Insights

Localizing for Arabic Speakers

• Although there are many Arabic dialects, they are all written using the same alphabet.
• There are few, if any, powerful linguistically-aware search engines for Arabic, which may have implications for SEO efforts.
• The large number of countries in which Arabic is spoken can also pose a major challenge for search engine marketing.
• Green is the traditional and primary color of Islam, so it should be used with care.
• Drinking alcohol and eating pork/shellfish/birds are forbidden by Islamic custom, and consuming caffeine and nicotine are discouraged; therefore, imagery of these activities should be avoided.
• Arabic cultures often favor conservatism, masculinity, and compliance with rules. Loyalty, predictability rather than risk, and respect for authority are considered positive attributes.
• There may be no Arabic equivalents for many English words, so a short description or phrase may be required; this can affect page layout (a similar issue can arise when translating English into German, for example).
• Arabic lacks many modern business and technology terms; again, descriptions or phrases may have to be substituted.
• Arabic, a Semitic language like Hebrew, flows from right to left (RTL).
• One implication of this RTL orientation is that the entire page layout may have to flip horizontally, including navigation buttons, menus, breadcrumbs, sidebars, and headers.
• Another implication of an RTL orientation is that direction icons, such as previous / next arrows, must be flipped horizontally.
• Although Arabic copy is RTL, the arrangement of numbers places the lowest value on the right, the same as in LTR languages.
• Arabic does not normally use complex sentence structures, so sentences may need to be broken down into smaller chunks.
• Arabic characters have smaller details than western typefaces, requiring larger character sizes that may affect page layout.
• Arabic uses Eastern Arabic numerals, not Arabic numerals as used in English; therefore, numbers need to be translated as well.
• Many popular design applications lack adequate support for Arabic character sets, adding to development time and costs.
• There are few if any grammar checkers for Arabic, which can result in greater proofreading and QA times.
• Many users in Arabic countries are on dial-up, so pages should be lightweight, not graphics or media-rich.

Localizing for Chinese Speakers

• Chinese culture tends to value teamwork and collaboration; industriousness and hard work; loyalty; and respect for authority.
• There are 12 unique dialects of spoken Chinese, but the official dialect is Mandarin.
• Regardless of dialect, all Chinese speakers read either traditional or simplified versions of the same character set, making translation of written content easier than translation of audio content.
• Simplified Chinese is typically used in mainland China, and Malaysia and Singapore.
• Traditional Chinese is typically used in Taiwan and Hong Kong.
• Although the government does keep a much tighter reign on the Internet in China than in many Western countries, most commercial sites will experience few issues as long as controversial subject matter is avoided.
• Color plays an important part in Chinese culture: black is a neutral color; red symbolizes good fortune and joy; blue-green represents vigor and nature; green represents health, prosperity, and harmony; blue or dark blue symbolizes immortality; white or silver represents brightness or purity; and yellow is considered the most beautiful color, and corresponds to the Earth.
• Acquiring a Chinese domain name (.cn) may help marketing efforts.
• There are two lower level domains (.copm.cn and .net.cn) which are reserved for Chinese companies and Chinese network providers.
• Other domains under the top level .cn domain are unrestricted.
• Colleagues, customers and clients (potential or existing) should typically be addressed by title and last name, not first name, even in welcome messages.
• In business transactions, gifts or giveaways may be perceived as a subtle form of bribery, and should be avoided.

Conclusion

There's no better way to show your clients and customers you understand them than to speak to them in their own language and with empathy for their unique cultural perspectives. While this process isn't as simple as pushing a "translate" button, following some of the steps above can make the process less daunting and problematic.