DB 3-1

250 word minumum. Must use textbook Jandt, Fred E. (editor) Intercultural Communication: A Global Reader. Thousand Oaks, CA: Sage. 2004 and cite in MLA rormat.

 

Required readings:

 

“Human Factors on the Flight Deck: The Influence of National Culture,” Merritt and Helmreich, Jandt pages 13-27 “What is the Basis of American Culture,” Aldridge, Jandt pages 84-98

 

There are two perspectives of the American culture: Merrit and Helmreich compare cultural behavior of Americans in the flight industry with that of Asians, and Aldridge looks at the history and components of American culture. How do these two perspectives compare? Is there truth in both perspectives? Are there errors in either perspective? Do you see any strengths or weaknesses in either perspective? That is, are there strength or weaknesses in either of the arguments? Are there strengths or weaknesses in any of the results of the arguments? Please elaborate on your claims.

Global Communications
GLS 310
Localization, Internationalization and Globalization

Last week we discussed the makeup of communication, and how cultural variables can influence the quality of communication.
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Models of culture

These cultural variables are defined in various models of culture.
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So, if I were from California and I wanted to communicate with someone Florida, I probably wouldn’t have too big of a problem. Depending on the subject matter, I might have to adjust. But for the most part, we speak the same language, both on the surface level and on the unconscious level.
If I made a product, such as a web interface, where the user should enter contact information like address and telephone, I still wouldn’t have a problem. And if I were to write a proposal for a grant, I still wouldn’t have a problem.
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http://geert-hofstede.com/united-states.html
(PDI=Power distance, IDV=Individualism, MAS=Masculinity,
UAI=Uncertainty avoidance, LTO=Long-term orientation)

But, if I were from California and wanted to communicate with someone from Nova Scotia, would I have a problem? Probably not too big of a
problem. How about the web interface with contact information? Well, yes. Address and telephone conventions are different in Canada. How
about the grant? Probably no problem there, because the sense of formality between the US and Canada are rather similar.
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http://geert-hofstede.com/united-states.html
(PDI=Power distance, IDV=Individualism, MAS=Masculinity,
UAI=Uncertainty avoidance, LTO=Long-term orientation)

What about with Germany? Given that we speak the same language, would I have a problem communicating? Possibly, given that Germany is
more a Low-context culture. I would be required to provide more contextual information. Germans also have a stronger uncertainty
avoidance, where things tend to be more right and wrong, rather than shades of grey. And with the web interface? Definitely, the contact
information is both a different convention and a different language. And what about the grant proposal? More than likely, yes. I would be
required to add more contextual information, but also the formality due to the flow of information and power distance would require that
I formulate the information quite differently.
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http://geert-hofstede.com/united-states.html
(PDI=Power distance, IDV=Individualism, MAS=Masculinity,
UAI=Uncertainty avoidance, LTO=Long-term orientation)

And if I were to communicate with someone from Singapore, or China? Well, both Singapore and china have a greater power distance than the
US and both are more collectivist, so I would need to adjust my communication accordingly. And Because China has a greater long-term
orientation, that means I would definitely need to spend time building relations.
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Localization

Localization is the process of creating or adapting an information product for use in a specific target country or specific target market.

What we’re doing here is looking at the international variables to see what, if anything needs to be adjusted when entering another
culture. That is, we are analyzing data to determine if our information should be localized.
“Localization is the process of creating or adapting an information product for use in a specific target country or specific target
market.”
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Localization
Surface
Unspoken rules
Unconscious rules

Using the iceberg metaphor, information coming from the US and going to Canada would require surface level adjustments, but not
necessarily any great restructuring due to deeper international variables.
But information going to Germany would require both surface level, and possibly even deeper restructuring due to greater individualism in
the US and greater uncertainty avoidance in Germany.
And more so in China and Singapore, where the international variables differ greatly.
So, target countries such as Canada and Germany would require only General localization.
And Singapore and China would require radical localization.
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Why localize?
Localized products improve sales.
Localized products overcome cultural differences.
Localized products overcome inherent product resistance.

Why localize?
Well,
*localized products improve sales. In a sense, localization is marketing. You’re ensuring that your product (whether it’s a product to be
bought and sold or a piece of documentation to convince or inform) addresses the audience on their own terms.
*localized products overcome cultural differences. One example is the car industry. Cars that are sold in the US, and most of Europe and
Asia have the steering wheel on the left side of the car. Cars sold in England, Japan, Australia, Indonesia and New Zealand have the
steering wheel on the right side of the car. Another example is the wood products industry. In the 1950s, Japan’s natural resources for
wood were limited, so they approached the US and Canada. Japan had one requirement: that the wood be cut according to Japanese building
tradition. To accommodate the requirement, the suppliers would have to create special tools for cutting the wood into sizes and shapes
specific for Japan. So, thinking shortsighted, the Americans turned down the request, because they didn’t want to get involved in
localization. Canada accepted the challenge, and years later are still profiting.
*localized products overcome inherent product resistance. This is a defensive approach to sales. An example here is McDonald’s creation
of the vegetarian burger for the Indian market. McDonald’s main item is the all-beef hamburger, but they wanted to enter the Indian
market, where many people do not eat beef. To overcome this inherent resistance to its staple product, McDonalds adapted its products for
use by a specific target group.
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What are the problems with localization?
Localization is expensive.
Localization increases the time it takes for a product to be introduced in an international market.
Localization introduces additional legal issues.

What are the problems with localization?
well,
*Localization is expensive. Localization adds dramatically to the cost of a project. You might have to re-engineer for radical
localization. Or, you might have to translate, which can cost from 50 US$ to 200 US$ per page to be translated.
*Localization increases the time it takes for a product to be introduced in an international market. Re-engineering and translation add
months to the development cycle. It also takes time to enter some international markets. The middle east or China for example, might take
years of relationship building before you can actually enter the market. It’s only with proper research and planning that you can
minimize the obstacles of time-to-market.
*Localization introduces additional legal issues. This is a big issue, and good planning can’t make it disappear. Boeing aircraft has
chosen not to translate their maintenance manuals on how to repair the aircraft. They put the responsibility of translating that
information on the customer who buys the aircraft, because of the liability Boeing would assume if the translation was incorrect or
misleading.
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How it goes wrong…
No localization
Poor localization
Cultural insensitivity

Proper localization isn’t easy, as you’ll be experiencing this month.
It takes a lot of research, and a lot of testing in the target environments.
And, to test properly, you’ll have to validate the tests.
Localization can go wrong on so many levels:
For whatever reason, you can fail to localize or translate.
You can localize poorly.
You can be culturally insensitive.
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No localization
First to market: too much of a rush to localize
Not following regulations
Branding doesn’t always translate

In a rush to be first to market. An example is Apple computer’s entrance to the Japanese market in the 1980s. Apple wanted to beat out IBM, and in their haste, they failed to adapt their computers to Japanese requirements and didn’t translate their technical manuals to Japanese. Their entrance was so bad, the US Department of Commerce published a manual using Apple as an example of how not to do business in Japan.
IBM did their homework, and despite arriving after Apple, they took the majority of the market.
When it comes to global communications, regulations are majorly important. Every jurisdiction has its own regulations. SC Johnson, for whatever reason, were fined for exporting pesticides without translating the instructions on how to use them.
As for branding. Brands are the symbols companies want to be identified with. Companies take a time and effort to establish their brand. Unfortunately, the brand doesn’t always make sense in another culture. When Starbucks introduced their holiday lattes called Gingerbread Lattes, they thought it would be a simple win. Germans love gingerbread, especially during the Christmas holidays. But when the Gingerbread Lattes failed, the stakeholders were surprised. The problem? They didn’t translate. The next year, Starbucks began selling Lebkuchen Latte, and sales flourished.
There are numerous examples of brand names that don’t play well in foreign markets: Vicks Cough Drops had to change their name to Wicks in the German market because the pronunciation was too close to a vulgar term for the sex act; Puffs brand tissues didn’t play well in the German market either, where “puff” is a colloquialism for a brothel, nor in the British market where “puff” sounds similar to a coarse term for homosexuals.
And when Ford introduced the Probe in to the German market, despite having a fully staffed subsidiary in Germany, they introduced the Probe. Probe translates to “test” or “rehearsal” in German. Consumers thought hey were buying a test car, rather than a real one.
Or IKEA, a great company with local subsidiaries responsible for ensuring the products and advertising meet local requirements. Funny enough, they introduced the IKEA Fartfull workbench to the American market.
There are numerous brands that will be hard to enter the US market…
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No localization

For example four X beer from Australia… They intended to export to the US until they realized there is already an entire class of products with a similar name.
And numerous other products that would be hard to sell in the US market without adjusting the brand names.
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Poor localization
The Intimidating Green Ogre
I don’t want these, give me big shoes

Failing to translate your brand name in a foreign market is one thing, another is to translate your brand, slogan or advertising copy poorly.
In the 1960s, the Jolly Green Giant tried to enter the Saudi Arabian market, but was translated to “The intimidating green ogre”
And when Nike had a commercial showing a number of people from various countries repeating the slogan “Just Do It”, it was too late when it was discovered that the Samburu tribesman was actually saying “I don’t want these, give me big shoes”
And when parker Pens wanted to sell in Mexico with the slogan: “It won’t leak in your pocket and embarrass you”… they mistakenly rendered “embarrass” as “embarazar.” Their new slogan splashed around Mexico was “It won’t leak in your pocket and make you pregnant.”
And there are numerous more:
• Kentucky Fried Chicken’s “Finger-Lickin’ Good” translated into Chinese as “We’ll Eat Your Fingers Off”
• Coors’ “Turn it Loose” translated into Spanish as “Suffer from Diarrhea”
• The American Dairy Association’s “Got Milk?” translated into Spanish as “Are you lactating?”
• Pepsi’s “We bring you back to life” translated into Chinese as “We bring your ancestors back from the grave”
• Braniff Airlines’ “Fly in leather” translated into Spanish as “Fly naked”
• General Motors’ “Body by Fisher” translated in Belgium as “Corpse by Fisher”
• Frank Perdue’s slogan, “It takes a tough man to make a tender chicken,” translated into Spanish as “It takes a hard man to make a chicken affectionate.”
• Schweppes Tonic Water translated into Italian as Schweppes Toilet Water.

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Cultural insensitivity

Poor translation is one thing, but there are also numerous examples where the product is simply inappropriate. Most recently there was the Volkswagen advertisement during the Super Bowl, where people took on the island attitude of Jamaica by driving in there VW.
There there’s Fiat’s “Cinquecento” campaign in Spain. Part of the campaign included sending love letters to women to entice them to go check out the car at a dealership. These women felt stalked, while the personally addressed letters inviting the recipient to indulge in “a little adventure” after noticing “how [you] glanced interestedly in my direction” didn’t fare well with spouses either.
Then there’s the pharmaceutical company that tried to sell its birth control in Spain, without considering that 94% of the Spanish population is a practicing Catholic, and those beliefs would influence there perceptions and behaviours.
Or the leather goods company that tried to export its goods to India, where cows are considered sacred, and to Argentina, where beef is one of the largest exports, and leather is abundant.
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Internationalization
For larger projects, with many target audiences

So, the message is that you have to do your homework. When you do, good localization can do wonders.
Nonetheless, localization is effective if the number of target groups is small. Many companies perform localization by adapting a product that was
created specifically for its domestic market. You can have the source product, and then localize it to 1 to 3 locations. Localizing a
domestic product for a different culture is difficult because you have to find and adapt all cultural references in the product. When you
start getting more target locations, you have to rethink your approach.
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Internationalization
Internationalization is the process of re-engineering an information product so that it can be easily localized for export to any country in the world. An internationalized product consists of two components: core information and international variables.

“Internationalization is the process of re-engineering an information product so that it can be easily localized for export to any
country in the world. An internationalized product consists of two components: core information and international variables.“
Core information remains the same for an entire family of products, while the international variables are localized.
By separating the core information from the international variables, you remove cultural references from the main part of your product,
you save when localizing, because the core can be used repeatedly, and its easier to adapt to new targets because you have already
identified the variables, such as colors, currency formats, date formats, time formats, units of measure, graphics, writing style and
product packaging.
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Globalization
Is it the next step?

We’ve seen that localization is good on a small scale, and internationalization helps, but it still requires two steps:
internationalize the core product and localize the international variables for each target. This still requires additional effort, time
and money. The ultimate, ideal solution is to create a global product that can be used by anyone, anywhere, without modification.
Can you think of anything that is truly universal?
a paper clip? and nail? a pencil?
Perhaps… but is there need for a pencil in the middle of the Sahara or on a remote island? So, global is a relative concept.
Microsoft defines global as having:
* a core worldwide feature set
* market/country specific localization, as appropriate
interoperability between the various language versions

Whatever the case, and whatever the approach, you have to know your audience and their needs.
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