The creepy side of geolocation
I’ve long espoused the benefits of using geolocation to improve global navigation. But I also am quick to add a few caveats, the principal one being that users may not …
Global navigation
Navigating the multilingual web: The Art of the Global Gateway
In 1999, I first used the term “global gateway.” At the time, I was referring to a company’s “select language” pull-down menu. Needless to say, the term stuck. But it has …
The Swiss Air global gateway: When one flag isn’t enough
When it comes to web globalization and, in particular, global navigation, the general rule about flags is to avoid using them. By avoiding them, you avoid stepping into any number …
Minimalism in global gateways
A global gateway doesn’t have to be fancy. In fact, it shouldn’t be fancy. It should be as easy to understand as a stop sign. Form and function and nothing …
Global gateways don’t have to be complicated
The Visit Korea tourism web site offers up a global gateway that’s difficult to ignore: I like it. The languages are presented in the native scripts. The user has to …
Three rules of global gateway design
It’s been awhile since I’ve written about global gateways — those landing pages and header elements that companies use to direct visitors to localized web sites. I came across one …
Is this the next language icon?
Does this icon say “language” to you? It doesn’t to me. But the OMC design studio feels so strongly about it that it has launched a web site to promote …
Facebook: From 1 to 100 languages in two years
It was just over a year ago that Facebook started localizing itself for the world. As I noted then, the company utilized crowdsourcing to spur its translation efforts. And though …
The “age gateway” comes of age
For years I’ve been preaching the importance of the “global gateway” — the elements that Web sites use to seamlessly direct Web users to their localized Web sites and content, …
Taking Web forms global
Web form usability expert Luke Wroblewski provides a very handy article on the challenges of developing Web input forms that work in various countries. Data input and output is where …
Google perpetuates the American .com myth
Google features a 4th of July logo at Google.com today. This is not all that unusual; Google has been doing this for several years now. But there is an inherent …
Web globalization webinar follow-up
The Lionbridge webinar yesterday has been archived for those of you who couldn’t make it. You can register to listen to the call at the Lionbridge site. And mark your …
The creative side of global navigation
Just because the splash global gateway is becoming ubiquitous, doesn’t mean that it has to be boring. For those who are unfamiliar with the term, the splash global gateway is …
Flags and languages don’t mix
As a Web globalization geek, I really enjoy visiting Web sites that do not use English as the default language — and then trying to find a link to English …
Web globalization predictions: 2008 and beyond
As we come to the end of 2007, it is safe to say that Web globalization has evolved from an ancillary activity to a core piece of the marketing puzzle …