Every culture says it differently
Network World Fusion, 02/22/99
 Imagine describing a product listed in your online catalog as being able to "kill two birds with one stone." That's great, until you try translating your e-commerce materials into a different language. A literal translation would leave many potential customers saying, "Huh?" because the thought is expressed differently around the world. Take a look at these examples:
| Expression |
Country |
| Catch two pigeons with one bean. |
Italy |
| Kill two flies with one swat. |
Belgium |
| Get two pieces with one cut. |
Burma |
| Shoot two hawks with one shot. |
China |
| Make two hits with one stone. |
France |
| Kill two turtledoves with one shot. |
Greece |
| To get both with one hand. |
Japan |
| Catch a pheasant and its eggs, too. |
Korea |
| Kill two rabbits with one blow of the stick. |
Portugal |
| Kill two birds with one shot. |
Spain |
Get it right, and you look polished and your message comes through clearly. Get it wrong, and your audience is clueless.
Source: Transimage, New York
Just the Facts
Some 80% of European corporate sites are multilingual, with English as the preferred second language.
Source: Forrester Research, Cambridge, Mass.
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International e-commerce checklist:
Ensure that target international markets can read the Web pages (Remember, one-third of the world's population speaks Chinese).
Research how to handle international funds transfers.
Beware of cultural bias in Web content. What appears to be innocuous in the U.S. can be, at best, indecipherable in many other countries and, at worst, extremely offensive.
Make sure the site is listed in regional search engines serving target markets.
Consider a mirror site for improving performance in a target market.
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