Hotels.com localization for Asia

As I have mentioned in previous posts, I am conducting research on the localization of corporate websites for Asia. I found an interesting article recently related to this topic: Hotels.com bets on scale and localisation. The article caught my eye because I lived in Asia (Singapore) for 3+ years starting in 2002 during which I always used Hotels.com to book my travel reservations. I was surprised to see this article touting Hotels.com as an emerging popular resource for travel in Asia. I thought it was popular already! What are they doing differently from when I last used the website?

Well, it turns out that Hotels.com is beginning to hone in on a very specific localization strategy. Their new motto, according to the article, is "to become more local than the locals." And they are certainly getting there. Listed below are some of the localization tactics they are starting to employ.

• Their websites are translated into several different languages with localized regional content.
• They are starting to encourage bookings in Asia via smartphones. Internet connections within different parts of Asia are surprisingly slow. Smartphones circumvent this problem. Many people in Asia are starting to perform functions on smartphones that they would not bother with on their computers, and Hotels.com is taking advantage of this opportunity to reach a wider customer base.
• They are starting to market to corporate travelers with a view toward smaller Asian businesses trying to get by in harsh economic times.

As the article acknowledges, Asia is picking itself up out of the recent global economic slump. Corporate travel is on the rise, and the leisure travel market is growing. In order to take advantage of this market, Hotels.com will have to pay close attention to areas where it is to their advantage to employ further localization strategies. Personally, I would suggest they look to their social media pages. For example, the Hotels.com Facebook could start compiling their separate regional fan pages into one using the new Facebook location feature. McDonald's has gained considerable attention from employing such a strategy.

In the meantime, the Hotels.com website is much improved from when I last used it in Asia. There are clearly localization efforts taking place and I look forward to checking back to see what changes they make.

Click on the image to check out the Hotels.com website.


Cross-posted at More than Manuals.

Corporate web localization blogging. Let's talk it up!

As someone who works with websites for a sizable organization, I often look to blogs for unbiased advice about best practices regarding corprorate websites. Corporate website localization is such a multi-faceted topic with potential for great discussion. I hope the future promises further expression of opinion and discovery related to this topic by web design and development bloggers. A recent search I performed on the topic came up relatively empty. I describe the results of my search below.

I recently tried to perform a Google search for "corporate web localization." I found pages upon pages of search results for companies selling website localization services. In between, I found a few research pieces written on the topic. In comparison to other searches I have done while researching corporate websites, I found this very strange. Searching "corporate websites" alone will get you a ton of blogs listing corporate websites with "the best" designs, information architecture structures, online commerce strategies, and more. Why don't bloggers appear too keen on talking about best practices in corporate website localization?

Upon further searching, I found a small handful of bloggers addressing this topic. There are a few that stood out to me. In bold below, I list my reactions to these blogs/bloggers followed by a brief explanation.

• Hold up! This Malalysian website design firm appears to be a reputable source of information. In their blog, they write about many of their design projects to showcase their expertise. Their article on Globalization vs. Localization Website Design really caught my eye. In it, they define globalization as what I know to be standard Western (US/Europe) best practices in website design. I was inclined to totally disagree with their definition, until I wondered what they meant by it. As Asian designers themselves, do they get the impression that the generic global standard for web design should be something as close as possible to what Jacob Nielsen might recommend? Although their definition of localization does closely align with mine, I think their post brings up many debatable, unanswered questions - all great sparks for further conversation.


• But there's so much more! Smashing Magazine is a web design and development blog based out of Germany that I often look to for advice regarding all things related to websites. Suprisingly, their blog revealed a dearth of information on website localization. There were a few posts peripherally connected to the topic. These focused on managing string translations in a CMS, project management strategies, and the blog's multi-cultural writing staff. I know the staff at Smashing Magazine has a lot more to offer from this topic given their multi-cultural backgrounds.


• That's definitely a good start. Abduzeedo is a great blog focused on web and graphic design started by Brazilian web designer, Fabio Sasso. Their post, Web Localisation is Important... buy Why and How?, introduces a good overview of key considerations for website localization. And yet, more detail is needed.

My overall reaction to my quick search is that web design and development bloggers need to step up and educate themselves about best practices in corporate website localizations. There appears to be a lack of confidence and expertise among these bloggers on this topic. As these bloggers lead the charge in all other issues concerning website design and development, from typography concerns to best practices with CSS, I challenge them further to lead the charge in conversations concerning website localization. Many could benefit from a healthy debate on corporate website localization.

Cross posted at More than Manuals.

The importance of thinking ahead in corporate website localization

In my previous post I wrote about a conference I was planning to attend on the localization of business communications for global markets. It was a great conference with some interesting speakers from a wide range of fields - technical writing, medical writing, web design, and more. I took away quite few tips.

One lesson I found particularly important was how having a global mindset at the start of any project can avoid "language afterthought syndrome," Gilbane runs a superb blog where they discuss this issue, among others, in depth. Language afterthought syndrome occurs when thoughts on translation enter a project's scope late in the game. If you haven't thought about translation early on, customizing any type of documentation for global markets post-production can be very labor-intensive and costly.

With websites, I believe that there is a lot of time and money to be saved in the assumption that your corporate website may eventually require translation and localization. There are many issues to consider, but I would suggest starting with the following:

• Avoiding colloquialisms in web copy will help to avoid confused translators (or worse - incorrect translations).
• Lightening the load of content on your home page could speed up load times for the various regions of the world with slower internet connections.
• Choosing globally neutral graphics could help to lessen the extent to which you need to customize your visuals by region.

Cross posted at More than Manuals.