Globalize your On Demand Business

Although non-English content on the web is growing daily and the key to success for companies doing eCommerce on the web is to adapt to the cultural preferences and business conventions of their target audiences, content is still largely created in English. Often targeted at the US market. For many global companies, it is natural to view native English speakers as the primary audience, and write in a style that works well for these users. It is clear that an informal style is preferable for this user. It is also clear that well-written information that works well for an international audience also yields higher satisfaction ratings among native English speakers. The key is to write very good English but keep the tone more informal rather than stiff.

Creating content for an international audience requires attention to a variety of factors to ensure your information and message is clear for all types of audiences. There are a few things to keep in mind that will significantly aid the international audiences listed above. And help you build and maintian brand equity worldwide.

Thierry Mayeur
IBM Globalization Team

Note: In some cases, the information that will be published will be extracted from other existing information repositories. In many cases that information will already be translated or re-authored for use in other countries but the information may be stored in information repositories in other countries. This guideline deals primarily with the creation of new content but some guidance is provided about existing content.

Continue to Style and Grammar