* The Federal government's multi-language Web site
It’s not often that American businesses can learn best practices from the U.S. government, but I’m about to present a case where the Federal government provides a shining example to all sorts of businesses. I’m talking about the development of a multi-language Web site; specifically, the presentation of content in both English and Spanish, according to a user’s preference.
This might seem like a rather controversial concept, given the current national backlash over illegal immigration. There are many activists who are advocating an “English-only” decree in the U.S. Why, then, would the average American business want to fuel the controversy by offering Web content in multiple languages?
Because this is business, and the way to grow your business and gain loyal customers is to reach out to them and communicate with them in a way that makes them feel comfortable and welcome. And that means speaking their language, even if it isn’t English.
Let’s look at the Federal government and the example it has set. The General Services Administration (GSA) has just relaunched its “FirstGov en Espanol” Web portal to offer original content that is tailored to the needs of the growing population of Hispanics in the United States. The GSA is making an effort to serve the estimated 43 million Hispanics in this country who need or want access to information about the U.S. government.
The English-language Web site FirstGov.gov is the U.S. government’s official Web portal. The site contains vast amounts of information on jobs, education, taxes, housing, human services and just about everything else the government addresses. You can understand why U.S. citizens and residents would want access to this information – no matter what language they speak.
GSA launched the FirstGov en Espanol Web portal in 2003 in response to a White House Executive Order (EO 13166) issued in 2000 that mandated government agencies provide resources for individuals with limited English proficiency. Today, the Web portal receives about 200,000 visits a month. Officials believe the Spanish-language version of the portal is more cost effective than fielding the increasing number of phone and e-mail queries from Hispanic constituents.
For more information about FirstGov en Espanol, read this article in Government Computer News.
Now let’s think about this issue in business terms. All large businesses today have a Web site, either for informational purposes, or for e-commerce, or both. Most of these companies assume that prospects and customers in the U.S. can read English and are happy to receive information in English. A Hispanic visitor to the Web site might be intimidated by trying to conduct business in a language that is not his or her primary language. As a result, business could be lost.
Perhaps this isn’t much of a concern to the business today, but it will be a concern in the coming years. The U.S. Census Bureau predicts the nation’s Hispanic population is going to triple over the next half-century, to the point where nearly a quarter of the U.S. population will be Hispanic. Of course, many Hispanics are bilingual, but many feel more comfortable communicating in their native language.
This Hispanic audience can be a lucrative one for the companies that find the right way to address their needs online. An October 2006 research report from Juniper Research confirms that Hispanics, ages 35 to 54, are very active online shoppers, spending an average of $220 more per year than non-Hispanic online consumers spend. Twenty-six percent of online Hispanics in this age group said they spend more money online now than they did one year ago (vs. 20% of overall online users). This same group is also more likely to purchase products through portals such as Yahoo, MSN, and AOL, compared with average consumers (28% vs. 21%, respectively).
Creating a Spanish-language Web site involves more than simply translating all the English text into Spanish. It also involves understanding the Hispanic culture, according to Michelle Moscona, a consultant on the FirstGov en Espanol project. Her team learned a lot about what would work with a Hispanic audience by conducting usability tests and developing distinct user profiles.
To share what it learned on this project, GSA has published tips for other government agencies looking to develop Spanish-language Web sites. Much of this advice would apply to the business world as well.
We are coming into a busy season for e-commerce via Web sites. I did a spot check of many popular shopping sites to see if they offer full-fledged versions or at least some content for Spanish-language shoppers. Kudos to Barnes and Noble for recognizing the needs of Hispanic shoppers and providing content specifically for them. As for the other sites I visited – including Target.com, Walmart.com and Amazon.com – there’s very little if any customized content for Hispanic customers.
A company doesn’t have to be a large enterprise to support a multi-lingual Web site. For example, Trader’s Village is a small company that operates large flea markets in Houston and near Dallas. Knowing that many of the people who shop at Trader’s Village are Hispanic, the company provides a bilingual Web site to cater to the needs of its customers. Simply click on “ver en Espanol” to switch to content in Spanish. Now this is a company that understands its customers well.
Many business today offer customer service over the phone in Spanish. Taking a cue from the GSA, businesses could reduce the cost of live support if customers could find the answers to their questions on a native-language Web site.
The question for Web masters is, are you ready to acknowledge the needs of your non-English speaking customers, or are you willing to see them go elsewhere to conduct business?
