Localization of Education
Dr. Nitish Singh, Boeing Institute of International Business, St. Louis University stated that Over 230 countries, 6,700 languages, 147 currencies, 24 time zones — the Web allows companies to traverse these barriers and reach consumers worldwide.
Today global online trade is driven by the spread of free markets, increasing literacy and computer access in developing countries, deregulation and liberalization of industries, and the continuing trend of globalization across the world. The domination of the US in the online marketplace is eroding due to changing online demographics, diffusion of Internet technology, and growth and acceptance of the Internet by consumers worldwide. As of 2006 almost 1.08 billion online users were accounted across the globe with the US share being only about 210 million (Internet World Stats).
According to Singh and Pereira (2005), a firm must localize its website linguistically and culturally in order to sell successfully to online global consumers. Studies have shown that website localization and cultural customization can lead to better navigation, usage, attitude toward the site and even higher purchase intentions on the site (Singh and Pereira, 2005; Singh et al 2006). Research also confirms that online customers stay twice as long on website s that have been localized. Online business users are almost three times more likely to make purchases online when websites are localized (Singh and Pereira, 2005).
During the past 25 years the localization industry has grown up around helping companies design multilingual websites and software applications for different countries. This industry generated an estimated $8.8 billion in revenue in 2006 and is expected to reach $12 billion by 2010 (DePalma and Beninatto, 2006). However, the localization industry and multinational companies with global web presence are finding it increasingly difficult to find trained localization professionals who can help them localize websites and other software applications. This shortage of skills and trained human power can be attributed to the lack of academic offerings in localization, the knowledge gap and the limited executive business training for localization professionals.
- Lack of Academic Offerings. Currently, few programs offer courses related to localization. In the US and Europe, a handful of programs offer some kind of localization training; for example, localization and international e-business (online and offline at California State University Chico), s oftware-localization and programming (University of Limerick, Ireland), translation technology and business at the graduate level (Monterey Institute of International Business, and Kent State University, U.S.), and online courses in localization (Austin Community College, U.S.) 1. With very few courses and integrated programs in localization, a limited number of trained professionals are being groomed to take up the role of implementing localization and web globalization strategy.
- The Knowledge Gap. Both from the academic and the business point of view, there is a deficit in knowledge and course offerings teaching how to successfully design international websites, localize applications, and develop website globalization strategy. A person competent to handle the web localization efforts of a company should be trained in international e-marketing strategy, international website design/localization and implementation, foreign language orientation and translation technology, working in cross-national teams, project management, and have inter-cultural communication skills. However, there is a lack of university programs providing such a well-rounded training in this area.
- The Business Education Gap. Currently there is a lack of formalized management or executive training opportunities, in international e-business/web globalization strategy/localization, through business schools. Thus, we are not providing high level business training, via business schools, specifically catered to localization professionals. Most of the limited training available is through private sector or non-profit associations like Globalization and Localization Association, Localization Institute, and Localization Industry Standards Association. To provide well-rounded management training we need to bring the expertise of private companies, industry associations and business schools together.
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