Web localization: The Spanish SMEs as case of study

Abstract

Constant changes in the economic environment, where globalization and the development of the knowledge economy act as drivers, are systematically pushing companies towards the challenge of accessing external markets. Web localization constitutes a new field of study and professional intervention. From the translation perspective, localization equates to the website being adjusted to the typological, discursive and genre conventions of the target culture, adapting that website to a different language and culture. This entails much more than simply translating the content of the pages. The content of a webpage is made up of text, images and other multimedia elements, all of which have to be translated and subjected to cultural adaptation. A case study has been carried out to analyze the current presence of localization within Spanish SMEs from the chemical sector. Two types of indicator have been established for evaluating the sample: indicators for evaluating company websites (with a Likert scale from 0-4) and indicators for evaluating web localization (0-2 scale). The results show overall website quality is acceptable (2.5 points out of 4). The higher rating has been obtained by the system quality (with 2.9), followed by information quality (2.7 points) and, lastly, service quality (1.9 points). In the web localization evaluation, the contact information aspects obtain 1.4 points, the visual aspect 1.04, and the navigation aspect was the worse considered (0.37). These types of analysis facilitate the establishment of practical recommendations aimed at SMEs in order to increase their international presence through the localization of their websites.