Chief among them are organizational problems, according to a Forrester Research survey of 50 companies creating a global Web presence. These include managing different marketing strategies in different markets, securing adequate resources, and managing channel conflicts. Other difficulties include managing content, technical obstacles, and cultural and legal barriers. During the last year, a number of companies have introduced products and services aimed at helping companies globalize their e-business sites. Companies that host websites, such as Digital Island, Exodus Communications and an increasing number of ISPs and telecom companies, including Frontier Global Center and Qwest Communications, have introduced services to overcome global network performance problems.
Translation is a key part of tailoring an e-business site for a particular market.
A number of software translation products are available, but they're limited in that they don't handle idioms or technical material well. So GEIS and others are turning to tools that streamline the workflow involved in using human translation services to localize content for different markets. GEIS looked at several products, but chose Global Sight Ambassador from Global Sight to translate GE TradeWeb into French, German and, soon, Italian because the company had experience and a solid methodology. We needed someone in the industry who had the capability to sell us a tool or service, implement it and move forward. These localized versions of the site also handle local currencies, contracts and customer support.