For those of you in proximity to Silicon Valley, let me point out that
Daniel is our speaker tonight at the Silicon Valley Chapter of STC:
http://stc-siliconvalley.org/programs/topics/2007_02.html
--Guy K. Haas
Software Exegete in Silicon Valley
Daniel Doornbos wrote:
Hello Art,
Mandarin Chinese is the single most widely spoken "first language," at
873 million speakers, according to the 2007 World Almanac. If you're
targeting China itself, you would translate into Simplified Chinese, a
remnant of the Chairman Mao years. Spanish is the No. 2 language at 322
million, followed by English at 309.
These facts are not enough to base your decision, however. For example,
there are dozens of languages spoken in Africa. But the lingua franca
for much of Africa is French (no pun intended). So you might get more
mileage from your translation dollar if you chose French over German,
assuming you have a lot of customers in Africa.
Many countries require documentation in the native language in order to
receive safety certification, such as TUV in Germany. Since your message
mentioned an electrocution hazard, you definitely want to look into the
safety certification issue as well.
I think your Marketing folks have a lot more research to do before they
pick target languages. Your translation firm, if you have one, and your
overseas partners and distributors, may also be helpful in selecting
your target languages.
Daniel Doornbos
Technical Writer
Promise Technology, Inc.
408 228-1437
[EMAIL PROTECTED]
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