Leading with languages: Why 30 languages is below average
According to the 2019 Web Globalization Report Card, 32 languages is the “average” number of languages supported by the leading global brands.
Retail globalization
The best global websites from the 2019 Web Globalization Report Card
A little more than 15 years ago, I began benchmarking websites for a new report I had in mind, tentatively titled the Web Globalization Report Card. The number one website in the first Report Card was a startup company by the …
It’s time for your website to go flag free
If you are flying the Taiwan flag on your website, consider yourself warned. By China. As I’ve written many times over the past year, China is paying close attention to how multinationals refer to Taiwan on their websites, not just …
Speaking in Tongues: Corporate America needs to get religious about languages
I was happy to have an essay published in the recent issue of Multilingual. In the essay I write: While Wikipedia, Google and Facebook are among the leaders in languages at 298, 172 and 107 respectively, they don’t come even …
Think you can succeed in India supporting English only? Think again.
#serveinmylanguage It’s more than a hashtag; it’s a social movement. And it’s growing. A movement among Indian consumers to force the vendors who depend on their business to actually support their native languages. As this Times of India article notes: From ATMs …
Think Outside the Country (now available in Japanese)
I received my copies of the Japanese edition of Think Outside the Country and am very impressed. The book, like the English edition, is in full color and uses high quality paper. The book is published by Born Digital (in collaboration with Mitsue-Links) You can …
The top 25 websites from the 2018 Web Globalization Report Card
I’m excited to announce the publication of The 2018 Web Globalization Report Card. This is the most ambitious report I’ve written so far and it sheds light on a number of new and established best practices in website globalization. First, here are …
Marriott in China: Website still down two weeks later (and three takeaways)
The Marriott website was taken down in China and Taiwan on or around January 11th. You can read why here. And here we are two weeks later and the websites are still blank — or nearly so. Here’s what I’m …
Can displaying the Taiwan flag get your website shut down in China?
The short answer: It depends. The context of how you display this flag can make all the difference; for example, do you display the flag on a global gateway with text that reads Select Country or Select Country/Region? This may seem …
Think Outside the Country is coming to Japan
I’m pleased to announce that Born Digital (in collaboration with Mitsue-Links) is publishing the Japanese edition of Think Outside the Country. The book will be available December 23rd and I look forward to promoting it next year! If you’re a …
Day One for Amazon in Australia
Today marks the official day one for Amazon in Australia. While Amazon.com.au has been around for a number of years largely selling eBooks via the Kindle, today the company goes all-in, selling products across more than 20 categories, with Prime …
The Internet’s obesity crisis
In 2001, I published a report on website weights and their impacts on website performance. Why, may you ask, was I researching website weights all the way back in 2001? The great broadband divide At the time, in the United …
Free webinar for class adoptions of Think Outside the Country
I’ve already conducted a few webinars in the US and abroad and realize that I’ve never formally announced this. If your class has adopted Think Outside the Country, I’d be happy to provide a Skype webinar to talk more about …
The Language of Global Success (and the rise of the English-only multinational)
The dream is profound — a global company united by one language. Employees communicating freely with one another across border and culture, improving productivity and sharing of ideas. The reality, however, is quite a bit messier than the dream. But …
IKEA: The best global retail website of 2017
For the 2017 Web Globalization Report Card, I benchmarked the following 9 retail websites: H&M IKEA LUSH McDonald’s MUJI Starbucks UNIQLO Walmart Zara For the purposes of this report, the retail segment includes only those companies that support physical retail locations within the …