Adobe and Google release open source CJK font family
This is the result of a massive investment of resources and expertise — and I’m excited they’ve made it open source. From Adobe: Source Han Sans, available in seven weights, …
Companies
Gmail to be first major platform to support non-Latin email addresses
At the ICANN 50 conference Jordyn Buchanan of Google confirmed that Gmail would support EAI (email address internationalization) by the end of this month. This is significant news. But what does …
Google reenters the domain name business
It is being reported that Google is venturing into new territory by getting into the domain registration business. This isn’t completely accurate. Google dabbled its feet in domain registration years ago. And …
No, it’s not blowing over
From the Wall Street Journal: Brad Smith, Microsoft ‘s general counsel, tried to illustrate the problem Thursday at a technology conference by recounting a meeting a month ago with corporate-technology executives …
YouTube launches Thai site at YouTube.co.th
I too am surprised it took Google this long to launch a dedicated Thai website. YouTube has local versions in 61 countries and 61 different languages. Today’s launch in Thailand …
Go global with .INTERNATIONAL? I don’t think so.
GoDaddy is marketing the new top-level domain INTERNATIONAL. This is one TLD that I can’t imagine recommending to anyone. For starters, you don’t need this domain to go global. Every TLD …
dotConfusing — What you need to know about the next wave of top-level domains
My latest post for client Pitney Bowes on making sense of the hype concerning the new generic TLDs. An excerpt: The first wave is rolling in More than 1,200 gTLDs have …
The best global travel websites (and why)
There are now more than one billion international travelers, making the travel industry a benchmark for web globalization innovation and excellence. So I’m pleased to be presenting a free webinar …
Xiaomi launches Mi.com as its global “front door”
I’ve long been curious how Xiaomi would take its brand name global. The name itself can be challenging for us Western speakers to pronounce, let alone spell correctly. That’s not to …
Xiaomi’s global expansion plans include Malaysia, Indonesia, Thailand
In January, I wrote about Xiaomi’s success in crowdsourced translation of its operating system — and how this bodes well for global expansion. Xiaomi, for those who’ve never heard of …
Wikipedia and the Internet language chasm
When talking about language diversity across the Internet, I like to include a visual that illustrates the language leaders of the Internet: This chart is based on data from the …
5 Questions to Ask Any Potential Translation Vendor
My latest post for client Pitney Bowes on selecting a translation agency. An excerpt: Can I speak with your references? Always, always check references. Ideally, you should speak with three …
GoDaddy’s new global gateway sets the stage for global growth
It’s nice to see GoDaddy improving its global gateway. Note the use of the globe icon below to indicate the global gateway menu: Click on the globe or locale name …
Google launches its first Japanese IDN
I’ve long talked about the importance of non-Latin domain names, or IDNs (Internationalized Domain Names). Google has gone live with one if its many IDNs: みんな. I want to emphasize here …
Five reasons you should take your ecommerce global – and five reasons you shouldn’t
My latest post for client Pitney Bowes on going global (or not). An excerpt — Two reasons NOT to go global: 1. You don’t have realistic expectations (and budgets). The …