Adventures in web globalization, since 2002
Robert Frost wrote that good fences make good neighbors. Yet when it comes to virtual fences, visualized as maps, I’m not sure there is any way to create “good fences.” So many regions around the world are under dispute. And …
As I mentioned a few days ago, Singles Day arrived well before the official start: 11/11. But now that it has officially arrived, a thought a few screen shots would be in order. First off, Chinese ecommerce giant JD.com reports …
Today is not only Singles Day, it is also World Usability Day. A day that I believe will gain in importance in the years ahead as more people become aware of the value of supporting truly “world ready” and “user …
As I write this on November 5th, Singles Day (November 11th “11.11”) is nearly a week away. Singles Day is the world’s biggest shopping day, a virtual event that originated in China, popularized by Alibaba, and, thanks in large part …
With the World Series approaching I wanted to share an odd localization oversight on ESPN. The following two screen shots are from earlier this year. See if you can spot the differences in how the baseball player Carlos Rodón‘s name …
Did you know that World Usability Day is November 11th? There is an impressive virtual event planned for this day and hosted by the Cleveland User Experience Professionals Association. Here is a list of speakers including yours truly: Colin C. …
If yesterday’s epic #facebookfail has taught us anything, it should be to not rely too heavily on any one platform that you do not control. Sadly, a number of global websites still rely on Facebook as their de facto local …
Earlier this year I was asked about how best to align global social media content with global websites. My answer ultimately resulted in this article in Multilingual. When asked by a reporter why he robbed banks, the stick-up man Willie …
A sponsored blog post from Lilt. These days, with more and more customer interactions moving online, a lot of important discussions are happening in the localization industry. As companies are looking to optimize their localization programs and scale their efforts …
Rarely do I see a global gateway make it into a TV commercial. But I was watching ESPN’s recent advert for its mobile app and there is was — a global gateway, shown below. The commercial shows the global gateway …
Web localization is a never-ending journey. And because the world is constantly changing, what worked yesterday may not be as effective tomorrow. Like this visual development in South Korea: When localizing for South Korea, avoid a “pinching fingers” image. From …
A number of cities around the world have adopted bespoke top-level domains, such as .NYC, .Tokyo and .London and .Vegas But the key to a successful global city website is that it is a multilingual website. And, sadly, too many …
LILT, a Global by Design sponsor, is hosting the next edition of its popular Ascend conference on October 6-7. The event is designed to help you reach the 87% of consumers who do not speak English as a first language. …
Everyone talks about it but nobody does anything about it. Consider the following chart representing the “weight” of mobile home pages from the 2021 Web Globalization Report Card. This year, the average mobile home page weighs more than 9MB. Depending …
Starlink, the SpaceX-operated satellite communications service, “is now delivering initial beta service both domestically and internationally, and will continue expansion to near global coverage of the populated world in 2021.” Naturally, I was curious to see if the Starlink website …