Becoming A Global Presence - Language And Culture

LANGUAGE AND CULTURE

While English has indeed been the dominant language on the Web, that lopsided balance is not expected to continue as countries upgrade their online access and telecommunications infrastructure. As a result of this trend, and to take advantage of key foreign markets, globalizing companies increasingly design their Web sites to facilitate all the major languages for those countries in which they do business. The easiest way to establish a multilingual Web site is to outsource translation work to a third party, although machine-based translation services continue to emerge.

Perhaps the most crucial element of utilizing local languages for a successful international business strategy was the mastering of contextual issues. The subtleties of linguistic variations that are so easily overlooked can offend cultural sensibilities and potentially reap tremendous damage to a company's international efforts. Therefore, simple understanding of the grammar and vocabulary isn't enough—firms need to maintain staff or partner with specialists who boast an intimate understanding of the cultural nuances of the client countries.

Thus, for companies trying to succeed in a global marketplace, diplomacy is key on a variety of fronts. First, diplomacy builds contacts, trust, and opportunities between the company and the foreign business it seeks to engage. Firms increasingly hire cultural representatives specializing in the languages and cultures of particular countries to act as liaisons between themselves and those countries. This type of firsthand knowledge, where affordable, can be significantly more valuable than indirect studies, since it actively builds new and potentially valuable relationships. Secondly, diplomacy allows companies to learn and manage the subtle-and not-so-subtle-cultural and linguistic variations that are so crucial—and potentially devastating—to an international business operation. By building bridges with local players, companies acquire on-the-ground details about what sorts of practices are likely to succeed or fail, to ingratiate or offend.