Adventures in web globalization, since 2002
For companies with global aspirations, Russian has long been considered a “must support” language. These days, that is no longer the case. But even before Putin decided to invade Ukraine, the Russian language had been slipping, ever so slightly, in …
I’m pleased to announce the publication of the 2022 Web Globalization Report Card. This is the 18th annual edition of the Report Card, and it reflects another difficult year. And yet there is much to be optimistic about as we look …
As we dive into another uncertain year, I find it comforting to be working on the 2022 edition of the Web Globalization Report Card. It gives me a chance to step outside of my world and look across the entire World Wide …
In the early days of website globalization, there was no such thing as a “global font.” That’s because there was no such thing as a font that supported the world’s major languages. At the time, you needed to specify individual …
As an author and small publisher, I’m excited to see the rapid growth — and globalization — of the online bookstore Bookshop.org. Bookshop.org positions itself as the anti-Amazon, by working with independent bookstores to share revenues more generously. There referral …
I think I spend more time browsing Netflix for something to watch than actually watching it. Which is why I was intrigued to see a new Browse by Language link in the header: While I love the idea of it, …
Starlink, the SpaceX-operated satellite communications service, “is now delivering initial beta service both domestically and internationally, and will continue expansion to near global coverage of the populated world in 2021.” Naturally, I was curious to see if the Starlink website …
Two interesting posts to share about the globalization of emoji… GooglePolishing Up Emoji Emoji have a global audience and it’s important for them to be globally relevant. Pie emoji is a curious one — it previously looked like a very …
I recently joined Kathrin Bussmann, founder of Verbaccino and The Worldly Marketer Podcast, for a chat about web globalization trends and best practices. You can listen to it here. I hope you enjoy it!
Awhile back, I documented the evolution of Apple.com. Now let’s take a look at Nike.com. I hope you like it — and I welcome suggestions for future videos. PS: Nike is ranked #52 in the 2021 Web Globalization Report Card.
I recently spent an hour virtually with Tucker Johnson of Nimdzi to talk about the 2021 Web Globalization Report Card. I hope you enjoy it! Link
As a Mailchimp user I was intrigued to be greeted by this header recently: I clicked on the link and found the following five languages: Not many languages, but a start. And I was happy to see the generic gateway …
A few months ago, Global by Design sponsor Lilt sponsored a survey to assess the state of the localization industry. That report is now ready and it reflects input from more than 900 localization professionals. It’s a great read and I recommend …
I recently joined Clubhouse — thanks to Lee Vann and to Kathrin Bussmann for inviting me to participate in one of her weekly chats. When I “onboarded” to the app I was struck by something I did not expect to …
This is an interesting new tool from the font designers at Rosetta: Hyperglot. As seen here, you can select a font (640 so far) and see which scripts and languages are supported. Not only is this a handy tool for …