The Web – translation issues around the world!

The Web – translation issues around the world!
2010-06-03 15:28

When you’re doing business overseas, it’s important to remember that not every country has the same web habits as yours.  In the UK, for example, Google predominates as the search engine of choice and it’s easy to assume that the rest of the world does too.  But do our habits translate to other countries?  Not necessarily.

Did you know that in Hong Kong, Yahoo is the preferred web portal?  71% of Hong Kong web users use Yahoo! HK as their default browser homepage.  And Yahoo! And Yahoo! HK combined reach 57% of the population, far out-stripping Google’s 22% (Google and Google HK combined).  In fact, Yahoo! HK gets 54,000 page views every minute.

When you’re planning your international web strategy, these are the kinds of things it’s well worth bearing in mind, especially if you’re planning to use web advertising as part of that strategy – you need to know which web sites your customers are using.

SanTranslate can help you with all your translation and web site localisation needs and can give you guidance on where you money might be best spent.

Family values around the world

Family values around the world
2010-06-02 08:42

global familyThis week is National Family Week in the UK.  This global study of family values is a little dated now but nevertheless highlights the cultural differences in attitude towards the family found around the world.

If you’re selling to a consumer market overseas, understanding the cultural importance of family can make a real difference to your success as these are factors that can influence a whole host of buying decisions.  For example our article, “Selling educational products to China – Is it child’s play?” highlights the impact that the Chinese emphasis on educating their children has on the toys that they buy.

This understanding, in turn, may well affect the tone of your written communications.  Consider, will a straight translation suffice, will your copy need localising to the culture, or will you need new copy altogether?