It is amazing what you can learn about your fellow country-men and -women when you look at travel information.
The other day I had a visitor here from another country. Among other things he had brought with him a travel brochure. As I was leafing through the pages I found some interesting tips for visitors to the US. Here are some examples:
- Smile more often ...
- Say "Thank You" ...
- Tip generously ...
- Don't just smoke when you feel like it ...
- Don't leave your kids alone in the car or hotel room ...
- Don't forget to introduce yourself ...
- Keep your bikini top on when you're at the beach ...
- Don't discuss certain topics publicly ...
- Don't carry open containers with adult beverages ...
- Don't pay with $100 bills ...
- Don't cut in line ...
I look at these tips through a localizer's eyes. They tell a visitor how things are different where they are going. And, they tell the hosts that things may be different where their visitors come from.
I wish localization were as simple as that - a brochure to give to our clients and we'd be done.
BeatBabel is a translation and localization provider based in San Diego, California. We focus on software and web localization, multilingual content management and internationalization consulting.
If you want to know more about us, please visit BeatBabel.com
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