According to Forrester Research Group, web users are up to three times more likely to purchase from a site that communicates in the customer's language". More impressively, according to Global Reach, research shows that "43% of web users do not speak English at all". There are many other variables to consider, language for one.
So how difficult can it be to target clients in a global market?
It's tricky.

Even big Multi-nationals run into trouble because of language and cultural differences. For example...

Coca-Cola
The name Coca-Cola in China was first rendered as "Ke-kou-ke-la."
Unfortunately, Coke did not discover until after thousands of
signs had been printed that the phrase means "bite the wax tadpole"
or "female horse stuffed with wax" depending on the dialect. Coke
then researched Chinese characters and found a close phonetic
equivalent, "ko-kou-ko-le," which can be loosely translated as
" happiness in the mouth."

Pepsi
In Taiwan, the translation of the Pepsi slogan "Come alive with the
Pepsi Generation" came out as "Pepsi will bring your ancestors back
from the dead."

Kentucky Fried Chicken
In Chinese, the Kentucky Fried Chicken slogan "Finger-lickin' good"
came out as "Eat your fingers off."

Salem cigarettes
The American slogan for Salem cigarettes, "Salem - Feeling Free"
got translated in the Japanese market into "When smoking Salem, you
feel so refreshed that your mind seems to be free and empty."

General Motors
When General Motors introduced the Chevy Nova in South America, it
was apparently unaware that "no va" means "it won't go." After the
company figured out why it wasn't selling any cars, it renamed the
car in its Spanish markets to the Caribe.

Ford
Ford had a similar problem in Brazil when the Pinto flopped. The
company found out that Pinto was Brazilian slang for "tiny male
genitals". Ford pried all the nameplates off and substituted Corcel,
which means horse.

Parker Pen
When Parker Pen marketed a ballpoint pen in Mexico, its ads were
supposed to say "It won't leak in your pocket and embarrass
you." However, the company mistakenly thought the Spanish word
" embarazar" meant embarrass. Instead the ads said "It won't
leak in your pocket and make you pregnant."

American T-shirt maker
An American T-shirt maker in Miami printed shirts for the Spanish
market which promoted the Pope's visit. Instead of the desired "I
Saw the Pope" in Spanish, the shirts proclaimed "I Saw the Potato."

Perdue Chicken
Chicken-man Frank Perdue's slogan, "It takes a tough man to make a
tender chicken," got terribly mangled in another Spanish translation.
A photo of Perdue with one of his birds appeared on billboards all
over Mexico with a caption that explained "It takes a hard man to
make a chicken aroused."

Hunt-Wesson
Hunt-Wesson introduced its Big John products in French Canada as
Gros Jos before finding out that the phrase, in slang, means "Big
Breasts." In this case, however, the name problem did not have a
noticeable effect on sales.

Colgate
Colgate introduced a toothpaste in France called Cul, which is the name of a notorious porno magazine - "cul" is the French word for "backside" (anatomy).

Schweppes
In Italy, a campaign for Schweppes Tonic Water translated the name
into Schweppes Toilet Water.

Japanese Tourist Agency
Japan's second-largest tourist agency was mystified when it entered
English-speaking markets and began receiving requests for unusual
sex tours. Upon finding out why, the owners of Kinki Nippon Tourist
Company changed its name.

At Blade, we don't pretend to know the intricacies of cultures worldwide nor do we boast to be fluent in all languages but what we do know is those professionals who can assist us in making your site "culturally" correct in the markets you are targeting. In essence, to give you the best quality site, in some cases like this one, we subscribe to the old adage : "it's not what you know, but who you know". Contact us for a free consultation.

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