Attenzione , Web merchants. This is no passing phase. By 2004, only one-third of Web users will be native English speakers, estimates Global Reach. But they're the exception. Overseas firms are stepping into the breach.
Companies reap big benefits from going global.
Building a multilingual e-commerce site is no cinch. The overhaul can cost anywhere from tens of thousands to millions of dollars, depending on a site's size, says Alex S. Pressman, president of Uniscape Inc., a globalization software company. And there are differences in the way cultures handle the Web. Some languages, and sites, are read from right to left. And U.S. Net icons such as mailboxes or shopping carts are unfamiliar in some countries.