believe that the best way to get your message out to the world is to dress it up in localized faux news portals?
Speaking of faux news portals, here is the Balkan Times "news" site:
Naturally, many in Washington are questioning the wisdom of this initiative.
According to this CNN article many are wondering if these Web sites violate President Bush's recent mandate against sponsoring journalism.
Web globalization, when used wisely, is a wonderful way to educate the world and expand your business around the world. But Web globalization can just as easily be used unwisely, and this is one vivid example.
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February 4, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
According to the Taipei Times (by way of Reveries), McDonald's has added rice burgers to its menu. The burgers consist of chicken or beef patties sandwiched between two rice cakes.
The burgers join a long list of localized menu items that McDonald's has developed over the years. Here are a few of the more memorable items:
-> Japan: TofuBurger; Green Tea Shake
-> New Zealand: KiwiBurger
-> Mexico; McBurrito
-> Greece: Greek Mac
-> New England, USA: McLobster
McDonald's is not the first chain to offer rice burgers. It will be competing against Mos Burger (which is big in Japan) and 7-Eleven.
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January 25, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
I've spent the past week in Japan and have had such a great time watching how US-based companies market products in this country. One company that has spent a great deal of time in this market is Coca-Cola. But it is only relatively recently that Coke has developed products specifically for the country, focusing heavily on the types of drinks that the Japanese want rather than trying to push additional cases of soda.
Japanese are not soda freaks like Americans, but they do have an affinity for coffee in a can. Enter a product from Coke called Georgia.
Now, if you don't know that Coke is based out of Georgia, you have to look pretty close to tell that this can of coffee is part of Coke's global empire. Here is the Coca-Cola logo, in 7-point type:
The majority of vending machines that I've seen in Tokyo and Kyoto feature Georgia products (there is an entire product line around this brand) and few vending machines feature Coca-Cola.
Speaking of coffee, Starbucks seems to be everywhere. I've spotted four in Kyoto already (more on this later)...
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January 17, 2005
Posted by John Yunker
Interesting article in the NYTimes on Lenovo outsourcing management to the folks at IBM (despite the fact that the division lost a few billion dollars in recent years.
The beginning of the article pretty much sums up the challenges that any company faces when expanding into new markets:
"Inside the shimmering headquarters of the Lenovo Group, China's largest computer maker, workers are carting birthday cakes over to three office cubicles.
These days, every employee here gets a birthday gift, something a multinational company might be expected to do in this age of feel-good corporate management.
The problem is that people in China do not traditionally celebrate birthdays. (NOTE: This is incorrect; see below)
But that is changing. And so is Lenovo. It is trying to become a global company with its purchase of I.B.M's personal computer business for $1.75 billion, and handing out birthday cakes is just part of the process of evolving into a multinational corporation."
UPDATE: The NY Times Article is wrong
First of all, the Chinese do celebrate birthdays. I had given the article the benefit of the doubt by assuming the reporter was only referring to the lack of birthday celebrations within offices. However, that is a mistake as well. I just received an email from a former Lenovo employee who says that the company regularly celebrated birthdays in the office with birthday cakes. This was standard operating procedure long before IBM ever entered the picture.
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December 30, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
According to The Wall Street Journal:
When Swedish air-traffic controllers speak to Italian pilots they speak English. When Dutch importers do business with Chinese manufacturers, they use English. Ditto for Russians trading with Indians and Taiwanese selling in Bangladesh.
Now Chile has begun a nationwide educational program to ensure that all graduating high school students are fluent in the globe's international language. "We know our lives are linked more than ever to an international presence, and if you can't speak English, you can't sell and you can't learn," Chile's minister of education told the New York Times this week.
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December 15, 2004
Blink ›
MTV Goes Bicultural
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December 2, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
The iTunes Canada store is now up and running. That makes it a total of 14 local iTunes stores now available. Here is a screen shot of the iTunes global gateway:
To give you an idea of how quickly Apple has been expanding globally, here is a screen shot of the iTunes global gateway back in September:
Yep, just four stores were live in September. Talk about rapid globalization.
A Japan iTunes store is in the works, but that country won't be as simple as Canada. Character set challenges are never easy, particularly when it comes to text input, output and search engines. Nevertheless, Apple is going at a blistering pace and I won't be surprised if I see 30 stores by the end of 2005.
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November 24, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
According to this article, Quebec Premier Jean Charest has hinted that he might crack down on the spread of English in the workplace. Apparently French is losing its grip. albeit very slowly, in this Canadian Province.
The report I just completed on Web globalization would seem to support this trend. In 2003, we looked at language use on the Web sites of 121 major multinationals. French Canadian finished 7th overall. In our latest report, we studied 200 Web sites and French Canadian finished 12th overall. Of course, behind this drop were up-and-coming languages like Chinese and Korean.
Still, you have to wonder about the future of a language when the government requires people to speak it.
Conversely, there are groups within the US who want to force federal and state governments not to support Spanish.
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Posted by John Yunker
How's this for a localized promotion? I just received a Thanksgiving email from my friends at Air New Zealand:
I'm touched, really.
More important, I'm reminded of the importance of local holidays and their potential marketing value. What is your company doing to take advantage of holidays around the world?
Boxing Day? Bastille Day? San Juan Day? Lucia Day? It seems like every day is a holiday somewhere.
For more information, here's a list of holidays around the world.
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November 7, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
Every culture has lucky and unlucky numbers. In the US, you'll be hard-pressed to find the 13th floor in New York City.
According to CNN, someone in China paid $215,000 for a lucky cell phone number. He got a number with the maximum number of 3s, which is a lucky number in China. The number 8 is even luckier, but because Chinese phone numbers begin with "!3", the grouping of 3s is apparently even more valuable.
Just as 3 and 8 are lucky numbers, 4 is highly unlucky. When pronounced in Cantonese, it sounds similar to the pronunciation for "death." Two Chinese cities went so far as to ban the number 4 from license places. And you won't find the 4th or 14th floors on many Chinese buildings.
That leads me to a story about how numbers relate to business strategy and branding. Palm recently released the Tungsten T5 handheld, the successor to the T3. Why no T4?
Well, it used to be that marketers would ask: "Does it play in Peoria?" before launching a new product. Today, they also must ask: "Does it play in Shanghai?"
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October 4, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
The Wall Street Journal is an excellent source of stories that capture the confusion and chaos that is globalization. Consider the story of jazz great Cecil McBee. Here is an excerpt:
Cecil McBee, an American jazz musician on tour in Japan, made an unscheduled stop one night in the early 1990s. A friend in Tokyo hurried him off to a shopping mall and said there was something he just had to see.
When the elevator doors opened on the third floor, Mr. McBee couldn't believe his eyes: The words "Cecil McBee" were emblazoned above the window of a chain store selling clothes to teenagers.
Ever since, in Japanese and U.S. courts, Mr. McBee, who has appeared for 40 years with the likes of Benny Goodman and Miles Davis, has been on a crusade to reclaim his name. The 69-year-old bass player hasn't been able to stop his moniker from appearing on bikinis, dog sweaters, cellphone covers and credit cards.
The store he saw is owned by the Japanese holding company Delica Co. It chose the name in 1984, soon after Mr. McBee's first performances in Japan. It now owns about 35 Cecil McBee stores, which had sales of about $112 million in 2002.
And Web globalization has played a major role in Cecil reclaiming his name. According to the article, Cecil had friends order goods from the store online for delivery in the US; in doing so, he was able to get the US courts involved. Google also plays an interesting role in all of this. Type in Cecil McBee and you'll find both the person and the store.
In case you're wondering, here is...
Cecil McBee: The Person
Cecil McBee: The Store
It's a funny world we live in. Here is the full article (subscription required).
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October 3, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
Multilingual Computing has published a "Guide to the Spanish Speaking World." It includes an article from yours truly on Web localization for the US Hispanic market; in the article I profile Southwest Airlines, which recently launched a fully featured Spanish-language flight reservation engine.
Additional articles talk about the variations of Spanish around the world as well as in-depth information on Spanish in the US market. Overalll, it's a great resource and best of all, it's free.
You can download the report here.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Cultural Issues | US Hispanic Market | Web Globalization
October 2, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
Kang & Lee, a multicultural marketing agency, offers a number of informational resources on its Web site, including an Asian Americans 101 primer.
Here are some interesting stats:
- Between 1990 and 2000, the three fastest growing Asian groups were (in rank order by population growth rate): Asian Indians, Vietnamese, and Chinese. (Source: US Census Bureau, Census 2000)
- On average, Asian Americans spend $635 per trip, nearly 50% more than the average spending per trip among all U.S. travelers. (Source: The Minority Traveler, 2000)
- As of 2000, and for the first time in history, Chinese is now the second most prevalent foreign-language spoken in US households. (Source: US Census Bureau, Census 2000)
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Business Globalization | Cultural Issues | Globalization Vendors
October 1, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
According to The Wall Street Journal, Nokia is launching its first fully global ad campaign. The slogan "1,001 reasons to have a Nokia imaging phone" will find its way into print, broadcast and Web sites across Europe, Asia and Africa, with the US following in a few months.
Speaking on behalf of the US market, the slogan hardly rolls off the tongue. It feels a bit like a "slogan by committee" which may very well be the result of trying to come up with a slogan that appeals to everyone. Nevertheless, global ad campaigns are a clear trend and it will be interesting to see how Nokia fares.
A photo of a baby will be used in some Nokia ads, as previewed here:
Of course, the nationality and ethnicity of that baby is a big deal in many markets, which is why Nokia wisely plans to localize the campaign as necessary. Here's an excerpt from the article:
To combat concerns of losing local flavor, Nokia is making some tweaks for different cultures. The current campaign will employ actors from the region where the ad runs to reflect the look of the local population, though they will say the same lines, Mr. Rantala says. He also said local settings would be modified when showcasing the phones, such as using a marketplace in Italy or a bazaar when advertising in the Middle East.
Cost savings is one driving force behind global ad campaigns. Nokia would like to cut back on the number of advertising agencies it relies upon around the world. For this campaign, it relied on just two firms - one for Asia and one for EMEA. The company also wants to achieve some economies of scale on advertising production, although with the added localization required for each market, I'm dubious that production costs will be decreased significantly.
The true measure of success won't be cost savings but revenue increases. In other words, does a global ad campaign help a company sell more product globally?
It all depends on the campaign. Few advertising campaigns ever become breakout hits regardless of their geographic focus. It's a tough business and consumers are harder to reach than ever before.
However, it is important for companies considering global ad campaigns to consider the risks and rewards of doing so. A global ad campaign is the biggest bet a marketing manager can make. If the campaign fails, it fails BIG.
Contrast the global campaign against a myriad of local ad campaigns, none of which promise global success but also none that will result in global failure. Another upside to launching a number of local campaigns is the opportunity to discover a hit campaign in one market that can be expanded into other markets.
Using the baseball analogy, the global campaign is the equivalent of players trying to hit a grand slam while local ad campaigns are the equivalent of a number of base hits. The tactics are different but the goal remains the same.
I'm not confident that this particular campaign will be a grand slam for Nokia, but I applaud them taking a big swing.
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August 20, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
CNET News features an entertaining article on some of the creative ways that Microsoft has offended people around the world through cultural and linguistic blunders. These anecdotes come from a recent presentation by a Microsoft executive, who is probably now being reprimanded.
Here are two blunders from the article that are bound to be endlessly repeated by localization vendors and consultants (such as me) for years to come:
- Microsoft has also managed to upset women and entire countries. A Spanish-language version of Windows XP, destined for Latin American markets, asked users to select their gender between "not specified," "male" or "bitch," because of an unfortunate error in translation.
- When coloring in 800,000 pixels on a map of India, Microsoft colored eight of them a different shade of green to represent the disputed Kashmiri territory. The difference in greens meant Kashmir was shown as non-Indian, and the product was promptly banned in India. Microsoft was left to recall all 200,000 copies of the offending Windows 95 operating system software to try and heal the diplomatic wounds. "It cost millions," [Microsoft's Tom] Edwards said.
In Microsoft's defense, mistakes like these are endemic to most companies. Expanding into new markets always looks a great deal easier than it is.
If there is one lesson to be taken from Microsoft, it is that poorly managed localization is almost always more expensive in the end than no localization at all.
PS: Here's another Microsoft anecdote from the Taipei Times:
One mistake that caused catastrophic offence was a game called Kakuto Chojin, a hand-to-hand fighting game. The fighting went on with rhythmic chanting in the background which in reviewing the game Edwards noticed appeared to be Arabic.
"I checked with an Arabic speaker in the company who was also a Muslim about what the chant meant and it was from the Koran. He went ballistic. It was an incredible insult to Islam," Edwards said.
He asked for the game to be withdrawn but it was issued against his advice in the US in the belief that it would not be noticed.
Three months later, the Saudi Arabian government made a formal protest. Microsoft withdrew the game worldwide.
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Business Globalization | Cultural Issues | Software Localization | Translation
July 29, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
Two months ago I began interviewing executives at a number of large multinationals about their global Web sites. As you know, I've been following this industry for many years now, and it has certainly seen its ups and downs along the way.
But I can say now that Web globalization is definitely back on the "front burner," to quote one of the people I spoke with. Granted, most executives still believe that their global Web sites are underfunded and overlook a number of key markets (and I certainly agree). But they also believe that the momentum within their companies is shifting in their favor.
This is good news for globalization software and services vendors and ultimately good news for the companies themselves. Web globalization is inevitable for most companies, so it stands to reason that those companies who embrace it sooner rather than later will gain a competitive advantage.
The results of my interviews, as well as case studies of companies like IBM, Ikea, Wal-Mart and Starbucks, can be found in our latest report: Web Globalization and the World's Largest Companies.
A free report excerpt is avaiable upon request.
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April 12, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
According to Samuel Huntington, in Foreign Policy Magazine, the "unprecedented inflow of Hispanic immigrants threatens to divide the United States into two peoples, two cultures, and two languages. Unlike past immigrant groups, Mexicans and other Latinos form their own political and linguistic enclaves—from Los Angeles to Miami—and reject the Anglo-Protestant values that built the American dream."
Mr. Huntington is not the first American to spout the equivalent of "there goes the neighborhood" in response to a wave of immigration. The mid- to late-18th century saw similar views expressed by similar alarmists. And I suspect the Native Americans said the same thing when those Anglo-Protestants first hit the beach.
I disagree with his argument on many levels. And I found his writing downright nasty at times; nevertheless, I believe the article is worth a read because the underlying argument is not likely to go away anytime soon.
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April 7, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
Here's an entertaining CNN article about the inherent risks of extending humor across cultures. For example, according to the Body Language Lady...
A smile, often the best ice breaker, is not necessarily a sign of approval, said Wood, also known as the Body Language Lady. "For Chinese, Japanese and Malaysians, a 'masking smile,' with corners of the mouth turned down, is a polite way of letting you know what you are doing is not appropriate."
The moral of the article: Jokes don't travel.
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February 26, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
The Pew Global Attitudes Project recently released the results of a study that show remarkable differences between how different age groups (and cultures) view globalization. You can download the complete report here. It’s an excellent read. Here’s an excerpt:
Older Americans and Western Europeans are more likely than their grandchildren to have reservations about growing global interconnectedness, to worry that their way of life is threatened, to feel that their culture is superior to others and to support restrictions on immigration. This generation gap is less pronounced in Eastern Europe and is virtually nonexistent in Asia, Africa, and the Middle East. Nevertheless, Americans and Western Europeans of all ages are less likely than people in other parts of the world to tout their own cultural superiority and are less wary of foreign influence.
Here’s a graphic that breaks down the numbers. Across every region, the youngest age groups are most enthusiastic about globalization.
English viewed as “must learn†language
The following visual illustrates how important learning English is within non-English-speaking countries.
People in the US and Britian were asked how important is is for children to learn an additional language. I find it sad to see such low responses overall, but I am not surprised. Perhaps when the number of Spanish-speaking Americans surpasses 100 million (less than a decade from now) we will see drastically different responses.
Anyway, this report is worth a read. You can download it here.
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February 19, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
The NY Times published an article yesterday about a relatively new literary journal that publishes only translated prose. It is called Words Without Borders: www.wordswithoutborders.org.
Why is such a journal important? As the journal itself notes:
Few literatures have truly prospered in isolation from the world. English-speaking culture in general and American culture in particular has long benefited from cross-pollination with other worlds and languages. Thus it is an especially dangerous imbalance when, today, 50% of all the books in translation now published worldwide are translated *from English,* but only 6% are translated *into* English.
When so little text is translated into English, publishers tend to limit their resources to only the most famous authors. This journal aims to introduce not only new authors, but a wider range of material. I enjoyed this quote from the Times article:
"We tend to think of translation as great literary work," said Esther Allen, chairwoman of the PEN translation committee and translator of the recently published "Dancing With Cuba," a well-received literary memoir by Alma Guillermoprieto about the Communist revolution there. "Other people are writing history, political analysis and mass-market detective novels. Maybe we should read their junk, too. At least there would be more of an interchange."
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February 6, 2004
Posted by John Yunker
The UCLA World Internet Project released findings from a recent survey of more than a dozen countries.
Key findings include:
• Television viewing is lower among Internet users than non-users in all of the surveyed countries.
• Information on the Internet is viewed as generally reliable and accurate by a large percentage of users in most countries.
• Surprisingly high levels of online use among the poorest citizens in all of the survey countries — in spite of major divisions in Internet use between the richest and the poorest.
• Important effects on social, political, economic, and religious life in urban China, where the world’s largest population finds increased ability to reach out to others, in spite of government restrictions.
For more information, visit: http://ccp.ucla.edu/pages/internet-report.asp
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November 3, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
This very interesting article is not about China but about the EU Parliament, and how it intends to manage its ever-increasing number of languages.
As the EU expands, so does the number of languages its governing organizations must support. Here are some article excerpts:
The European Parliament will echo with up to 20 different languages when the EU expands next year, and each will be instantly translated into the others. The result is a possible 380 combinations of languages -- as elected representatives from Finland to Malta make laws that will affect the lives of some 450 million European Union citizens.
And how's this for a amazing statistic:
On any given day, parliament needs between 300 and 500 interpreters, who are usually required to be able to work from at least three foreign languages into their mother tongue.
While it is relatively easy to find interpreters who speak three or four common European languages, it is rare that you find people who speak, say, French, German, and Finnish. As a result, a Finnish interpreter is required to translate both ways, known as 'retour', instead of in one direction (as is the common practice). In addition, the EU will use "bridge" interpreters to translate into a more common language that can then be translated again, which leads us to...
What the heck are Chinese whispers?
When you line up translators back to back, the odds of translations getting twisted around multiply. Mangled meanings are known as Chinese whispers - I have no idea why.
Learn Maltese and the world is yours.
Want a job abroad? Where you'll be in constant demand and well compensated? Simply hone up on your Maltese or Latvian...
"Finding interpreters with the appropriate language skills has not been easy. Nevertheless, in 2004, Latvian and Maltese will have the right to be treated on the same footing as French, German or English. "We need people that are university educated, have a good general knowledge and the highest language standards. That kind of person can get a job anywhere."
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October 30, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
The Pew Research Center has released an interesting study about the differences between men and women around the globe.
One area where there appears to be general agreement is the Internet. Here's what they say:
Men and women similarly like to surf the web. The only notable opposition to the internet is in Jordan, where more than half the women (54%) think it is a change for the worse, and in the United States, where a quarter (25%) of women criticize it. As with cell phone use, some of the strongest support for these new technologies, especially among men, is in Africa, where there is the least access to both the internet and cell phones.
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October 5, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
According to the Herman Report, casual dress is gaining popularity around the world...
Recent research by the Bank of Scotland discovered that a significant number of employers now operate with "dress down" policies. The United Kingdom-wide survey also discovered a third of small businesses with a newly introduced dress-down survey believed it has boosted productivity. Bank of Scotland researchers contacted 1,000 businesses across the UK and found that 20 percent of manufacturing companies and 27 percent of professional firms have dress down policies.
Here's the article.
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September 12, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
An excellent editorial by Robert Wright in The New York Times about globalization. He does a wonderful job of showing how globalization is far from a new development, yet one that presents new challanges. Here's a excerpt:
Globalization dates back to prehistory, when the technologically driven expansion of commerce began. Early advances in transportation — roads, wheels, boats — were used to do deals (when they weren't used to fight wars). So too with information technology. Writing seems to have evolved in Mesopotamia as a recorder of debts. Later, in the form of contracts, it would lubricate long-distance trade.
All this is grounded in human nature. People instinctively play nonzero-sum games — games, like economic exchange, in which both players can win. And technological advance lets them play more complex games over longer distances. Hence globalization.
What makes globalization precarious is that nonzero-sum relationships typically have a downside: both players can lose as well as win. Their fortunes are correlated, their fates partly shared, for better or worse. As a web of commerce expands and thickens, this interdependence deepens. The ancient world saw prosperity spread but also saw vast downturns — like collapse across the eastern Mediterranean around 1200 B.C.
I'm going to have to get off my butt and read Robert Wright's book Nonzero: The Logic of Human Destiny. I also just realized that the book even has its own Web site.
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March 5, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
The Economist featured a very good article on the growing popularity of English in the European Union. Although English is not the official language of the EU, it is fast becoming the working language of the EU. According to the article, 92% of secondary-school students in the EU's non-English-speaking countries are learning English, while only 33% are learning French and 13% are studying German.
Is English the World's Lingua Franca?
While it is tempting to blame American hegemony for the penetration of its official language, there are a number of factors at work. True, American culture has made a major impact on what second language people choose to learn. But on a purely practicaly level, English has become an essential tool for international business. In the EU, there are more than 10 languages from which to choose. If your company has offices in Germany, France, Italy and Spain, and you gather everyone together for an annual meeting, odds are pretty good that the language of choice for the meeting will be English. A side effect of globalization is some degree of standardization -- standardization of laws, tarriffs, and, yes, even language.
As the EU expands, expect English to become even more dominant. And expect more resistance from non-English-speaking countries. For example, France is resisting an EU patent law that would make English the sole language for patents. Says The Economist, it is a losing battle. This is not to say that languages are going away. English may be becoming the official "second language" of most of the world, but it's still a very, very long way from becoming the first language.
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February 15, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
An article in EU Business documents the decline of Russian instruction in Central and Eastern Europe and the rise of English instruction. Here's an excerpt:
Russian, which was obligatory under communist rule, has since 1989 faded away and has been rapidly replaced by English and to a lesser extent German, said Hans Juergen Krumm, a language lecturer at the University of Vienna, who is leading a study into foreign language teaching in Central Europe.
This is not surprising. Language is a tool. People will learn to use whatever tools help them succeed in business and in life. Today, the tool of choice is English. Said Krumm:
"English has become the world's dominant language, in the way that French used to be. It is the language of economic globalisation and international organisations, and it is logical that it will take root in Central Europe, just as it did in Western Europe," Krumm told AFP.
So does this mean that American companies will soon be able to abandon their translation efforts when communicating with CEE?
I'm afraid not. It's important to keep in mind that the growth of English in Europe and elsewhere is as a second language not native language. And this makes all the difference when you're trying to reach the hearts -- and wallets -- of consumers.
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February 8, 2003
Posted by John Yunker
Here's an interesting article about a recent study by George Barnett, professor of communication at the University of Buffalo. According to the study:
...the decades-long tendency toward Internet dominance by the United States, Canada and Western Europe may be changing as the regions of the world begin to cluster into mutual-interest groups.
As these regional clusters become more self sufficient, companies that sit outside of these clusters will have to work much harder to remain relevant. For instance, as companies in Asia begin looking less toward the West and more toward their neighbors for business opportunities, Western companies will need to work a little harder to grow (or maintain) business wthin Asian markets.
Web sites are a bellwether of cultural and political clustering. Companies are increasingly investing in Web globalization not just to gain market share but also to protect it. In the past six months alone, the following companies have launched localized Web sites:
-> Fairchild Semiconductor (Korean site)
-> L.L. Bean (Japanese site)
-> eTrade (German site)
-> Office Depot (Spanish site)
In January, a famous maker of Scottish whiskey, The Macallan, launched a Japanese site:
As clusters grow in size and buying power, expect to see the number of global sites multiply.
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December 13, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
If you didn't grow up speaking English or French in Canada, you most likely spoke Chinese, according to new census data released on Tuesday. Statistics Canada reported the number of people listing Chinese as their mother tongue grew by almost 18 percent, to 872,400, between 1996 and 2001.
That accounts for 2.9 percent of the country's population of 31.4 million, up from 2.6 percent. The biggest concentration is in Vancouver, British Columbia, which has seen 3/4 of its increase in population come from immigrants from Asia.
Here's the article.
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December 5, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
Language never stands still, particularly in NYC:
"When you think that the United States is the fifth largest Spanish-speaking nation in the world and New York has more Spanish speakers than 13 Latin American capitals, you begin to appreciate the dimensions of the linguistic and cultural hybridity that's taking place."
Read the article.
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November 21, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
Research International just released the results of a study on global branding. I found this excerpt very interesting:
Despite the growing need for localized positioning highlighted through the research, there are two groups of brands for which marketing that is too localized can be potentially damaging. These are either highly aspirational prestige brands (e.g. Chanel) or brands whose appeal is founded on a universal myth such as Nokia's theme of connection, or Levi's theme of independence.
This is a very good point. And I wonder if Mercedes will suffer long term when the word gets around that their "German-engineered" cards are built in Alabama.
Here's the press release.
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November 13, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
Former advertising executive Charlotte Beers, now undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs, is launching a $10 million ad campaign that promotes America to the Arab world. Ads are airing on television and radio in the Middle East and Indonesia.
Ads, however, are fleeting. If we really want the Arab world to understand us a bit better, we need to invest in the translation of our major American Web sites.
For example, suppose Arabs in Saudi Arabia, after having seen one of those television ads, visit the home page of the White House. Unless they speak English or Spanish, they’re not going to have much luck deciphering it. English and Spanish are the only two languages available on this Executive Branch Web site, which is more than can be said for the other two branches of government. Web sites for Congress and the Supreme Court are available only in English. From the Department of State to the Department of Justice, you need to speak English to understand what our government is saying.
While translating a Web site into Arabic may not be as glamorous as crafting an ad campaign, it costs a lot less and, more important, communicates to every Arab speaker on the Internet, anywhere in the world, 24 hours a day. According to the research firm Global Reach, there are roughly 4.4 million Arabic speakers using the Internet today. That figure will reach 5 million in 2003.
American businesses have already caught on to the importance of Web “localization.” A few major multinationals, such as General Electric, General Motors and Microsoft now offer Web pages in Arabic. Microsoft went one step further last year when it launched the MSN Arabia portal, available in Arabic and English.
Many more companies have localized their Web sites for various parts of the world, from FedEx offering a Chinese-language site to Lucent offering a Russian site. Clearly, corporate America, while still very much in the early stages of Web globalization, understands the need to speak the many languages of the world.
And they should, because English is fast losing its dominance over the Internet. According to Global Reach, more than half of all Internet users today are not native-English speakers. By 2007, native-English speakers will make up less than one-third of all Internet users. While English may indeed be the lingua franca of the international business community, if you want to reach the hearts and minds of the consumers of the worlds, you need translators.
Which brings us back to the government. Ironically, there is one government Web site that does make a very good effort at translating Web pages: the Social Security Administration. It offers Web pages in 15 languages – from Arabic to Chinese to Tagalog. Why? Because millions of Americans are not native-English speakers. The Social Security Administration is making itself accessible to Americans.
If the government and businesses are to make America accessible to non-Americans, they need to invest in translation. The Internet connects the world, but it is language that connects people.
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November 5, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
According to Global Reach’s latest statistics on the use of language online, only 36.5 percent of the global online population are native English speakers.
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November 3, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
Want to irritate your Spanish and English teachers at the same time? Try a little Spanglish. Here's a recent Associated Press article...
''Language is not controlled by a small group of academics that decide what the words are that we should use. Language is created by people and it is the job of academics to record those changes,'' he said.
A recent survey by the Los Angeles-based Cultural Access Group found 74 percent of 250 Hispanic youths surveyed in Los Angeles spoke Spanglish, most often with friends, other young people and at home.
The WB network says ''Mucha Lucha'' ''lucha'' means wrestling reflects that reality. The zippy cartoon doesn't pause to translate Spanish phrases, but sprinkles them throughout to spice up dialogue.
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November 1, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
In a draft accord released early on Friday, the EU endorsed a recommendation by its executive arm, the Euroepan Commission, that the 10 candidate countries "fulfill the political criteria and will be able to fulfill the economic criteria and to assume the obligations of (EU) membership from the beginning of 2004".
The 10 candidates -- Cyprus, the Czech Republic, Estonia, Hungary, Latvia, Lithuania, Malta, Poland, Slovakia and Slovenia -- are expected to be formally invited to join the 15-nation bloc at a December EU summit in Copenhagen and sign accession treaties in Greece in April. (more)
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October 30, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
According to this recent NY Times article, the State Department is launching an ad campaign to promote "American values" to the Muslim world:
Special efforts will be made to give audiences here in Indonesia, elsewhere in Asia and in the Middle East the chance to respond to the videos and the print campaign accompanying them, the official said. A special booklet in local languages with articles about Muslim life in the United States will be distributed with a tear sheet in the back asking readers to send their reactions to either a local post box number in the country or directly to the State Department.
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October 24, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
More than 10% of American residents now speak only Spanish at home, up from 7.5% in 1990, according Bill Frey, a senior fellow in demography at the Milken Institute.
He writes: "Toy manufacturs, for example, upped their production of bilingual talking dolls (a switch converts them from English to Spanish). Univision is now available on local cable systems in small Old South communities, which long managed nicely on the usual mix of neutal American newscaster-speak and the local drawl. Disneyland now has a regular "Mickey Mambo Night," replete with bilingual staff, to appeal to the Latino population surge in the once very white, very conservative Orange County, California."
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October 19, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
After reading about languages doing battle in Romania, it's nice to see that languages can coexist in Lebanon:
Lebanon, a former French mandate country, is a good illustration of how the French and English languages don't have to be in competition. In this tiny country of no more than 3.5 million people, French is still taught as a second language in two-thirds of its schools. But English is also on the rise.
Here's the story.
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| Category: Cultural Issues
Posted by John Yunker
It's not official yet, but there's an interesting law in the works in Romania:
It still awaits legal fine-tuning and presidential approval, but as it stands now, it dictates that any foreign texts or words spoken at public events political campaigns, pop festivals, TV broadcasts and the like must be accompanied by a Romanian translation. Trademarks are exempt.
Gripes journalist Cornel Nistorescu: "Trying to police the Romanian language is like trying to control the flight of birds."
Here's the story.
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| Category: Cultural Issues
October 16, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
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October 14, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
According to this NY Times story, Vietnam is requiring that anyone who wants to launch a Web site get government permission first. Here's the story. What jumped out at me was this mention of what happened to someone for posting an article on democracy:
In March, police arrested physician Pham Hong Son for translating and posting an article on democracy from a U.S. State Department Web site and posting it on the Internet.
Question: why doesn't the U.S. government do a little translating to begin with? If we had translated that article into Vietnamese, perhaps - just perhaps - this guy wouldn't be in jail. Now I'm not saying it's our government's fault that he is in jail; I am saying that we need to do a better job of translating democracy into languages the world can understand.
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October 9, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
According to a Sept. 28th article in the Economist, tensions between French and Dutch speakers in Belgium has been flaring up. Apparently, in the region around Brussels, French-speaking Walloons and Dutch-speaking Flemings live side by side. Dutch has long been the official language of the region despite the fact that most residents now speak French. So if you go to a town meeting, you have to speak Dutch and the officials have to speak Dutch, even if you can't speak Dutch. Needless to say, translators are doing a nice business and the Walloons aren't too happy about matters.
This struggle is not unique to Belgium. There are parts of the U.S. where Spanish speakers are the majority and yet the laws mandate the use of English. Language is power and if you don't speak a certain language, you end up feeling powerless. But I don't think the either/or solution works for either side.
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October 4, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
In this NY Times article, thin is becoming beautiful in a country where just the opposite had been the case. Another reason to hate globalization, unless of course, you're thin.
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September 30, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
Unrepresented Nations and Peoples Organisation (UNPO)
"UNPO is an international organisation created by nations and peoples around the world, who are not represented as such in the world´s principal international organisations, such as the United Nations."
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+ TrackBacks (0) | Category: Cultural Issues
September 25, 2002
Posted by John Yunker
"Los Angeles County is urging its citizens to vote, vota, bumoto or hay bo phieu. In fact, residents there will have seven languages to choose from when they cast their ballots on Election Day: English, Spanish, Tagalog, Vietnamese, Chinese, Japanese and Korean."
Boy is this a contentious issue these days - whether or not to translate ballots. According to this Newsday article Los Angeles requires translation of ballots into seven languages, although most places don't make it past two.
A lot of people would rather that there be no translation of ballots, which, the thinking goes, would force non-English speakers to learn the language. But I don't agree. Even if you desperately want to learn a new language, getting to fluency takes years of hard work, and even then you find yourself missing out on many subtleties. But I'm hopeful that computer-based balloting will provide the solution to this problem - eliminating the need to print translated ballots while providing the ability to present ballots in any number of languages. At least that's my hope...
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