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Optimizing for different crawlers - PHP power in full effect
I love PHP for what it can do with plain old HTML. I am thinking of making a script that would output slightly different versions of the page to different crawlers, as identified by User Agent information.
Has anyone actually tried this?
Perl question
I am doing a project that requires some perl. I have the file with the information where it should be, but I am having trouble getting it to render. Maybe it's not in the right spot. Also I need to set the permissions to 777. Don't know how to do that, I am using DW. Any help would be appriciated.
Feedback Forms in Dreamweaver??????
Does anyone know how to setup a feedback form in Dreamweaver. I am having problems getting the information from my form to my e-mail. I have tried to use the mailto: action but it seems to have some problems. I would really appreciate any insight you might have on this. |
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10.15.04
Culture And Website Localization
 By Neil Payne
With the rise in ownership of computers and internet usage growing daily, the internet is fast becoming the primary port of call for information, shopping and services. In addition, those computer and internet users are increasingly from non-English speaking countries. At the end of 2002, it was estimated that 32% of internet users were non-native English speakers. This figure is constantly rising. In response, businesses have quickly become aware of the benefits of website localization.
Website localization is the process of modifying an existing website to make it accessible, usable and culturally suitable to a target audience. Website localization is a multi-layered process needing both programming expertise and linguistic/cultural knowledge. If either is missing, the chances are that a localization project will encounter problems.
In the majority of cases it is the lack of linguistic and cultural input that lets a website localization project down. In order to give an insight into the impact culture has on website localization the following examples depict areas in which a solid understanding of the target culture is necessary.
Language in Website Localization
Translating a website from English into another language is not as simple as it may appear. There are numerous factors that have to be taken into consideration when translating a websites' content.
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Do all the words, phrases, sayings and metaphors translate directly to the target language? Would it be wise to translate the phrase "everyman for himself" in text describing a company or product if this is going to be read by a highly collectivist culture? Does the content of your website use humour and if so will the target culture appreciate or even understand it? Native alternatives should always be sought and used in any website localization.
When translating into another language carefully consider the variants. If it is to be an Arabic website then is aimed at Tunisians or Iraqis, Egyptians or Yemenis? If you are targeting all Arabic speakers then ensure Modern Standard Arabic has been employed by your translator.
One must analyse the style of the language and the target audience. If the audience is foreign business personnel, the vocabulary, grammar and punctuation must reflect this. If the audience is informal or youth orientated then a more relaxed language must used. Just as we in the UK would identify the difference between a site using ‘posh English' and ‘street English', other cultures will have the same perceptions of language. Using the wrong language for the wrong reader in your localization project will lead to a misunderstanding of the site or company.
Read the rest of the article
About the Author:
Neil Payne is Director of Cross Cultural Communications consultancy, Kwintessential Ltd. One of their services is to give advice on cross cultural issues involved in website localization projects.
npayne@kwintessential.co.uk
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