El Marketing, Das Marketing, Le Marketing

El Marketing, Das Marketing, Le Marketing
By A. Raymond
Randall, Jr.

While reviewing site stats, I noticed 18 foreign countries as
domain origins. This prompts my curiosity. Should I hone my
marketing efforts to serve these visitors effectively in their
native tongue? My college age daughter studies French, German,
and Spanish simultaneously. The Word "marketing" is an
"American" word she informs me; distinguished in Spanish,
German, and French with slight nuance. Although my daughter
learns conversations in Spanish, German, and French, much more
talk is in Chinese.

Despite this fact, Kenji Kitao, a professor of English at
Doshisha University in Japan, points out, "English is the
major language of news and information...business and
government...maritime communication and international air
traffic control...." English headlines and text appear on more
than half of the newspapers published in the world. Three
thousand magazines publish in English for Indian readers,
according to Kitao. If so many read so much English, what
reason would a webmaster have for providing multiple language
translations for web sites?

Well, web marketing seeks global participation by its nature.
Every villager, whether dressed in a Brooks Brothers suite or
shorts and sandals may click a favorite URl, and each villager
speaks a unique language. Marshall McLuhan, a communication
visionary, says "Our new environment compels commitment and
participation." That new environment includes the Internet.

So, what questions does this idea present? Perhaps just one:
should a webmaster consider multiple languages for a website?
If no, stop reading here, but first consider the fact that
Yahoo provides local (or village) site translations for 24
countries and ethnic groups. Further, Yahoo provides state
specific sites for every state in the U.S. Local marketing
matters. Just take a look at Yahoo`s home page. In fact, a
study by IDC informs us that only 45% of online surfers speak
English, yet 85% of Web pages appear in English.

Most webmasters work solo, or with a very small staff, and our
budgets are smaller yet. We don`t have a Yahoo staff of
international writers. So, what do we do if this concept
matters? Here are 7 rudimentary steps you may consider.

1. Check with your site design company. Many web designers
provide provide foreign language support. Here is an example
of one designers commitment, "Our templates support the
following languages: English, Danish, Dutch, Faroese, French,
German, Icelandic, Irish, Italian, Norwegian, Portuguese,
Spanish and Swedish. We are planning to translate our site in
several languages in the future as well. We have already
started doing translation into Spanish."

2. Really small budget? See if a language department of a
college anywhere in the world would consider using your site
as a class project. Inquire about college foreign language
interns. Find a student with a passion for language and a
commitment to accuracy with a professor looking over their
shoulder.

3. Don`t use on line translators. As one writer points out, the
Swedes will laugh while the French excoriate you for your
aloof effort. On line translators work for a phrase or a word,
but not a sentence or paragraph. Nuance is the essence of
meaning, and all words have various shades of meaning. You
don`t want to be standing under a palm tree when you should be
under an oak. However, if you must, the University of Maryland
recommends two sites: Systran and Transparent Language

4. Be very aware of graphics that please in one culture and
offend in another. If fact, less is best when it comes to
graphics; it`s all about content. Local and effective
communication matters the most, not fancy graphics.
Additionally, most people around the world access the Internet
using dial up.

5. If your site offers multiple language pages, be prepared to
respond to inquiries in that language.

6. Research and manage all currency exchange and local tax
issues when marketing offshore.

7. Be certain that your product or service provides a relevant
resource to your prospective foreign customer or client.

English may not remain the leading language of commerce, but
even if it does, we have an obligation to consider the
importance of global marketing in a local way. In the long
term, success may mean el marketing, das marketing, and le
marketing, and the results may be grande, Großartig, or
grandioso! Just something to think about.

Paul White is a 42 year old former teacher. He now helps people
all around the world to become wealthy online. Whatever you
are selling, visit the popular site: http://www.profitmountain.
com (http://www.profitmountain.com) and if you subscribe to
Profit Mountain`s FREE wealth building newsletter, you will
also receive FREE advertising for the next 12 months! (Worth
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