A Framework for Cultural Localization of Websites and for Improving Their Commercial Utilization

Abstract

Cultural localization of websites is at present a relevant topic that has a potential to increase the commercial use of the websites of companies that operate or want to operate in multiple countries or regions. This chapter presents a basic survey of websites as culturally sensitive media. It is based on an extensive research of available literature on the subject and comprises more than 80 studies. These sources show that the study of the interconnectedness of culture and websites is examined primarily by using Hofstede's and Hall's cultural dimensions. The main part of the chapter is a detailed analysis of 14 seminal studies focusing on cultural localization of websites, and a subsequent aggregation of the individual conclusions arising from them. This is the basis on which a holistic Framework was created, connecting a total of more than 150 cultural features to the respective cultural dimensions. The proposed Framework can be used by web specialists for cultural localization of websites.

Internet Presence and Multilingual Dissemination in Corporate Websites

“…Concerning multilingual dissemination of corporate information, only 10.3% of the SMEs analyzed had their website translated into at least one language. Despite the numerous studies outlining (Ahlfors and Fang, 2017;Cermak and Smutny, 2017;Chhibber and Chadha, 2020;Clavijo-Olmos, 2018;Gutiérrez-Artacho and Olvera-Lobo, 2017a;Singh et al, 2012), the findings reveal there is a generalized lack of awareness of the benefits of offering a website adapted to several languages and cultures. To this end, the national government has recently developed a plan for strengthening Spanish SMEs in a global, digital, innovative and changing environment which includes among its action lines improving information on services and resources available to foster internationalization (Secretaría General de Industria y de la Pequeña y Mediana Empresa, 2020).…”

“…To this end, having their corporate websites translated into different languages helps SMEs to create a friendly environment, generate engagement, develop a strong branding strategy, and increase their competitive strength (Chhibber & Chadha, 2020;Clavijo-Olmos, 2018;Olvera-Lobo & Castillo-Rodríguez, 2018). In addition, website localization−the cultural adaptation of the content and language of a website for a specific locale−contribute to the internationalization of SMEs, overcoming the linguistic and cultural barriers of internet users from different socio-cultural and linguistic contexts, thus improving SME competitiveness in a globalized environment (Cermak & Smutny, 2017;Gutiérrez-Artacho & Olvera-Lobo, 2017a;Zhu, 2016).…”

“…Regarding website localization, which is of paramount importance for achieving successful website international outreach, several authors have proposed frameworks for analyzing the overall quality of this aspect (Cermak & Smutny, 2017;Singh et al, 2009Singh et al, , 2012 and some of these studies determined that, in general, the companies analyzed emphasized content translation over localization in terms of navigation, graphics, colors and other culturally relevant content (Singh et al, 2009(Singh et al, , 2012. In a similar approach, other authors (Medina Reguera & Ramírez Delgado, 2015) have analysed the quality of localized agro-alimentary exporter SMEs websites and have concluded that there is a generalized lack of quality.…”

An Empirical Study of e-Learning Interface Design Elements for Generation Z

“…Colour [33], [34], [35], [36], [32], [37], [31], [38], [39], [40], [23], [41], [42], [43], [44] 15 Graphic Image [34], [36], [24], [32], [38], [39], [40], [45], [41], [46], [43], [44] 20 Symbol [47], [40], [45], [43] Logo [48], [45] Metaphor [49], [50] Layout Layout [35], [47], [36], [32], [37], [38], [39], [45], [41], [42], [44] 16 Structure [23], [46] Information Organization [51] Appearance [49],…”

“…Interface elements such as colour, graphics and typography are known as cultural markers. Each marker has its own design characteristics which would suit the needs of generation Z students [31] [19] [32]. These identified elements or cultural markers and design characteristics of the interface can help developers to develop e-learning system in the future.…”