• National e-Commerce Extension Initiative
• Module Homepage
• General Overview
• Facilitation Tools
• Learning Lesson
• Introduction
• Phase One
• Phase Two
• Phase Three
• Phase Four
  • Introduction
  • Language
  • Translation
  • Translation Cont.
  • Translation Cont.
  • Color
• Final Thoughts

Translation

Small business owners interested in customizing a site for a particular international audience may decide to include Web site translation in their plans for global e-commerce expansion. The issue of translation is complex as translation might not be the most practical option for most small business owners. For example, a small business owner who displays their Web site in more than one language can assume that international customers will expect customer service to be carried out in these other languages. More specifically, this means that a German customer viewing a Web site translated into German will also expect to communicate with the owner of that site via e-mail or telephone in German. Web site content should not be translated unless follow-up communication can occur in the translated language.

The primary purpose of this section is to offer basic information about the translation services available for Web site customization. Small business owners need to evaluate their business needs and financial resources when considering Web site translation. An important reminder is that the first step in using translation effectively is to write the content clearly and concisely.

Web site and all contents © Copyright Southern Rural Development Center 2009, All rights reserved. These materials were developed as part of the Southern Rural Development Center’s National e-Commerce Extension Initiative. They are based upon work supported by the Cooperative State Research, Education, and Extension Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, under Award No. 2005-45064-03212

Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the view of the U.S. Department of Agriculture or the Southern Rural Development Center.