“Creating Culturally-Correct Web Content For Global Audiences” was a discussion between Scott Abel, The Content Wrangler, and Maxwell Hoffmann, Director of Multilingual Document Globalization at Globalization Partners International. The two discussed best practices for creating web content. Maxwell provided interesting examples of color, imagery and expression mistakes others have made in the past. Scott and Maxwell also discussed how to determine if content (text and graphics) are both culturally-correct and effective in communicating to an off-shore, global audience. They also talked about how to avoid the most common cultural mistakes that unintentionally alienate the customers you are trying to serve. Listen to the archived recording: http://bit.ly/ls5nq3

1. hashtag
#mindtouch
Creating Culturally1:00pm Web Content For PST Audiences
April 15, 2011 • • Correct EST / /10:00am PST
April 15, 2011 1:00pm EST 10:00am Global
Scott Abel interviews Maxwell Hoffmann, Globalization Partners International
April 29, 2011 | 1:00pm EST/10:00am PDT Audio: +1 323.417.4600 Access code: 522-342-883 Webinar ID: 257-009-851
System Requirements ~PC: Windows® 7, Vista, XP or 2003 Server | Macintosh: Mac OS® X 10.4.11 (Tiger®) or newer

2. About Scott Abel
aka The Content Wrangler
content strategist | publishing expert | magazine columnist
social networking choreographer | blogger | mashup artist
scottabel@mac.com | 317.409.0839 | thecontentwrangler.com | twitter: @scottabel

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4. schedule | submitting questions | accessing the recording
technological challenges | twitter hash tag
housekeeping: a few things you need to know

5. April 15, 2011 • • 1:00pm EST / /10:00am leader
April 15, 2011 1:00pm EST| thought PST
publishing maven 10:00am PST
translation and localization expert
contact: mhoffmann@globalizationpartners.com

6. tell us a little about
globalization partners international
what is it? what do you do there?

7. what does this image mean to you?
what is the significance? do you recognize it?

8. what is the overarching goal of creating culturally-correct
website content for a global audience?
goals are part of a content strategy for the web

9. you mentioned color, can you provide us with some examples
of how color is viewed differently around the world
red * blue * green * yellow * orange * black * white

10. how
about an
example?
red (luck/happiness) and yellow (noble) are good colors
in china, while white and black are associated with death
how do our color choices impact how people use our web content?

11. in brazil, purple is the color of mourning,
while red is the color of prosperity, strength, happiness
how do our color choices impact how people use our web content?

12. everybody
loves dogs,
donʼt they?
images are often the first thing to
attract our attention on a website
what are some good and bad examples of image choices

13. advertisement for toyota prado
in china
be aware of what is in the background of the images you use

14. you may find that your choice of
image yield unexpected consequences
cultural differences are not limited to text

15. be cautious not to assign your family values
to those of families from other cultures
each culture has its own norms, expectations and values

16. image selection is important,
but so are our choice of words
what impact can our selection of words have on reaching our goals?

17. text often contains alphanumeric characters;
do numbers have good and bad connotations??
what numbers are ones to watch out for and why?

18. westerners would probably not intentionally use
this number as an error message
it has a religious connotation made famous by hollywood

19. whatʼs wrong with
this address?
share a real story of about addresses and culture with us

20. what are some general cultural values
we should be aware of when creating web content?
www.globalizationpartners.com/resources.asp

21. April 15, 2011 • • 1:00pm EST / /10:00am PST
April 15, 2011 letʼs start with 10:00am PST
1:00pm EST china...
collectivism * rules * hierarchy * conformance

22. how about brazil?
looking good * women * value * masculine * collective and family first

23. what things should we consider when planning layout
and spatial orientation on the web?
isnʼt good design “good design” after all?

24. heat maps can help us determine
where users click on the page
we canʼt rely on the psychic power of the designers

25. consider al jazeera
writing direction influences design placement and use of screen real estate

26. and then thereʼs al jazeera for western audiences
has a very definite similarity to most western news sites

27. consider yahoo.com
western layout and design sensibilities and preferences differ

28. and then thereʼs yahoo.co.jp
appears more cluttered to westerners, but not to the japanese

29. then there is br.yahoo.com
the design is much closer to a western-style yahoo page

30. what can western content creators do to ensure the text they
create is machine readable? Bob R - Boston MA
garbage in - garbage out * machine translation * localization

31. what can a company do to avoid color issues when we donʼt
have huge staff or budget? - Diane L, Portland, OR
letʼs look at an example

32. case study: montana world trade center
non-profit * limited budget * targets = russian, spanish, chinese, gulf region

33. solution: montana world trade center
images * text * bi-directional

34. what do you see as the future of global websites?
and what abut mobile? Jessica Y - Long Island
dramatic rise in mobile * devices proliferate * touchscreens * thoughtful layout

35. what else can we do to prepare a website for a cross-cultural,
global audience? Lonnie W - Bloomington, IL
internationalization * date formats * unicode * currencies * forms design

36. Reverse text is obvious when thinking about arabic websites,
but what else should we consider? Pete E - Seattle, WA
table columns * navigation * interaction * images

37. weʼre adapting to other cultures on the web. are they also
adapting to our style? Bill B - Chicago, IL
are these issues changing as more people experience the web?

39. April 15, 2011 • • 1:00pm EST / /10:00am PST
Maxwell Hoffmann, Globalization Partners International
April 15, 2011 1:00pm EST 10:00am PST
twitter: GPITranslates blog: blog.globalizationpartners.com
contact: mhoffmann@globalizationpartners.com

40. the best support sites are powered by mindtouch
request a demonstration today
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41. Exceptional Customer 1:00pm EST / 10:00am PST
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Scott Abel interviews Val Swisher, CEO, Content Rules
May 13, 2011 * 1pm EDT / 10am PDT