Website Globalization Investment Strategies Should Favor Fewer Countries and Languages; Findings Detailed in New Research by Common Sense Advisory
By Melissa Gillespie,
Common Sense Advisory, Inc.
www.commonsenseadvisory.com
Get the List of 4,500+ Translation Agencies Now! No Recurring Membership Fees!
Report unveils concept of internet-accessible wealth
(“e-GDP”); outlining the nations and languages with the
most return on website globalization investment
(BOSTON) – October 11, 2007 – Before global
businesses dive into website globalization and translation,
research firm Common Sense Advisory recommends focusing
on the nations or languages that provide the most likely
return on investment (ROI). For example, only 10 mega-languages
– including Chinese, Portuguese, and French – account for
76 percent of the people on the web. The firm’s latest research
report, and the first in its 2007 series on website globalization,
“On
the Web, Some Countries Matter More Than Others,”
identifies the countries and languages companies need to
focus on to capture the business of the more than 1.2 billion
internet users worldwide.
Lead report analyst Donald A. DePalma adds, “Our advice
on how to pick markets takes several different tacks. We
factor in gross domestic product (GDP), the total online
population of a given country or language, and the cost
of translating or localizing a website. We also propose
a new measure called ‘e-GDP’ as a proxy for internet-addressable
buying power.” The report, which is available to Common
Sense Advisory subscribers, details:
- Where to best expend online resources by focusing
budget or staff on the countries or languages that can
profitably cover the costs of translation plus adapting
site logic, shipping, customer service, and other costly
elements of website globalization.
- Recommendations for maximizing return and the number
of economically active people online who are able to understand
and purchase at a company’s website, including: translating
the website into the top 10 languages spoken by internet
denizens.
- “Online GDP” or “e-GDP” by language and a clear indication
of which languages make the most sense for website globalization.
Specifically, the report details the six languages that
make up 88 percent of the addressable online market. Using
this model, Common Sense Advisory suggests starting with
English and then moving on to Japanese with its 13.2 percent
(US$2.96 trillion) of world e-GDP.
- Budgeting scenarios for website globalization, including
processes, technology, staff, and translation considerations.
According to DePalma, the changing demographics of internet
users and the absolute necessity of targeting the countries
with the highest ROI for website globalization is the catalyst
behind the research series. “Ten years ago the U.S. stood
at the epicenter of the web universe, English dominated
the airwaves, and the dollar stood supreme. Today the U.S.
is sixteenth worldwide in the percentage of its residents
with broadband access to the internet and falling way behind
in connection speed, China is coming on strong, and the
dollar threatens to be supplanted by the euro as the world’s
favorite currency.”
The published results are available to members of Common
Sense Advisory’s research at commonsenseadvisory.com/research/report_view.php.
Future reports will outline how to maximize the total available
audience for a website, how companies around the globe guide
visitors through their customer experience, what countries
and languages these companies support on their websites,
and how to benchmark against these sites.
Analysts are available for interviews and briefings by
contacting Melissa Gillespie at +1 760-643-9140 or melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com.
About Common Sense Advisory, Inc.
Common Sense Advisory, Inc. is a research and consulting
firm committed to the objective analysis of the business
practices, services, and technology driving translation,
localization, and business globalization. Its analysts deliver
in-depth reports on topics including: website and translation
content management; translation services and best practices;
product and website localization; software supporting international
business; on- and off-line ethnic marketing and messaging;
and more. The firm also provides hands-on consulting and
training to global business teams. For more information,
visit www.commonsenseadvisory.com.
Read
more articles - Free!
E-mail
this article to your colleague!
Need
more translation jobs? Click here!
Translation
agencies are welcome to register here - Free!
Freelance
translators are welcome to register here - Free!
Subscribe
to TranslationDirectory.com newsletter - Free!
Take
part in TranslationDirectory.com poll - your voice counts!
|