According to the report, in the first quarter of 2006, revenues from Pay per Click Search Engine Bidding reached RMB 175 million; revenues from fixed position search engine advertising reached RMB 9 million; and revenues from real-name keyword registration and advertising services reached RMB 120 million. Analysys International says the combination of search engine with e-commerce is drawing people's attention. To advertisers who deal in international trade, Google has advantages on multi-language advertising, such as Korean and Japanese ad-words advertising.

However, in major areas such as Guangdong, Jiangsu, Beijing, Shanghai and Zhejiang, Baidu is more favored by online marketing advertisers. The market size of real-name keyword registration and advertising services has undergone negative growth.

Analysys International says localization and building marketing channels has become the most urgent work to do for Google in China. Localization does not simply mean language localization. User experience, marketing channels and even payment habits will affect the progress of a foreign firm to adapt to Chinese market.

Excerpt from: Promotion World press releaseof June 21, 2006

When reading articles in English with French students, we often run across American measurements: inches, miles, and feet. And French translations for these words do exist: pouces, milles, pieds. But they don’t mean much in France, because the country – like most of the world – uses the metric system. So the measurement must be explained, and a rough conversion given. This is an everyday example of the importance of localizing a translation to suit the target culture.

Now imagine an American website which includes product descriptions. If your company wants to translate it to another language, all of the measurements will have to be localized – and this means more than a quick conversion into the metric system. A deep knowledge of the culture is also needed. For example, although France is on the metric system, certain products such as TV screens are measured in inches!

In this crucial area of measurements and dimensions, “close doesn’t count.” That’s why at Language Translation Inc. our localization service engineers incorporate conversions set and approved by the client company in order to best respect industry standards. We also provide the project management services so important to website and software translation. “We speak your language – and theirs.”

Betty Carlson

Understanding the importance of graphics localization is vital. If graphic files are designed to closely accompany the content of a web site, the terminology in the text must be consistent between graphics and content or you risk leaving the visitor in a state of confusion. Discouragingly, graphic localization may be one of the translation field's most misunderstood processes.

Of course, it makes sense that the graphics to be localized should be sent to the translation company as original and unaltered image files. That way, the localizers can keep the original images settings and format during the translation process and successfully alter the text. Languages other than the original source language could expand or decrease the text in translation. The graphic file should contain enough space to make room for the new language. It can cost extra time and money if the graphic file’s text is not kept on a separate layer, thereby forcing the entire file to be recreated.

Yes, even graphical content needs to be adjusted for the global audience. Effective localization of web content, including graphics, pictures and layouts, achieves a desirable welcome feel to your site and services, no matter who the visitor. Language Translation, Inc., a website localization service, can tackle these needs for your company, and offers translation and localization services to propel your business into the world of cultures--allowing you to expand your products and services to a wider audience. Business document translation, certified conference interpreting, and software/website localization provide opportunities to share your business with those outside your comfort zone.

Bonnie Bruneau

The real challenge is truly understanding cultural diversity. There can be several languages and dialects-not to mention different industry terminologies-in a single country or even city. So while it might seem intuitive that your Russian site would be translated into Russian, it's not enough to do a straight language translation, said Michael Koziol, exec VP-North America for interactive agency nurun|ant farm interactive. "You need to do localization, which is very different from translation," he said.

Localization takes into account slang, language composition, customs and social mores, as well as encompassing both text and images. It requires someone who is on the ground in your target country to do the original translation, or fact-check every page of your site, to make sure it doesn't come out sounding like the equivalent of a stilted fortune cookie.

Language is only the first part of localizing your site, however. People in different countries tend to navigate Web sites differently. For some, it's a technical limitation; while broadband is fairly ubiquitous in most countries, there are still plenty of places that have slow Internet connections. This means your flashy splash page that works in North America might not work in the Middle East. Culturally, there are many people who navigate for utility, so they require a much shorter entrance path, said Stephen Wray, president-CEO of Cadient Group, an interactive agency.

"You really have to test and look at visit value indexes to see what the pathways are," he said. "You have to see what visitors in a particular country [are doing] to see what the value of a visit is to them."

Excerpt from: http://www.btobonline.com/article.cms?articleId=28290

Language Translation, Inc. offers translation and localization services to propel your business into the world of culture, allowing you to expand your products and services to a wider audience. Business document translation, certified conference interpreting, and software/website localization provide opportunities to share your business with those outside your comfort zone.

Bonnie Bruneau

Internationalization is sometimes used interchangeably with globalization to refer to economic and cultural effects of an increasingly interconnected world. While internationalization most commonly refers to the addition of a framework for multiple language support, especially in software, it sometimes refers to the process whereby something (a corporation, idea, highway, war, etc.) comes to affect multiple nations. This usage is rare, and globalization is preferred.

Because of globalization, many companies and products are found in multiple countries worldwide, giving rise to increasing localization requirements. In software development, after a product has been internationalized, "localization" refers to the process of making it ready for a specific market. So you can refer to a product as being "internationalized" if it has been developed to meet most of the needs of an international community, but not yet customized to a specific region. The customization to a specific region is called "localization".

Excerpt from "Internationalization & Localization" from Wikipedia, the Free Online Encyclopedia

Language Translation, Inc. , a California-based, minority- and woman-owned business since 1989, provides not only professional software and website localization, but certified business document translation, and Court-certified simultaneous and consecutive interpreting and sound equipment. When you are ready to greet your customers in the global economy, you can rely on our expertise to get you there.

Bonnie Bruneau

In the US, motorists drive on the right side of the road; in the UK they drive on the left side. Do you know others? Those in Singapore, Australia, Japan and South Africa drive on the left side, like the UK, but in Spain, they drive on the right side! As you can see, the way people drive is different across the globe. Different languages are spoken around the world as well.

In today’s world of instant mass communication and air travel, it is very important for the human race to be able to communicate and understand one another. It’s also pertinent to comprehend the differences between all of us, especially culturally. When you are able to demonstrate you understand the culture and language of your clients, they in turn will feel they understand you and what you have to offer.

What better way to get your message across than with language translation and web localization? Localization goes beyond translation to cater to the specific needs and culture of your particular audience. Although we may all speak different languages, the key connecting us all is the desire to be heard and understood. With web site localization services from Language Translation, Inc., your business can reach out to potential customers around the world!

Bonnie Bruneau

Readers of this blog can learn a lot about localization: the adaptation of a document, website, or product to a target market’s culture. But what exactly is internationalization? And is it the same as localization?

Although the two concepts are related, internationalization can be thought of as the design and information technology practices that enable localization to take place. It adapts products for potential use all over the world, whereas localization allows products to be suitable for a specific place, or “locale.” So before thinking about localization, product and software designers must conceive the product in a way that will allow it to be later localized to many different cultures. Both of these words are pretty long, so “internationalization” is often abbreviated to “i18n” or “I18n”, and “localization” to “L10n” or “l10n”, with 18 and 10 representing the number of letters omitted by the abbreviation.

Localization of software and websites is one of Language Translation Inc.’s specialities, along with professional document translation and interpreting for conferences, meetings, or court appearances. "We speak your language, and theirs."