Adventures in web globalization, since 2002
Newsweek International has published an article on the rise of English around the world. English instruction is a billion-dollar business and growing. But what’s most fascinating is that non-native English speakers now outnumber native English speakers. Check out these article …
SDL announced last week that sales of its translation memory (TM) software were up 85% with more than “10,000 new product units across all markets.” I’m still trying to get a handle on how these numbers translate to market share; …
Could Hooters become the next Hard Rock Cafe? Judging by the pace at which it is spreading around the world, anything is possible. Believe it or not, there are now Hooters in 15 countries, including Argentina, Austria, Brazil, Canada, the …
I recently authored a white paper on Web globalization best practices, sponsored by localization services firm Transware. If you’d like to download a free copy, click here (registration required).
According a recent market research study, Chinese Internet users are expected to increase from 96 million today to more than 200 million in 2007. Not a bad growth curve, but there are caveats aplenty… Despite the size of this market, …
TRADOS has announced a Globalization Partner Program in an effort to bring “together leading globalization software and services companies to remove complex, persistent barriers that prevent enterprises from effectively reaching global markets.” In other words, if we can all get …
Levis has been losing money for eight years now; that has to be some sort of record. Fashion is fickle and there is very little Levis can do when the young people of the world decide your brand just isn’t …
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 …
Tom Friedman’s much-anticipated new book, The World Is Flat is just around the corner and Zack Lynch offers a preview. Tom proposes that we are entering a third era of globalization, as follows: – Business 1.0: 1492-1800 countries globalized – …
How’s that for a great slogan. I saw it on the side of a Stone Brewery truck here in Escondido. This is an appropriate slogan for a brewery that produces Arrogant Bastard Beer. It’s a great beer by the way. …
If you need to know what are the “best” newspapers available in countries around the world, check out NewspaperIndex.com. Journalist Hans Henrik has created a fairly extensive database and made it freely available. As an added bonus, the interface has …
Suw Charman says “I still think there’s a fundamental mental block regarding the rest of the world from a lot of American companies and developers.” She points out the new Google Maps application and its glaring lack of any country …
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 …
Richard Koman for SiliconValley Watcher writes about the potential of Gmail in developing markets. The greatest reason why I think Gmail has a good shot at popular usage is Google’s expertise at localizing the platform for developing markets. I don’t …
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 …