Heed the lessons from others' failures, but don't necessarily succumb to the notion that the risks outweigh the rewards. One reason is that the term internationalization relates to application development and back-end technology features, such as character and currency support. That's not the whole picture. For instance, true globalization involves language translation, currency exchange, and cultural localization. Each of these is difficult and expensive to do.
Localization is what often trips companies up.
Even people who share the same language can have very different cultures, needs, and preferences. As the majority of Internet users reside outside North America, capturing any of the projected billions in online sales means attracting users quite differently across regions. I asked our globalization guru, Don DePalma, to share some thoughts. Think in terms of the markets that make sense for your products and services. You may be getting by with your English-language Web site, but if you're trying to appeal to a broad market, or just to consumers, it's best to have a multilingual Web site.