The  Art

of the
Global  Gateway
Strategies for Successful Multilingual Navigation

John  Yunker
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway
Secrets  of  Successful  Multilingual  Navigation
Second  Edition

Publisher
Byte  Level  Books
www.bytelevelbooks.com

Copyright  ©  2010  John  Yunker

All  rights  reserved

ISBN    978-­0-­9796475-­3-­6
First  Edition  2006
Second  Edition  2010

All   trademarks,   screen   shots,   and   logos   are   the   property   of   their   respec-­
tive  owners.  No  part  of  this  publication  may  be  reproduced  in  any  form  or  
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Please  purchase  only  authorized  electronic  editions,  and  do  not  participate  
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The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

Contents

Welcome,  Benvenuto,  Bienvenida…  ........................................................... 5

About  this  book  ............................................................................................ 7

First  Things  First  ....................................................................................... 9

One  Internet,  many  languages    ................................................................... 10

Elements  of  Global  Navigation  ............................................................... 16

Country  codes:  Local  “front  doors”  ........................................................... 18
The  global  gateway:  What  users  see    ......................................................... 27
The  splash  global  gateway    ................................................................. 28
The  permanent  global  gateway  ............................................................ 37
Global  gateway  icons  .......................................................................... 40
The  language/country  menu  ................................................................ 42
Mapping  the  global  gateway  ............................................................... 59
Language  negotiation  ................................................................................. 65
Web  browsers  and  language  settings  ................................................... 69
Geolocation:  We  know  where  you  live    ..................................................... 76

Global  Gateway  Best  Practices  ............................................................... 85

Translate  the  gateway,  but  don’t  overtranslate  ........................................... 86
:DYHÀDJVZLWKFDXWLRQ  ............................................................................. 89
Be  careful  what  you  call  “country”  ............................................................ 94
Pull-­down  menus  don’t  scale  ..................................................................... 95
Don’t  play  favorites  (or  favourites)  ........................................................... 97
Icons  speak  louder  than  words    ................................................................ 101
Use  as  little  text  as  necessary  ................................................................... 102
Use  the  “sweet  spot”  ................................................................................ 103
Use  Unicode  ............................................................................................. 104
Place  usability  ahead  of  creativity  ........................................................... 106
Don’t  pretend  you  speak  languages  that  you  don’t  .................................. 109
Global  gateways  shouldn’t  make  you  think  ..............................................111

3
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

Keep  legalese  to  a  minimum  .................................................................... 113

Embedded  text  is  untranslated  text  .......................................................... 115
Don’t  put  age  before  language  ................................................................. 117

*OREDO*DWHZD\3UR¿OHV  ........................................................................ 120

IKEA  ........................................................................................................ 121
GE  ............................................................................................................ 124
Google  ...................................................................................................... 129
Xbox  ......................................................................................................... 133

Spanish-­Language  Gateways  for  the  US  .............................................. 136

What’s  the  URL?  ...................................................................................... 137
Spanish-­language  gateways  ..................................................................... 141

Trending  Now:  Mobile  Devices  and  Social  Media  .............................. 148

The  global  gateway  and  mobile  devices  .................................................. 149
The  global  gateway  and  social  media  ...................................................... 162

Developing  a  Global  Gateway  Strategy  ............................................... 172

Of  big  steps  and  baby  steps  ...................................................................... 173
Case  Study:  The  growth  of  a  global  gateway  .......................................... 175
Global  gateway  FAQ  ................................................................................ 182
Global  gateway  checklist  ......................................................................... 184

Terminology  ............................................................................................. 189

Selected  Country  Codes  ........................................................................... 193
About  the  author  ...................................................................................... 195

4
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

Welcome,  Benvenuto,  Bienvenida…

A  global  gateway  is  the  initial  point  of  contact  between  your  web  site  and  
WKHZRUOG²LWLVLQHIIHFWDZHEXVHU¶V¿UVWLPSUHVVLRQ$QGDVWKHROG
saying  goes:  <RXGRQ¶WJHWDVHFRQGFKDQFHWRPDNHD¿UVWLPSUHVVLRQ.  To  
truly  welcome  visitors  to  your  web  site,  you’ll  need  a  welcoming  global  
gateway.

,Q,SXEOLVKHGWKH¿UVWHGLWLRQRI7KH$UWRIWKH*OREDO*DWHZD\,  
ZKLFKKDVEHHQXVHGE\KXQGUHGVRIFRPSDQLHVWRPDNHVLJQL¿FDQWLP-­
provements  to  their  global  gateways.  And  yet  there  is  still  much  work  to  
be  done.  And  much  has  changed  since  2006.

This  second  edition  is  more  than  an  update.  It  has  been  expanded  to  ad-­
dress  the  emergence  of  mobile  apps  and  social  media  such  as  Twitter  and  
Facebook.  And  it  offers  a  number  of  new  best  practices  that  have  evolved      
over  the  years.  

The  information  in  this  book  is  based  on  more  than  ten  years  spent  study-­
ing   the   evolution   of   global   navigation,   learning   what   works   and   what  
doesn’t,  and  directly  helping  companies  improve  their  gateways.

You’ll  learn  techniques  and  recommendations  that  have  helped  hundreds  

RIFRPSDQLHVLQFUHDVHWUDI¿FWRWKHLUORFDOZHEVLWHV6RPHUHFRPPHQGD-­
tions  are  easy  to  implement;;  some  take  more  time  and  investment.  But  all  
are  designed  to  help  you  create  a  more  globally  usable  navigation  strategy.  

Web  globalization  is  a  journey,  not  a  destination.  As  companies  continue  

5
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

to  add  new  languages  and  enter  new  markets,  the  global  gateway  will  also  
continue  to  evolve.  So  prepare  yourself  for  a  journey,  an  exciting  one.

And  get  ready  to  develop  a  global  gateway  that  will  always  make  an  ex-­
FHOOHQW¿UVWLPSUHVVLRQ

John  Yunker  
jyunker@bytelevel.com

6
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

About  this  book

A  global  gateway  may  seem  like  a  relatively  trivial  design  element,  but  
there  is  a  great  deal  of  complexity  involved  in  getting  it  right,  and  this  
book  is  designed  to  help  you  do  just  that.  Global  gateways,  well  executed,  
FDQLPSURYHWUDI¿FWRORFDOL]HGZHEVLWHVIURPWRDVPXFKDV

From  the  visuals  to  the  text  strings  to  the  server-­side  technologies,  there  
are  many  moving  pieces.  And  global  gateways  rarely  remain  static  over  
time;;  they  must  evolve  to  support  additional  languages  and  changing  user  
expectations.  This  second  edition  of  7KH$UWRIWKH*OREDO*DWHZD\  ad-­
dresses  new  and  emerging  trends,  like  social  media  and  mobile  apps,  as  
well  as  pulls  data  from  7KH:HE*OREDOL]DWLRQ5HSRUW&DUG,  which  
benchmarks  more  than  200  global  web  sites  across  21  industry  verticals  
and  includes  global  navigation  as  one  of  its  key  metrics.  And,  of  course,  
nearly  every  screen  shot  in  this  edition  has  been  updated  or  is  brand  new.

Who  is  this  book  for?

This  book  is  for  web  designers,  copywriters,  marketers,  localization  ven-­
dors,  project  managers,  and  developers.  In  other  words,  this  book  is  for  
those   who   create   web   sites   and   applications   and   those   who   take   them  
global.

While  this  book  addresses  technical  aspects  of  the  global  gateway,  it  is  
more   strategic   than   technical.   Most   global   gateway   best   practices   have  
to   do   more   with   the   user   interface   (UI)   than   with   the   underlying   tech-­
nologies.  That  said,  it’s  important  that  you  have  a  solid  understanding  of  
7
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

HTML  and  how  web  servers  present  content  to  clients.  If  you  have  ques-­
WLRQVDERXWDVSHFL¿FWHUPSOHDVHUHIHUWRWKHWHUPLQRORJ\VHFWLRQDWWKH
end  of  the  book.

And  while  the  global  gateway  should  above  all  be  functional,  it  also  must  
integrate  well  with  the  overall  site,  and  the  word  DUW  is  in  the  title  for  a  
reason.  You’ll  discover  that,  from  icons  to  interactive  elements,  there  are  a  
lot  of  choices  to  make  when  developing  a  global  gateway.  Despite  a  num-­
ber  of  established  best  practices,  each  company  has  its  own  unique  needs  
DQGDXGLHQFHVRWKHUH¶VQR³RQHVL]H¿WVDOO´JDWHZD\²DQGWKHUHLVHYHQ
room  for  a  little  creativity.

8
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

First  Things  First

,WZDVEDFNLQWKDW,¿UVWXVHGWKHWHUP³JOREDOJDWHZD\´$WWKHWLPH
I  was  referring  to  a  pull-­down  menu  a  company  was  using  on  its  web  site.  
And  the  term  stuck.  

But  it  has  also  evolved.  Today,  a  global  gateway  is  so  much  more  than  a  
pull-­down  menu.  It  is  an  umbrella  term  for  the  visual  and  technical  ele-­
ments  you  employ  to  direct  users  to  their  localized  web  sites  and  applica-­
tions.

This  section  will  give  you  a  general  overview  of  the  important  role  of  the  
global  gateway,  as  well  as  introduce  a  few  key  elements  to  keep  in  mind  
before   you   get   into   the   nitty-­gritty   of   strategizing   and   developing   your  
own  gateway.

9
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

One  Internet,  many  languages  

The  Internet  now  connects  more  than  1.7  billion  people  around  the  world.  

Most  of  these  Internet  users  do  not  live  in  the  United  States.  And  most  do  
not  speak  English  as  a  native  language.  

6RXUFH,QWHUQHW:RUOG6WDWV

(YHU\\HDUDQDGGLWLRQDOPLOOLRQSHRSOHJRRQOLQHIRUWKHYHU\¿UVW
time,  most  of  whom  also  do  not  live  in  the  US  or  speak  English.  

Not  surprisingly,  companies  have  responded  to  the  changing  mix  of  Inter-­
net  users  by  localizing  their  web  sites  and  applications.  

10
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

As  noted  in  7KH:HE*OREDOL]DWLRQ5HSRUW&DUG,  the  average  num-­

ber  of  languages  supported  by  large  multinationals  is  now  20,  up  from  12  
MXVW¿YH\HDUVDJR

Apple,  for  example,  has  doubled  the  number  of  languages  it  supports  on  
its  web  site  over  the  past  three  years,  to  24  today.  And  Facebook  exploded  
from  two  languages  to  more  than  70  in  less  than  two  years.

Speaking  in  tongues

While  web  globalization  opens  your  web  site  to  the  world,  it  also  opens  
you  up  to  a  number  of  new  challenges,  namely  how  to  ensure  that  visitors,  
QRPDWWHUZKDWODQJXDJHWKH\VSHDNFDQ¿QGWKHLUORFDOFRQWHQW7KLVLV
why  the  global  gateway  is  so  important.

Well  executed,  the  global  gateway  functions  like  a  multilingual  tour  guide,  
KHOSLQJSHRSOH¿QGH[DFWO\ZKHUHWKH\QHHGWRJR

11
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

Global  navigation  isn’t  just  about  usability—it’s  about  getting  the  most  
RXWRI\RXUWUDQVODWLRQGROODUV,ISHRSOHFDQ¶W¿QG\RXUORFDOL]HGFRQWHQW
it  may  as  well  not  exist.

What  should  a  good  global  gateway  do?

At  a  minimum,  an  effective  global  gateway  must  accomplish  the  follow-­
ing:

Ź  7KHJOREDOJDWHZD\PXVWEHHDV\WR¿QGDQGXVHQRPDWWHUZKDW
language  the  user  speaks.  The  gateway  should  not  display  prefer-­
ence  for  any  one  country/region  or  language.

Ź  The   global   gateway   must   display   the   user’s   current   language/

country  settings.  

Ź  The   global   gateway   must   give   users   the   ability   to   change   their  
language/country  preference.    

7KH¿UVWVWHSWRZDUGGHYHORSLQJDVXFFHVVIXOJDWHZD\LVWREHJLQWKLQNLQJ
about  your  customers  and  potential  customers  and  how  they  navigate  to  
your  web  site.  Where  do  they  live?  What  languages  do  they  speak?  What  
VHDUFKHQJLQHVGRWKH\XVH"7KHDQVZHUVZLOOLQÀXHQFHWKHVWUDWHJ\\RX
ultimately  develop.  

12
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

Language  and  location

Successful   global   navigation   requires   understanding   the   complex   rela-­
tionship  between  language  and  location  (for  our  purposes  here,  “location”  
is  synonymous  with  “country/region”).  

It’s  natural  to  try  to  combine  language  and  location  when  thinking  about  
global   gateways,   such   as   Spanish/Spain,   French/France,   and   German/
Germany.  But  things  are  not  always  this  simple.  There  is  also  Spanish/
US,  French/Switzerland,  and  German/Switzerland.  And  if  you  decided  to  
RIIHUDQ(QJOLVKODQJXDJHVLWHIRUWKH1HWKHUODQGVZKDWÀDYRURI(QJOLVK
would  it  be?

To   further   complicate   matters,   location   alone   be   quite   elastic   and   may  

EHEURDG³(XURSH´PRUHVSHFL¿F³)UDQFH´RUKLJKO\VSHFL¿FIURP
“Burgundy”  to  the  exact  location  of  an  individual’s  mobile  phone).  

To   develop   the   best   global   gateway   for   your   company—and,   by   exten-­

sion,  your  customers—consider  the  following.  

Is  your  company  language-­oriented  or  location-­

oriented?
Companies  that  have  a  more  “borderless”  relationship  with  customers  are  
more  likely  to  take  a  language-­based  approach,  such  as  hotel  chains  and  
social  networking  applications.  

As  one  example,  the  Twitter  gateway,  shown  on  the  following  page,  takes  
a   language-­oriented   approach.  And   by   contrast,   eBay   takes   a   location-­
oriented  approach.

13
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

Twitter: Select Language eBay: Select Country/Region

The   prime   advantage   of   leading   with   language   is   that   languages   often  

extend  well  beyond  borders.  For  example,  a  web  site  in  “Español”  may  
communicate  to  residents  of  Spain,  Latin  America,  and  more  than  30  mil-­
lion  residents  of  the  US.  

+RZHYHULI\RXUFRPSDQ\DOUHDG\KDVRI¿FHVLQDQXPEHURIGLIIHUHQW
countries,   country/region   may   play   a   more   important   role.   In   fact,   the  
majority  of  companies  take  a  geographic  approach  to  web  globalization.  
Some   companies   begin   with   regional   home   pages,   such   as   “European”  
and  “Asian”  web  sites.  Others  translate  web  content  based  on  local  of-­
¿FHV

There  is  no  right  or  wrong  approach,  but  it’s  important  to  understand  a  
few  key  issues:

Ź  Because  any  one  region  (such  as  Europe)  may  include  many  lan-­
guages,  there  is  no  one  language  that  can  be  used  on  a  regional  
web  page  that  addresses  all  residents  of  that  region.  Many  regional  
web  pages  tend  to  be  in  English,  which  may  work  for  companies  
14
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

that  target  business  executives  who  have  a  working  knowledge  of  

English,  but  it  is  not  a  viable  consumer  approach.

Ź  A   Spanish-­language   web   site   may,   as   mentioned   above,   com-­

municate  to  residents  of  Spain,  Latin  America,  and  more  than  30  
million  residents  of  the  US—but  this  seemingly  extensive  reach  
comes  with  varying  degrees  of  success.  This  is  because  many  lan-­
guages—such   as   Spanish,   French,   Portuguese,   Chinese,   or   even  
(QJOLVK²KDYHGLIIHUHQWÀDYRUVEDVHGRQWKHFRXQWULHVLQZKLFK
they’re  spoken.

Ź  Your  company’s  global  gateway  will  likely  evolve  over  time,  and  
you’ll  want  to  prepare  for  this.  You  may  begin  with  a  language-­
RULHQWHGDSSURDFKDV\RXEHJLQJOREDOL]DWLRQZLWK¿YHWRODQ-­
guages.  Over  time,  as  you  add  languages  and  begin  to  invest  in  
local  markets,  be  prepared  to  migrate  to  a  more  location-­oriented  
approach.  This  is  a  natural  process  that  many  global  gateways  fol-­
low.  

15
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

Elements  of  Global  

Navigation
7KHUHDUHPDQ\HOHPHQWV\RXFDQHPSOR\WRKHOSXVHUV¿QGWKHLUORFDOL]HG
content.  This  section  explains  the  four  major  elements:

Ź  Country  codes

Ź  The  global  gateway

Ź  Geolocation  

Ź  Language  negotiation

The  following  exhibit  provides  an  overview  of  these  four  elements.  Keep  
in  mind  that  a  web  site  might  utilize  only  the  global  gateway  and  still  be  
quite  successful.  The  global  gateway  is  the  one  element  you  should  con-­
sider  mandatory.  

16
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

Elements  of  Global  Navigation

1
Country  Codes
.br .it .jp Country  code  top-­level  
domains  (ccTLDs)  take  users  
directly  to  local  content.  
.za ɪɮ Non-­Latin  domains  are  also
slowly  coming  online.

2
Global  Gateway
The  gateway  refers  to  the
visual  elements  that  a  user  
interacts  with  to  set  or  change  
content  preferences.

3 Geolocation
68.111.145.24 The  web  server  detects  a
user’s  location  based  on  
device  IP  address  and  
www.acme.de responds  with  location-­
specific  content.

4 Language  Negotiation
lang=“de”
Web  server  detects  the
language  preference  of  
acme.com/de the  web  browser  and  
responds  with  matching  
language,  if  available.

17
The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

About  the  author

John  Yunker  pioneered  the  development  of  best  practices  in  global  navigation  
and,  over  the  years,  he  has  helped  hundreds  of  companies  improve  their  global  
JDWHZD\V,Q-RKQDXWKRUHGWKH¿UVWERRNGHYRWHGWRWKHHPHUJLQJ¿HOGRI
web  globalization,  %H\RQG%RUGHUV:HE*OREDOL]DWLRQ6WUDWHJLHV.  

As   co-­founder   of   Byte   Level   Research,   John   has   authored   a   number   of   land-­

mark  reports,  including  7KH:HE*OREDOL]DWLRQ5HSRUW&DUG  and  7ZLWWHULQJLQ
Tongues.  For  more  information,  visit  www.bytelevel.com.  

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The  Art  of  the  Global  Gateway

Additional  Products  and  Services

The  2010  Web  Globalization  Report  Card

www.bytelevel.com/reportcard2010/

Twittering  in  Tongues

How  companies  are  going  global  with  Twitter
www.bytelevel.com/reports/twitter/

Country  Codes  of  the  World  Map

www.bytelevel.com/map/ccTLD.html

Byte  Level  offers  in-­house  web  globalization  and  navigation  training  

services.   For   more   information,   please   contact   us   at   reports@byte-­
level.com.

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