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Web News & Tips - Issue #298 $7.00 per month Small Business web hosting from MateMedia Web News & Tips Published by MateMedia, Inc. Your Partner on the Web Providing quality Web services at affordable prices since 1995 MateMedia provides the following services: * Web Hosting (Shared & Managed Dedicated Servers) * Web Design & Development - Custom Web Applications * Database Development & Hosting * Website Maintenance & Webmaster Services * Search Engine Optimization * E-Commerce - Shopping Carts - Sample Shopping Cart * Domain Name Registration * Domain Name Affiliate Program For more information about our services email sales@matemediainc.com or call us at 877-309-7521 - Read what our clients have to say about us IN THIS ISSUE: Become a MateMedia Domain Name Affiliate Free Webmaster Tools Free Scripts for Your Website Website Translation Web News A Step by Step Guide to Getting Started on the Web $7.00 per month Small Business web hosting from MateMedia Website Translation By Neil Payne Websites are now a crucial part of most businesses. They generate revenue, offer an avenue for promotion and are easily accessible means of providing information on a company. However, the global economy now demands that companies look beyond national borders if they wish to expand. Many developing countries now have internet access, internet cafes can be found from Bogotá to Bangkok and the falling costs of PC’s means more home users are logging on. This means there is a large pool of potential visitors to your site. However, the majority of these will not speak English. Website translation is therefore critical. Website translation is currently big business as companies and site owners begin to realize its benefits. Type ‘website translation’ into the major search engines and you are instantly met with paid advertisements and streams of links to ‘relevant’ sites. However, it is important to carefully consider any website translation project properly as there are many potential pitfalls. Firstly, when tasking someone to undertake your website translation be sure to establish credentials. Ask to look at previous work, ask for a sample or ask for a reference. A translator must have qualifications, training and experience. Secondly, ensure you explain clearly why you need website translation. What is the purpose? Is there a target audience? Ensure you provide clear and accurate information on the company and the website. All this helps the translator properly reflect your needs in the translation work. Thirdly, do not cut corners by using electronic translations. They may be useful for plain sentences but not for your website content. It is inconceivable that a software program can translate metaphors, similes, innuendos and colloquial phrases. Website translation is a major investment, so do not approach it lightly. You need human beings to analyze your content and transfer the meaning in the best way possible. Fourthly, consider the impact culture can have on the website translation project. For example, is the language pitched appropriately at the target culture? Should it be formal or informal? Are there pictures, colors or images that would cause offense? A good website translation company will analyze your site and offer you a cultural applicability consultation. This will then help you make modifications to ensure your website appeals to the target culture. Fifth, many website translation companies will translate your website content then consider the job done. However, most websites are constantly changing in style and content. A decent website translation company will offer an after-care service that assists in helping you with the small changes, if not as part of the original fee then for a small charge. Website translation is not as straightforward as other translation projects. There are too many variables involved that, if not considered properly, can ruin a website translation. Consider the potential revenue a decent website translation could generate long term and invest wisely. E-mail: npayne@kwintessential.co.uk Author's URL: http://www.kwintessential.co.uk/cross-cultural/cross-cultural-awareness.html After many years of travelling and working in the Middle East and Islamic world Neil undertook an M.A in Middle Eastern Studies. After the successful completion of the course he worked as a cultural consultant, teacher and translator. Neil is now the Director of London based cross cultural consultancy, www.kwintessential.co.ukas been helping clients to earn maximum business profits for over twenty-five years. $7.00 per month web hosting from MateMedia Increase your rank in the search engines! Check out our new search engine optimization plans Web News $7.00 per month web hosting from MateMedia Broadband growth means increased online spending, says comScore networks Chairman Gian Fulgoni. In a presentation titled, "A "High Order Bit" of Research Examining the Impact of Broadband and Internet Tenure on Consumer Behavior," Fulgoni details a myriad of factors that impact online consumer behavior, including broadband adoption and search activity levels. Broadband users spend 50 percent more than narrowband users. Quarterly spending per household of narrowband users sits at $217, while broadband users spend $311. Broadband Telephony, better known by the acronym VoIP, is set to grow dramatically over the next five years according to new research. A Jupiter Research report, "Broadband Telephony: Leveraging Voice Over IP to Facilitate Competitive Voice Services" forecasts VoIP adoption will grow from only 1 percent of all US broadband households in 2004 to 17 percent by 2009 (representing 10 percent of all US households). The growth marks a meteoric rise for the emerging technology which, at the end of 2003, had a base of almost zero. Some 400,000 households will use VoIP by the end of this year. Usage is forecast to balloon to 12.1 million by 2009. There are those who walk into a store not knowing what they may find. Then, there are those that come in to a retailer already knowing exactly what they want because they've done their product research online. Forrester Research has a name for it: "cross-channel shopping." It's rapidly becoming a force to be reckoned with. In a report titled "The US Consumer 2004: Multichannel and In-Store Technology" the research firm details a number specific shopping characteristics and behaviors particular to cross-channel shoppers. The analysis was based on a survey of 8,000 online consumers. Copyright 2000-2004 MateMedia, Inc. |
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