When developing websites for global brands, a key component of a site’s success is its multilingual and region-based capabilities. Global sites need to appeal to audiences across national and cultural borders, targeting their brand and marketing approach to the needs and personalities of the local audience.
There are a variety of techniques provided by the CMS (content management system) that enable a multilingual architecture. At the base level, translations of key content should be available. Although some sites provide the same layout, images, and site design for translated pages, with only text differences, this often is not the ideal approach. Most corporate websites are more than simple information databases – their agenda is to develop a brand, and sell, educate, or persuade. Content should be customized for the local area, with copy and videos developed specifically for the local demographic. In order to facilitate this, the CMS should provide the same flexibility in layout and features for multilingual pages as it does for other content on the site.
In addition to duplication of content areas, however, there should also be a translation table for structured data. Global elements in fixed areas that directly map to the same position across global regions, such as logos, phone numbers, addresses, and social media links, should be editable in a table-based format. This translation table can also be used for help messages, instructions, alerts, and headings in web applications.
On the structural side, the site needs to provide an easy and effective technique for switching between languages and regions. Generally, this is presumed by users to be in the top-right of the site, together with the “quick links.” Interactive maps can help users select their region, or sites can adopt traditional techniques such as drop-down lists of regions and languages. Upon selection of an area, the selected region should always be visible in the top-right, so that as the user browses the site, they will know which content they are currently viewing.
In order to save the current region to the user’s cache, the tried-and-true technology of web browser cookies is often a great fit. Cookies can be saved between browser sessions, so that a region selected today will remain selected the next time the user visits the site. The CMS should implement region-identification techniques at every page. As a user navigates to content exclusive to another region, the system needs to dynamically change the region to the new target area. This requires both a forward and reverse index, so that each dynamic page can identify whether its content is specific to a single area, or shared between multiple languages and regions.
Next, the URI structure should group pages by region and language. Top-level pages shared by all languages could be located in the root URI, however all region-specific content should be located in a sub-folder dedicated to that area. Htaccess rewrites should be used if content is similar enough that it could use the same base source code, and site design templates should be flexible enough to share most branding and design elements between pages.
The final key elements of multilingual sites are the lead generation and distribution techniques. Email addresses and contacts are generally set on a per-region basis, so that local sales teams can immediately respond to leads in their region. In addition, contact information and location maps should be automatically redirected to the user’s target area, improving usability by preventing users from having to parse through global directories even after they have already selected their locality.
Multilingual and region-based design is essential for the success of global brands. Although simpler solutions can function as temporary band-aids for smaller sites, a well-developed, targeted global content management system will ensure success of the brand across disparate countries and cultures.
Written by Andrew Palczewski
About the Author
Andrew Palczewski is CEO of apHarmony, a Chicago software development company. He holds a Master's degree in Computer Engineering from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign and has over ten years' experience in managing development of software projects.
Google+
Hello AntoniaJust wanted to say that this is a great blog and I’m sorry that I’ve only come asocrs it today during these quiet August days .I work in the Communications Unit at the ETF, an EU agency based in Turin that works on vocational education and training in the context of the EU external relations policies.If you ever think that I can provide you with any information, please don’t hesitate to contact me,Jo