Chinese as a Second Language
Back when I was in college, eons ago, students began taking Japanese language courses in droves. Japan was perceived as an economic threat at the time and we Americans needed …
Month: July 2005
AOL Latin America: How Not to Go Global
The recent bankruptcy announcement of AOL LatAm draws to an end a six-year case study in how not to expand a business into new markets. This article touches on many …
Univision & Google Partner on Spanish Search
Google and Univision just announced a partnership to improve Spanish-language search results (and make a few bucks along the way). What’s interesting about the deal is how they’re both presenting …
iTunes Japan Next Week?
According to this article, and a few others, Apple appears poised to launch its iTunes Japan store on August 4th. This will be the first Asian site for Apple, and …
Wanted: Web Designers with Web Globalization Skills
I was forwarded a job ad in Monster today from a company looking for a Sr. Web Designer. The reason this ad is of interest to me is one of …
Wal-Mart in China
This month’s issue of Fortune magazine has an in-depth piece on Wal-Mart’s adventures in China. Despite having been operating in China since 1996, the company has just 43 locations operating …
The Global Evolution of Costco.com
I love the Costco.com Web site, not just because Costco is the “anti-Wal-Mart” but because Costco.com is the “anti-Amazon.” Instead of a Web page crammed with products and promotions, Costco …
More on eBay Intl…
From the eBay investor call today… -> eBay now has more than 157 million registered users worldwide. -> eBay Spain now has 1 million registered users. -> Europe: 40% growth …
eBay Reports Strong Intl. Growth
eBay’s non-domestic revenues continue to climb upward. In Q2, According to their press release: -> U.S. Marketplace net revenues totaled $423.6 million in Q2-05, representing 27% year-over-year growth. -> International …
TypePad Adds Globe Icon to Globel Gateway
The folks at six apart have made a subtle but important change to the global gateway of their TypePad Web site. TypePad is a hosted Weblog service now offered in …
Taking Harry Potter Global
When I heard that the latest Harry Potter book was expected to sell 10 million copies in the first day, I assumed that this number included editions in various languages. …
Branding in China (free download)
Last month, Christopher Liechty, president the AIGA Center for Cross-Cultural Design, moderated a panel on branding in China. The transcript from the session has been published and is available for …
ITunes Japan Coming in August
According to ths news blurb, iTunes Japan is coming online next month. No word yet on whether Sony will participate. This will be Apple’s first Asian iTunes site and definitely …
John Deere Improves Global Gateway
John Deere made a subtle but important change to its global gateway. As shown below, the company moved the gateway into the “sweet spot” of the upper right corner of …
Pardon My French
A group of French language teachers in Japan are suing the mayor of Tokyo for saying, “French is a failed international language because it cannot be used to count numbers.” …