Alexandra Villegas Castañeda

Localization and Internationalization of Websites.

An analysis of deficiencies regarding internationalization processes at Caparrós Nature S.L and improvement of website usability.

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MASTER IN INTERNATIONAL BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION AND MODERN

LANGUAGES

MA DISSERTATION

Alexandra Villegas Castañeda Supervisor: Susana Nicolás Román

September, 2016

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TABLE OF CONTENTExecutive Summary........................................................................................................4Introduction.....................................................................................................................6

Purpose of the Project...................................................................................................6Structure of the Project.................................................................................................7

1. Internationalization of Spanish Companies..............................................................91.1 Spanish Companies Go Global..............................................................................101.2 The role of English in Global Business.................................................................121.3 Websites as Necessary Means to Go International...............................................141.4 Spain Goes on Board of the Digitalization Process..............................................15

2. Localization and Internationalization of Web Design...........................................172.1 Introduction...........................................................................................................18

2.1.1 What is the GILT cycle?................................................................................182.2 Culturability and Cultural Usability......................................................................202.3 Cultural Elements that are Subject of Adaptation.................................................212.4 Reasons to Localize a Website..............................................................................232.5 Approaches to Localize a Website........................................................................232.6 Challenges of Website Localization......................................................................242.7. The role of Culture in Website Localization........................................................242.8 A Comparison Between Spain and the U.K..........................................................272.9 Website Design. High and Low Context Cultures................................................28

2.9.1 The Influence of High- and Low-Context Communication Styles on B2B Web Site Design and Content.................................................................................282.9.2 Global Digital Business Communication.......................................................29Low Context Cultures.............................................................................................29High Context Cultures.............................................................................................302.9.3 Managerial Implications of Websites in DIBC..............................................31

3. CASE STUDY: Caparrós Nature S.L.......................................................................333.1 About Caparrós Nature S.L..................................................................................343.2 Business Activity...................................................................................................34

3.2.1 Corporate Core Values...................................................................................343.2.2 Figures...........................................................................................................353.2.3 Main Destinations...........................................................................................353.2.4 Flagship Products..........................................................................................35

4. Data Analysis. The Website of Caparrós Nature S.L..............................................374.1 Methodology.........................................................................................................384.2 Findings (Deficiencies).........................................................................................394.3 Objectives & Strategies.........................................................................................464.4 Practical Application of Proposed Measures.........................................................474.5 Limitations of the study.........................................................................................57

5. Conclusion..................................................................................................................58

6. References..................................................................................................................60

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Executive Summary

The Spanish company Caparrós Nature S.L, founded in 1984, has become a model in the agricultural sector thanks to the integration of a complete chain value in food activity. Caparrós Nature has evolved from a small local enterprise to integrate cultivation, production, transformation, packaging and commercialization processes of fresh products in the European market.

This project aims to delimit and solve the shortcomings in its corporate website regarding internationalization processes. To do so, it has been carried out a proper localization and internationalization process of the English version of its website in order to improve its usability and increase competitiveness in the global market.

When reviewing the literature, we have identified that there are two reasons why a website suffers a localization process, that is, user demand and corporative goals. In addition, when localizing a website there are elements that are subject to adaptation. These include: language, layout, symbols and images, contact and structure, navigation, multimedia and color. Moreover, in this process we distinguish three different approaches: the monarchist approach in which the content is the core, but the website results to be not responsive to local markets; the anarchist approach in which there exit multiple local sites without coordination; and the federalist or subsidiary approach which integrates global, regional and local content.

However, a website localization project can be threatened by several challenges such as high costs, the process is a difficult task for translators, websites tend to be locally designed and the lack of linguistic and cultural input.

In this way, culture plays an important role in website localization processes. Jiménez-Crespo pointed that their major contribution comprises the establishment of a framework to study cultural values that differ between countries. According to him, identity, hierarchy, gender, truth and context dimension “are identified and linked to certain elements in websites that, used as quantifiable variables, allow comparisons of cultural differences between website from different regions or countries” (2013: 33).

Additionally, language and communication have been shown to lead to differences in website design and content (Cho & Cheon, 2005 and qtd. in Jean-Claude Usunier and Nicolas Roulin, 2010).Thereby, we will delve into the advantages and disadvantages of low and high context cultures in global digital business communication.According to Jean-Claude Usunier and & Nicolas Roulin there exists a close relation between high and low context communication styles on website development. They asserted that LC communication is inclined to clarity, directness, explicit messages and unambiguous content that do not require interpretation. These websites are

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hypothesized to be found more easily on the web, utilize colors and graphics more effectively, ease navigation, and give more corporate information as well as product information than websites from HC communication countries. At odds with LC, in HC communication the main challenge is that the crucial role played by context is specific to particular cultures and languages.

That said we came to the conclusion that Caparrós Nature’s corporate website fails in its internationalization process due to the following reasons:

- It lacks of credibility- It is a word-to-word translation

of the Spanish version- It is a culturally non-responsive

website- It follows a half-monarchist

approach in translation- It is a semi-translated and non-

localized website

In order to put theory into practice, conduct the editing of the content of the website and solve the aforementioned shortcomings and website deficiencies we will use Sublime Text. This text editor will allow us the possibility to modify the source code of Caparrós Nature’s website. Once we have accessed to the corporate website and saved the website as “HTML file”, we will proceed to drag the HTML file to sublime text and carry out the pertinent improvements.

After editing this file, we will be able to have a visual and global view of how the website would look like once the whole process of internationalization and localization has finished.

Our proposed objectives and improvements are aimed to:

- Provide an appropriate translation of the English language version.

- Adapt the website to make it responsive towards the U.K market.

- Eliminate elements that can mislead users and decrease their satisfaction and web experience.

- Improve website usability.- Improve website visibility.- Build trust among users.

To conclude we can say that after the internal restructuring, Caparrós Nature S.L can be considered an extensively localized website as a global localization process has been carried out providing a fully adapted website to the target locale in regards to content and website structure/ functionalities.

Now, users will experience a website that provides clear and understandable information fully conscious of cultural differences which will help to increase website credibility and usability, and customer satisfaction.

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Introduction

The fruit of the overnight Globalization process in the 1990s brought along the

beginning of a new era; an era where a massive development in technology brought

about a total reorganization of the business sector. Companies jumped in to the deep end

and crossed the border of domestic operations spheres to address to a wider

international market. These new market opportunities alongside the growing relevance

that the Internet was acquiring in all social and societal activities led to a change in

patterns of communications. English was chosen as the corporate business language

owing to the need to communicate and be understood in a global, multicultural and

multilingual market.

In this regard, Spanish companies are embracing different possibilities to go global.

They are progressively building more trust in digital media as necessary means to

expand their business activities. Consequently, the number of Spanish companies that

command English as the corporative language to broaden their market opportunities in

global business is increasing overnight.

Purpose of the Project

My interest is focused on Caparrós Nature S.L, an enterprising company that hails

from Almería.

When skimming its corporate website, we came to the conclusion that it is in need

of an internal restructuration. Thus, our main concern lies in a detailed analysis of

deficiencies regarding internationalization processes found at Caparrós Nature S. L’s

website.

In short, this project aims to delimit and solve the shortcomings in the corporate

website of Caparrós Nature S.L regarding internationalization process. To do so, it will

be carried out a proper localization and internationalization of the English version of its

website in order to improve its usability and increase competitiveness in the global

market.

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Structure of the Project

In order to have a global perspective of the project, it is necessary to delimit its

structure.

The 1st section will deal with the internationalization processes carried out by

Spanish companies, how they have widened their market opportunities by means of

going international. Thus, the role played by English in this aspect requires a detailed

explanation, and consequently the utilization of websites as means to go international.

The 2nd section will be focused on the development of a framed theoretical

background to support our study. We will delve into the importance that relies on

localization of websites, that is, the process of adaptation a website to different

geographical markets. This process involves much more than just a mere translation of

content. Differences in cultural preferences, from image selection to overall design,

must be included. We will study that for a website to be successfully localized, it must

give the impression of having been developed locally, being respectful with local

culture and customs, and where contents appear natural to visitors and easy to navigate

through it.

First of all, the GILT process, cultural elements that are subject of adaptation, reasons

and challenges of website localization will be analyzed to see to what extent Caparrós

Nature’s website can go through this process. Secondly, Hofstede’s classification of

cultural dimensions in relation with the role that culture plays in website development

will be explained deeply through a comparison between Spain and the U.K as regards to

the use of language to improve the English version of its corporate website. Finally, there

will be given special emphasis to the analysis of cultural differences regarding website

design carrying out a comparison between high context cultures and low context cultures.

The 3rd section will be devoted to describe Caparrós Nature S.L and its business

activity. In this section, objectives and strategies of the project will be described as well

as the methods and tools used to conduct the study.

The 4th section corresponds to the core of our analysis. Here, we will proceed to

analyze the data. In order to do so, we will determine the deficiencies found at its

website with the help of the theoretical background. Once the deficiencies have been

clearly delimited, we will proceed to carry out the improvement of Caparrós Nature

S.L.’ website translation, usability, localization and internationalization.

Finally, the 5th section will comprise the conclusion obtained through the realization

and implementation of improvements regarding the afore-mentioned measures.

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1.Internationalizationof SpanishCompanies

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1.1 Spanish Companies Go Global

The professional service company KPMG in “Diagnóstico de la

internacionalización de la empresa española” (2014:18), ensures that the development of

the Spanish external sector has been a crucial factor to palliate the impact of the

economic crisis, and assumes that this sector is leading the way to the long-yearned

recovery status.

In 2013, exports of goods reached a historical maximum, more than € 234.000

million, which supposed an intra-year increase of 5.2%. As a direct consequence of this

recovery, Spanish exportations represented a third of the Spanish GDP. Moreover,

Spanish exportations are expected to grow beyond the European’s exports average in

the next few years. Apart from that, other factors to take into account when analyzing

the Spanish external sector are the diverse external investments; a figure that positions

Spain as the 11th global investor per stock (2012) with an external investment amount

that accounts for 46% of Spanish GDP (2014: 5). In addition, in the past few years, the

number of Spanish companies that export regularly has increased by 11.4%. For a total,

the regular exporting companies account for 45.842, meaning that within the past two

years this sector has risen by 20% (2014:5).

Additionally, according to a research developed by Millward Brown in 2015, the

Spanish internationalization process has aroused as a direct consequence of the deep

economic crisis, the external demand and the standstill of the market activity. KPMG

concluded that the impact of internationalization in Spanish companies is evident as for

43% of the polled companies, the international business activity represents more than a

half or their business activity. In this regard, it is forecast that this process will keep

growing at a steady pace in the next few years (2014:8).

Trade fairs, the commercialization of new products, strategic joint ventures and

international establishments turned out to be the most important actions carried out to

promote the internationalization processes of Spanish companies.

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Strategies and Actions to Enter International Markets

Trade fairs and events

New product development

Joint venture

International sales subsidiary

Investment (brand, advertising, communication)

Hiring qualified personnel spezialized in internationalization

Price reduction

Margin reduction

New distribution strategy

Export consortia

Licensing

Graph 1. Estudio Internacionalización Empresas Españolas, June 22nd 2015.III Cumbre Internacional. Millward Brown Spain1, page 17. Cámara de Comercio de España. Online Study.

Furthermore, it has been pointed out that there are four main factors that help

Spanish companies to secure their success in this process. These include competitive

prices, qualified human capital, a strong brand and a web of strategic alliances. In the

same way, the main challenges to success internationally have been noted. These

comprise difficulties in finding the right commercial partner, regulations of the target

country and funding (2014:17). In regard to KPMG, having access to external funding is

one of the biggest difficulties that companies face in their way to go global. The survey

results show that even though 47% of companies could afford their international

expansion with their own economic resources, an alike percentage (46%) would need

financial support in the short-term in order to go international (2014: 13). Other

difficulties for exporting include the proper selection of the mode of entry in the target

country and choosing the right target country.

1 Millward Brown Spain, S.A.U is member of ANEIMO (Asociación Nacional de Empresas de Investigación de Mercados y de la Opinión Publica).

11%11%

10%

19%

7%

6%

6%20%

5%2%3%

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1.2 The role of English in Global Business

Tsedal Neeley, an associate professor at Harvard Business School and the

founder of the consulting firm Global Matters, asserted in “Global Business Speaks

English” (2012) that more and more multinational companies are commanding English

as the common corporate language. This variety of English known as English as Lingua

Franca (ELF) is shared among the non-native speakers of the language. According to

Knapp and Meierkord (2002: 20), the concept “lingua franca” originates from a

“language variety that was used on the South-Eastern coast of the Mediterranean

between the 15th and the 19th centuries, enabling trade between people who did not

share the native language”.

Though English is the language of international business, it is often a second

language as most speakers are nonnative. English is spoken as a primary language by

380 million people and as a second language by 1,750 million people. Despite its

consideration as the most widely spoken language in the world, people still speak

broadly different languages in everyday interactions in most parts of the globe, with less

than one million speakers on average for the 6,800 languages spoken in the world

(Ardila, 2007 and qtd. in Usunier 2014: 220).

“In the same way that a unified currency or an effective free trade agreement can facilitate ease of commerce, so a unified language code, or at least a common tongue, can aid dialogue, understanding, trus“t and the brokering of deals.” (“The English Effect”. The British Council, 2013: 6)

Speaking English is a must in Business. In today’s world, companies

need to tear down language barriers and start thinking globally, as for now the English

language is becoming the operating system for global conversations. As mentioned

above, at present, English is spoken at a useful level by 1.75 billion people –a quarter of

the world’s population. Moreover, it is calculated that 565 million people use English

on the internet. English is leading a language shift in business. Neeley (2012: 3) pointed

that the main reason lies in the competitive pressure, so he asserted that “companies that

fail to devise a language strategy are essentially limiting their growth opportunities to

the markets where their language is spoken, clearly putting themselves at a disadvantage

to competitors that have adopted English-only policies.”

Graph 2: Knowledge of English EU map. Feb 15th, 2015. Wikimedia Commons.

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1.3 Websites as Necessary Means to Go International

“[Internet] enables asynchronous, non-face-to-face communication

between faraway and often unknown interaction partners through

digitalization” (Jean-Claude Usunier, 2010: 194)

Jesus Miguel Flores Vivar in “Internet en el proceso de globalización y

consolidación de los medios económicos europeos (2005: 14)” listed the advantages of

the internet in global business:

Lowering of communication costs. The internet enables the possibility of offering

customized information anywhere in the planet Earth, simultaneous distribution of

information to diverse customer services centers, or divulgation of information about

products or services from one point which is accessible to all the internet users. The cost

of this communications is normally that of a local phone call. At present, due to the fast-

expansion of High Speed Internet Connection (ADSL), distribution costs are

inexpensive to the extent that reaching one user costs the same as reaching millions.

Prestige. Having online presence enhances advancement and reliability, and

consequently it attracts the attention of potential customers, now turned into the

audience. Marketing and promotional tool. Marketing strategies and messages can be

uploaded, complemented or changed at any time, and the effects of an offer or

promotion campaign can be measured immediately. The absence of space-temporal

barriers allows creating selling points accessible anywhere and oriented by the search of

products and services regardless of their manufacturing and development place.

Real interaction. This is the pillar that allows the creation of customized and

interactive bases. Companies can offer customer services tools such as e-mail, news and

suggestions that enable users be in touch with the companies and search for different

informative possibilities.

According to a 2009 Web-visible/Nielsen study, people were more willing to

trust businesses that have a website. The internet has changed the way we see business

and it represents a whole new sea of communication (Jackson, 2007 and qtd. in Usunier

2014: 194). The fast- development of the internet has allowed industrial supplier

companies from all over the world to do business with customer companies placed in

any corner of the Earth. Not only geographic distances are torn apart thank to the use of

the Internet as

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a business tool but it also helped companies to accelerate their internationalization

process.

Thus, given the large amount of internet users worldwide, having an online

presence is crucial in business, and creating a website is an easy and inexpensive way to

get started.

1.4 Spain Goes on Board of the Digitalization Process

In 2015, 40% of Spanish SMEs have trusted in digital media (El Confidencial,

2015). Trust in social networks is also growing fast with an increase of 14% in

comparison to 2014. At present, half of the Spanish SME’s own a corporative profile.

Additionally, SMEs interested in the creation of a website in the following year are

more willing to increase investment on promotion tools in 2016, followed by those that

already have a website.

The study developed by GFK, a renown consultant company specialized in

market research, reveals that this optimism keeps growing among SMEs and freelancers

since 2013, which represents an increase of 15%. These results set the early stages of a

bull- market influenced by the trust built in digital media to launch their business

activity, as 86% of SMEs expect stability or an upturn in their business activity by 2016.

In the long- term, the forecast consequences are even brighter as it is expected that 89%

of Spanish SMEs’ business activities increase or stay stable by the next three to five

years.

Finally, 54% of SMEs possess a corporate web, 8% of which have been created

this year. It is forecast that by 2016, 61% of Spanish SMEs will have a corporate

website. Moreover, 53% of these SMEs in disposition of a website have the intention of

adding new functionalities of which the most predictably digital tools to be incorporated

are mobile phone optimization, corporative videos and online shop.

“Spanish SMEs and self-employed workers are aware of the importance of digitalization [of their business activities] to broaden their markets and increase competitiveness. The democratization of services and products made digital marketing available to SMEs. It has also contributed to increase confidence level and, as a direct consequence, it helped generate a greater investment level”. (Bruno Porchietto, chairman and CEO of Yellow Pages, El Confidencial, 2015)

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2. Localization and Internationalization

of Web Design

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2.1 Introduction

Localization is the process of adapting a product or service to a

particular language, culture, and desired local “look-and-feel.” In

localizing a product, in addition to idiomatic language translation,

such details as time zones, currency, local color sensitivities, product

or service names, gender roles, and geographic examples must all be

considered. The goal of localizing user interfaces is to provide a

technologically, linguistically and culturally neutral platform from

which to launch global e-commerce initiatives while allowing a

framework that incorporates local content and functionality (Shannon,

2000 qtd. in. Dianne Cyr and Haizley Trevor-Smith, 2004:1199).

Localization is a term interconnected with internationalization and globalization.

As Sandrini pointed: “localization today is used in conjunction with the terms

internationalization, which means the preparation of a product to make it suitable for

efficient localization, and globalization signifies the global design of a product” (2005:

2). He even went further and defined localization as the “process of modifying a website

for a specific locale according to the goals outlined by the client” (2005: 3).

According to Holland & Baker (2001) satisfaction and perception of website

design are primordial characteristics when evaluating its value. Satisfaction has to do

with “stickiness” and refers to “the sum of all the Web site qualities that induce visitors

to remain at the Web site rather than move to another site” (2001:37). In the same way,

perception is defined as “the degree to which participants feel the site is appropriate for

their home country based on three key variables of media perception—social presence,

communication effectiveness, and communication interface” (Dianne Cyr and Haizley

Trevor-Smith, 2004: 1200).

2.1.1 What is the GILT cycle?

The GILT process entails Globalization, Internationalization, Localization and

Translation of a particular website. According to Jiménez-Crespo, when companies

decide to inter foreign markets they need to go beyond translation as going international

requires “a global and radical adaptation of business structures to prepare for

localization from the early stages of product development.” (2013:24)

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Graph 2. Interdependence of all stages in the global GILT cycle (Jimenez-Crespo, 2014: 27).

Globalization represents the broader process in the cycle and it is mainly focused

on organizational aspects. LISA defines it as “all of the business decisions and activities

required to make an organization truly international in scope and outlook. Globalization

is the transformation of business and processes to support customers around the world in

whatever language, country, or culture they require” (LISA, 2007: 1 and qtd in.

Jiménez- Crespo, 2013: 25). According to GALA it entails “the revision of business

processes, management procedures and even the adaptation of marketing tools” (GALA,

2011 and qtd. in Jiménez-Crespo, 2013: 25). This phenomenon appeared as

consequence of the need to adapt business organizations to the demands of localization,

for instance, if the option “email for further information” is given and localized into

Chinese, then mechanisms for responding in that language must be enabled.

Internationalization occurs mainly during the developing stages of any digital

product, in opposition to globalization that occurs before, during and after the

localization process. LISA (2004: 14 and qtd. in. Jiménez-Crespo, 2013: 25) describes it

as the set of processes carried out to abstract “the functionality of a product away from

any particular language so that language support can be added back in simply, without

worry that language-specific features will pose a problem when the product is

localized”. He mentioned that internationalization guarantees that “sources digital

products are not tied to any particular culture, but independently of language they have

been developed in and

Localization

Qualityassurance

Textualtranslation process

Projectpreparation Analysis. PM

Translation

Internationalization

Globalization

Feedback from

experts on Intercultural com

munication

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that technical adaptations of any kind will be avoided once the localization process

begins” (LISA 2007: 28).

The following step in GILT process is the localization itself. Translators as

intercultural communicators inform management or development teams of the cultural

or linguistics issues that need to be taken into account.

At this stage the problem of “reverse localization” arises as the main

contradiction within the GILP cycle. Internationalization discourse seeks to neutralize

culture-specific features so as to make localization easier (Cronon 2003: 18). In

consequence, scholars have stroke back indicating that “the goal of the cultural

adaptation is not to ‘mislead’ the user into believing that the website is a local

production, but rather, to perceive that the company is conscious and respectful of the

receiving culture” (McDonough 2006 a; Yunker 2003: 18 and qtd in. Jiménez-Crespo,

2013: 32)

2.2 Culturability and Cultural Usability

Badre asserted that culturability is the result of merging culture and usability and

it “represents a relationship between design elements and culture”. He describes it as

follows:

Cultural usability is a term we use to emphasize the importance of the

relationship between culture and usability in WWW design. Color,

spatial organization, fonts, shapes, icons, and metaphors, geography,

language, flags, sounds, and motion contribute to the design and

content of a Web page, which directly affects the way that a user

interacts with the site. (2000, p.2 and qtd in. Dianne Cyr and

Haizley Trevor- Smith, 2004)

When analyzing culturability, the way pictorial information is presented and organized,

preferences for text versus graphics, directionality for how the language is written (i.e.,

right to left), help features, and navigation tools, among others are also taken into

account (Marcus & Gould, 2000). Site visitors are more likely to experience satisfaction

and revisit a particular site if they are comfortable with design and usability features.

Badre (2000) and Barberand Badre (2001) analyzed the effect that cross-cultural Web

design interface has on user performance. Badre established that there are design

elements known as “cultural markers” that are repeated in different cultures and are

characteristic to the performance and preferences of same-culture users. Sun’s (2001)

research based on cultural markers (language, pictures and graphics, colors and page

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layout) proved to

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be an important design consideration “that increases usability of multilingual Web

pages”. In this regard, it is important to mention that “when cultural markers conflict

with usability, some users prefer usability to cultural sensitive interface design” (Dianne

Cyr and Haizley Trevor-Smith, 2004: 4).

2.3 Cultural Elements that are Subject of Adaptation

Multimedia aspects constitute the core of the analysis regarding adaptation

processes. Therefore, the text takes a secondary place in website localization though it

remains a crucial building block in this process. Normally texts are found in different

forms and formats in a website at the same level of multimedia content. The most

exceptional feature of web based text is the cross-linking of text or their hypertext

components. (Sandrini 2005: 2)

Credibility of web sites is interconnected with web design. Thus, according to

Marcus & Gould, “building trust on the Web will require user interface characteristics

appropriate for more discerning and culturally diverse audiences” (Marcus & Gould,

2000, Fernandes, 1995 qtd. in Dianne Cyr and Haizley Trevor-Smith 2004: 1206). All

the local elements of a particular website must be identified and isolated when carrying

out its internationalization which will ease future website localization.

Language. Language is the fundamental element needed to obtain information

from a website. For websites in order to be accessible and successful in

internationalization processes, they have to be available in the language of users.

To successfully localize a website, it is desirable to avoid colloquialisms,

regionalisms, puns or jokes as they tend to be difficult to translate into a different

language or culture. In addition, language registers must be taken into account as

“using the wrong language for the wrong reader in your localization project will

lead to a misunderstanding of the site or company”. (Payne, 2004: 1). These also

include textual structure (Neubert and Shreve 1992), pragmatic differences or

genre-specific conventions (Jiménez-Crespo 2009: 32).

Layout. Yu and & Roh (2002 and qtd. in Dianne Cyr and Haizley Trevor-Smith,

2004: 1201) got to the conclusion that an “appropriate design layout (placement of

banners, menu placement, or search functions) provides web visitors with a

contextual and structural model for understanding and accessing information, and

provides a communication ‘bridge’ between the user and the system”.

Symbols and Images. Symbols are “metaphors” denoting actions of the user

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(Barber & Badre, 2001 and qtd. in Dianne Cyr and Haizley Trevor-Smith, 2004:

1201). They are characteristic elements of each culture, so they vary and may

differ in meaning according in cross-cultural environments. Thus, every single

symbol and image must be contrasted in the target culture to avoid

misunderstandings. If icons are included they should be neutral and as general as

possible to reuse them. Consequently, symbols related to a specific culture must

be avoided too. As a general rule, it is desirable to avoid any religious or

celebratory symbol, body parts or hand gestures, images with a textual meaning

(e.g. the image of a table that symbolizes a graphic table), national symbols, maps

with unclear barriers. Images carry many subtle cultural messages within them.

(Payne, 2004) Thus, when images of people and animals are used we need to bear

in mind that in some countries they are completely prohibited. The use of animals

in logos can cause embarrassment and further problems. For example, pigs are

considered unclean in the Middle East and cows as holy in India. (Payne, 2004)

Content and Structure. According to Huizingh (2000), content encompasses

“information, features, and services offered in the Web site and represents another

form of communication between the user and the site”. (Dianne Cyr and Haizley

Trevor-Smith, 2004: 1201) Analyzing the written content in any localization

process is crucial to its success as it enables the appropriate presentation of the

website, including the proper transfer of aspects such as dates, currencies, and

units of measurement (Payne, 2004).

Navigation. Web design efforts are aimed to improve usability and speed of

navigation and offer a clear path to information so users do not become lost within

the Web structure. (Yu & Roh, 2002, Bernard, 2002 and qtd. in Dianne Cyr and

Haizley Trevor-Smith, 2004: 1201).

Multimedia. Multimedia has also been examined related to culture. Localizing

multimedia aspects involves a broad range of translation activity: text, graphics,

audio, video, digital, presentations, software, animation, voiceover, as well as

captioning and subtitling. (Welocalize, 2016).

Color. Barber & Badre (2001 and qtd. in Dianne Cyr and Haizley Trevor-Smith,

2004: 1202) asserted that “color may impact the user’s expectations about

navigation, content, and links, as well as overall satisfaction” as they are also

loaded with cultural meanings.

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2.4 Reasons to Localize a Website

According to Peter Sandrini, translation researcher at the University of

Innsbruck, there are two main reasons why a website suffered a localization process:

user demand and corporative goals.

User demand. As mentioned before, a localized website should be made linguistically

and culturally appropriate to the target locale. In this regard, credibility plays an

important role as reader will deposit more trust in websites that can be switched into

their mother tongues. However, a mere translation of the website is not enough, readers

expect “clear and understandable information and not be culturally offended by

language, images, colors, and so on” (Sandrini, 2005: 3).

Corporative goals. The communicative intention of corporate websites is deeply

related to their international marketing strategy (Sandrini, 2005: 3). The expectations

and goals of this new website version could be completely different from the original

version of the website, so it will influence the translation or adaptation process as a

whole. Thus, objectives to be achieved with the new language version must be set

clearly.

Improvements in navigation, interaction and rating of websites are associated

with higher degrees of adaptation (localization) according to empirical studies on

cultural adaptations. The cause is founded on a lower requirement of cognitive effort

required by cultural adapted sites making the interaction environment more efficient and

clear. (Sigh et al.2004 qtd. in Jiménez-Crespo 2013: 32)

2.5 Approaches to Localize a Website

Professional global website management, that is, a continuously control and

analysis of tools that maintain the site intact and running smoothly, is a challenging

position. Lockwood (2000: 15 and quoted in Sandrini 2005: 5) pointed out that there are

three pivotal strategies used to manage multilingual and multicultural website content.

The monarchist approach. Content is the core of this approach; it is translated but

unusually adapted which results in a website that is not responsive to local markets.

The anarchist approach. There exist multiple local sites without coordination, each

using a different design whose consequences reveal high costs and no corporate

strategy. The content is created locally and independently, so it rarely involves any

translation process.

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The federalist or subsidiary approach. It integrates global, regional and local content

(GRL). In this approach, “global content is produced centrally, translated and used

internationally; regional content is also translated and used in a regional context

whereas local content will be produced locally in the local language without the need

for translation” (Sandrini, 2005:5). Thus, localization is only relevant at this point as

global and regional content must be adapted/localized/translated to be used in different

countries.

2.6 Challenges of Website Localization

Localization and translation cost money. Pym (1995 and qtd. in Sandrini 2005: 6)

pointed out that “the mutual benefits for the communication partners must be higher

than the costs for translation, otherwise there would be no more translation assignment”.

However, long-term benefits far exceed initial costs. These include new market

opportunities, sales increase, simplification of the uploading process of information

among others. (Corte, 2002: 8)

It presents a great challenge to translators and translation studies. A localized

website is aimed to meet economic and business strategies, thereby the overall

importance and impact of international marketing on foreign language website creation

is closely related to the localizing process.

Websites tend to be locally designed. The majority of websites are designed to be used

according to one particular culture and language which increases the difficulties of

localizing them.

Ignorance. The localization of Websites is entirely related to the linguist’s labor in the

way that websites must be perceived as being designed consciously and respectfully

with the receiving culture. Nevertheless, according to Neil Payne “the majority of cases

it is the lack of linguistic and cultural input that lets a website localization project

down” (2004: 1).

2.7. The role of Culture in Website Localization

Website localization has been influenced by the role played by culture. In this

regard, Singh and Pereira’s International Marketing Strategy (2005) is considered the

most effective approach. These scholars have widely researched the role of culture in

localization using the dimension of anthropological psychologist Hofstede (1991).

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Jiménez-Crespo pointed that their major contribution comprises the establishment of a

framework to study cultural values that differ between countries, “identifying specific

website features related to these dimensions that can be quantitatively measured and

compared” (2013: 32).

Identity Dimension. Individualism-Collectivism: Related to self-perception as an

individual or as a part of a group.

Hierarchy Dimension. Low Power distance- High Power distance: Related to the

acceptance and expectation of unequal distribution of power.

Gender Dimension. Masculinity-Femininity: The importance of achievements and

competition versus caring and compromise.

Truth Dimension. Uncertainty Avoidance- Uncertainty acceptance: The importance of

predictability, structure and order versus the willingness to take risks and accept

ambiguity and limited structure.

Context Dimension. Low-High Contest: The importance each culture assigns to the

context as opposed to the message.

According to Jiménez-Crespo, these five dimensions “are identified and linked

to certain elements in websites that, used as quantifiable variables, allow comparisons of

cultural differences between website from different regions or countries” (2013:33).

Context DimensionTruth Dimension

Gender DimensionHierarchy DimensionIdentity Dimension

Graph 3: Hofstede’s Cultural Dimensions. Source: original

HOFSTEDE’S CULTURAL DIMENSIONS

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Additionally, Websites show different degrees of localization, so Singh and

Pereira propose the term “localization level” which refers to:

The amount of translation and customization necessary to create

different language editions. The levels, which are determined by

balancing risk and return, range from translating nothing to shipping a

completely translated product with customized features (Microsoft

Corporation 2003:15 and qtd. in Jiménez Crespo 2013:33).

This notion refers to the extent to which the website is adapted to the receiving culture.

This adaptation is dependable on the importance or size of the local market (Brooks,

2000 and qtd. in Jiménez Crespo, 2013:33). Having said that, Sign and Pereira

(2013:34) proposed a categorization of localized websites based on five different levels

from low- adaptation to high.

WEBSITE’S ADAPTATION LEVELS

Standardized websites. A

multinational company creates a

monolingual website for all the

countries/markets.

Semi-localized website. The only

locale/specific content is found in a

contact page in the target language

where there is information about local

branches, contacts, etc.

Localized Websites. Though content

and pages are mostly localized, the

original functionalities and back end are

not changed.

Extensively Localized websites. A

global localization process is carried out

providing a fully adapted website to the

target locale in regards to content and

website structure/ functionalities.

Culturally adapted website. It

represents the highest level of

localization in which there occurs a total

immersion in the target locale. Sites are

adapted to the levels of cultural

descriptions suggested by Hofstede

(1991): perception, symbolism and

behavior. Though, it has to be

mentioned that owing to high costs,

very few websites are totally adapted

this level.

Graph 4: Website’s Adaptation Levels. Source: Original

Semi- localized Websites

Localized Websites

Extensively Localized Websites

Culturally Adapted Websites

Standardized Websites

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Spain The United KingdomPOWER DISTANCE

57% 35%

INDIVIDUALISM

51% 89%

MASCULINITY

42% 66%

UNCERTAINTY AVOIDANCE

86% 35%

LOW CONTEXT CULTURE

NO YES

2.8 A Comparison Between Spain and the U.K 2

2 The U.K has been compared to Spain as England represents one of the main export destinations and consequently Caparrós Nature owns a website in English which constitutes the core of our analysis. The information has been extracted from Geert Hofstede < https://www.geert-hofstede.com> URL: https://geert-hofstede.com/spain.html

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2.9 Website Design. High and Low Context Cultures

Language and communication have been shown to lead to differences in Web

site design and content (Cho & Cheon, 2005 and qtd. in Jean-Claude Usunier and

Nicolas Roulin, 2010). Pragmatics starts from an active conception of language as being

used. Pragmatics is needed if we want a fuller, deeper and generally more reasonable

account of human language behavior. In this way, Grice suggested that conversation is

based on a shared principle of cooperation composed by different maxims from which

we are going to be focused on the maxim of manner. It requires that when

communicating you should be perspicuous, avoid obscurity of expression and

ambiguity, brief and orderly.

In this aspect, the concept of “context” is crucial for disambiguating sentences.

Context plays its part in the ways people convey/express the messages of their speech.

Thereby, we will delve into the advantages and disadvantages of low and high context

cultures in global digital business communication.

2.9.1 The Influence of High- and Low-Context Communication Styles on B2B Web Site Design and Content

According to Jean-Claude Usunier and & Nicolas Roulin there exists a close relation

between high and low context communication styles on website development. They

asserted that LC communication is inclined to clarity, directness, explicit messages and

unambiguous content that does not require interpretation. These websites are

hypothesized to be found more easily on the web (e.g., though a search engine), utilize

colors and graphics more effectively, ease navigation (e.g., Web sites being more

readable, structured, and updated), and give more corporate information (e.g.,

information about the company, financial status, references) as well as product

information (e.g., specifications, performance, photos) than websites from HC

communication countries. At odds with LC, in HC communication the main challenge is

that the crucial role played by context is specific to particular cultures and languages.

Therefore, it is possible that the communication across different HC language-cultures

will be more difficult in comparison to the communication that may be held between a

HC person and LC person. Another drawback related to HC communicators is that they

need their native language as it tends to be strongly associated with particular contextual

cues that are familiar to them. Thus, they concluded that for HC business

communicators, “it may be easier to adapt to LC communication style rather than to

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multiple and divergent HC styles”. (Usunier & Roulin, 2010: 196, 197, 202, 203)

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2.9.2 Global Digital Business Communication

Low Context Cultures

LC facilitates communication by making messages linear, articulated, explicit, simplified and easy to understand in the absence of additional contextual clues.

LC Websites are more direct, transparent, based on more digitalinformation and aimed to guide visitors step-by-step.

LC messages are explicit in communication.

LC Websites are more informative in content.

LC Websites can offer more easily different language versions with similar content and design.

LC Website communication uses “hard sell” appeals highlighting product features with explicit information.

E-mail communication is preferred by partners of LC cultures.

Graph 5: Low Context Cultures. Source: Original

.

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High Context Cultures

HC communication is non-linear, more indirect, ambiguous, complex than LC communication.

HC messages are implicit in communication.

Most of the information is in the physical and social context, so HC communication requires more contextual interpretation and person-to-person interaction.

Owing to the crucial role played by context in HC websites' development stages, they are difficult to be adapted into different languages.

HC website communication uses “soft sell” appeals (subtle and indirect approaches to create emotions and atmosphere by visuals and symbols).

Phone communication is preferred by partners of HC cultures.

Graph 6: High Context Cultures. Source: Original

Jean-Claude Usunier and Nicolas Roulin stated that “B2B Websites are mainly

designed as unilateral digital communication channels, with sender-prepared content

and relatively little (possibly none) feedback from the receiver” (2010:217). Thus,

they

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conclude that HC communication style can damage the design of B2B Web sites,

“making them less readable, less effective in the use of colors and graphics, and less

interactive for the global audience” (2010:217). In this manner, as LC Websites are

preferred in digital communication as they favor explicit, context-free messages, which

can be more easily coded in websites. They concluded that communication in LC

languages, especially English, is more universal because it requires less contextual cues

to be understood.

2.9.3 Managerial Implications of Websites in DIBC

Jean-Claude Usunier and Nicolas Roulin (2010:218) established that B2B

companies from high context countries should advocate for Website adaptation in terms

of global business communication. When talking about styling, Websites should avoid

ethnocentric design. Thus, low context (LC) is taken as the default model in DIBC

(Digital Intercultural Business Communication) owing to the reduced context needed

for an effective communication and preciseness, there is little room for

misunderstandings in communication.

Nevertheless, it is needed to remember that apart from textual elements, there are

also graphic and visual elements that are more typical elements of high context (HC)

cultures. These elements must be adapted to key corporate customers from LC cultures

which supposes the transformation of HC Websites into a more readable and

informative one (LC).

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34

3. CASE STUDY:Caparrós Nature S.L

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3.1 About Caparrós Nature S.L

Caparrós Nature S.L, founded in 1984, is the parent company of Grupo

Caparrós. From the beginning, its founder members, Pedro Caparrós and José Manuel

Caparrós, have been characterized by their entrepreneurial spirit and global mindset

which constitute the driving force for the success of their company. As a result, their

walk towards innovation and internationalization resulted in the opening of an

international subsidiary in Berlin in 2011 and the incorporation of 4th and 5th range

products in their corporate portfolio. They are also considering the opening of a new

subsidiary in a Central European country.

At present, they have become a model in the agricultural sector thanks to the

integration of a complete chain value in food activity. Caparrós Nature has evolved

from a small local enterprise to integrate cultivation, production, transformation,

packaging and commercialization processes of fresh products in the European market.

3.2 Business Activity

Grupo Caparrós consists of five companies: Caparrós Nature, dedicated to the

commercialization of fruits and vegetables; Alquían Agrícola, producer of fruits and

vegetables; Caparrós Deutschland, the international subsidiary that markets the Spanish

products in Germany; La Gergaleña Productos Artesanales, a company that

manufactures mousses, marmalades, salads, fry-up vegetables etc.; and Sol de

Portocarrero, a company that commercializes high-end olive oil and wine under the

brand name “Oro de Níjar” y “Ana Andújar”, respectively.

3.2.1 Corporate Core Values

The company is characterized by its innovative and pioneering spirit; they were

the first company that commercialized Raf tomato on the internet. After 30 years of

hard work, they have become a consolidated agricultural business group that monitors

the whole manufacturing process, from cultivation, production, transformation,

packaging, to the commercialization of products. The core values of the company are

quality, R&D and internationalization.

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3.2.2 Figures

In their way to internationalization, Caparrós Nature has used the services of

EXTENDA, a company owned by Andalusia's Regional Government, in conjunction

with the Andalusian Chambers of Commerce, dedicated to the international promotion

of Andalusian products and the expansion of Andalusian business in foreign markets. In

2015, Grupo Caparrós’ annual turnover exceeded € 39 million. Sales volume is the

result of the commercialization of more than 80 million kilos of fruits and vegetables of

which more than 50 % of sales comes from its exporting activities (Diario de Almería,

2016). Caparrós Nature, the parent company of this business group, provides 90% of

the total corporative turnover.

3.2.3 Main Destinations

The main destination of these high-end products is Germany. The international

subsidiary set in Berlin rose an annual turnover of € 5.6 million in 2013. Caparrós

Deutschland is a strategic business unit aimed to consolidate their market position. It is

also used as a bridge for Grupo Caparrós to be present in other European markets

owing to the consideration of Germany as the global giant regarding exportations

activities. In this regard, the German market absorbs around 50% of the total sales

volume in exporting activities. Next in importance are found the markets of England

(and the U.K in general), France, the Netherlands, Belgium, Italy, Austria, Czech

Republic and Poland. Precisely Poland and Czech Republic were the forefathers of their

international adventure in 1994.

3.2.4 Flagship Products

Measured by volume sold and type of cultivation, the flagship products of

Grupo Caparrós are tomatoes which represent the main source of income, with 14

million kilos sold in 2012. Watermelons (7.5 M) and peppers (3.3 M) are next in

importance. The rest up to complete 31 M comprises cucumber, zucchini, eggplant and

melon.

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38

4.Data Analysis.The Website of Caparrós

Nature S.L

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4.1 Methodology

We will delve into every section in the website menu in order to find out,

enumerate, analyze and solve all the deficiencies found at Caparrós Nature’s website

according to the elements that are subject to adaptation, the consideration of English as

LC country and Hofstede’s cultural dimensions.

Once all the drawbacks are listed, we will proceed to carry out an appropriate

localization process of the English version of its corporate website to increase its

competitiveness, reliance in the global market and provide a better understanding of its

business activities.

For upgrades to be incorporated, we will include improvements in the source

code of the current website design, however we will not modify the current status of

Caparrós Nature’s website. In order to conduct the modification of the content of the

website, we will use Sublime Text. This application is a source code editor with Python

application programing interface (API).3

This text editor will allow us the possibility to edit the source code of Caparrós

Nature’s website. Each section will be saved individually so the editing can be carried

out. The process will go as follows: first we have to access to the corporate website and

save each section as “HTML file”. Secondly, we will drag the HTML file to Sublime

Text. After, once we are able to see the source code, we will proceed to edit the text and

include the pertinent improvements. By pressing “cmd + S”, we will save the

modification of the HTML file and we will be able to visualize the improvements on the

website. Thus, after editing all these HTML files and saving them, we will be able to

have a visual and global view of how the website would look like once the whole

process of internationalization and localization has finished.

3 “Sublime Text.” https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sublime_Text

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4.2 Findings (Deficiencies)

Lack of credibility. In the same way people tend to judge books by their cover,

websites are judged by their design. Taking into account that sometimes websites are

the first point of contact with customers, they need to be trustworthy and understandable

otherwise their credibility will sink.

That said, the main problem of the English language version of Caparrós Nature’s

corporate website lies in the lack of credibility spread throughout its website as many

deficiencies regarding the use of English have been found when carrying out an analysis

of it. The website has been designed using complex and confusing language that

hardens the understanding. Moreover, the existence of broken grammar and spelling

mistakes also contribute to the consideration of this website as mistrustful and cagey.

Word-for word translation of the Spanish language version. It has been proven that

this website is a literal translation of the Spanish language version. The content is the

core value and all the others aspects that are subject to adaptation have been isolated

from its internationalization and localization process.

Culturally non-responsive website. Cultural elements that are subject of adaptation

have also been left behind this process in most of the cases.

Language. The English language version is inconsistent and cagey as it presents

broken grammar and spelling mistakes (see graph 8), the absence or

unappropriated use of specific corporative vocabulary (keywords) and wrong

language register.

For instance, the menu (see graph 7) does not display the information using proper

English; on the one hand, “the company” should appear as “about us” or “who we

are”, “farms” as “plantations” and “quality and safety food” as “food security and

quality”, and on the other hand, “internacional” has not been translated into

English. In addition, some other sections haven’t been translated. Thus, if we click

on Farms menu, we see how information appears both in Spanish and English at

the same time when navigating through the English version (see graph 7).

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Graph 7. Farms menu.

Graph 8. Environmental protection and CSR.

Layout. The information presented is jumbled, unclearly expressed and

redundant. Furthermore, there exist broken links.

For example, when surfing on Products menu, if we click on any product, it

redirects you to an inexistent page, (see graph 9) though this link works in the

Spanish version providing detailed information about each product.

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Graph 9. Products and broken link.

Apart from that, the font used is not professional and capital letters and

punctuation marks are not used properly (see graph 10).

Graph 10: Misuse of punctuation marks and broken grammar.

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Symbols and Images. All the images that have been included in the website are

agricultural products, so they are appropriate for building trust among users. In the

same way, there are only a few symbols used in this website, but they are all well-

selected as they are neutral, direct and simple to be understood by users from

different cultures.

Graph 11. Symbols.

Content and structure. Dates, currencies, and units of measurement must be

transferred and adapted to the new language version. The transference of units of

measurement failed when switching from the Spanish language version to the

English one. Information regarding plantation’s sizes is displayed in the English

version using the Spanish metrical system; hectares are translated word-to-word

without taking into account cultural differences. In this case, conversion from

hectares to acres is necessary to increase credibility and customer satisfaction and

improve website culturability.

In addition, in the online shop, the price of Tomato Lobello is displayed in Euro,

though as the main market after Germany is the U.K., information regarding

prices should be adapted into Pounds in order to ease website’s navigation and

increase customer’s satisfaction as well.

Graph 12: Non-adapted units of measurement.

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Navigation. Web design efforts are aimed to offer a clear path to information so

users do not become lost within the web structure. Navigation through Caparrós

Nature’s website is a structured process in all the different menus except in

“international” under the section name New Markets. This section is a

combination of the elements that did not fit well in other sections. When clicking

on this section, there is little information about internationalization in itself. At

odds with it, we find corporate values and features and an illustrative video of the

whole process carried out at Caparrós Nature S.L. that has not been translated into

English.

Additionally, we find the online shop included in this section. Surprisingly, only

one type of product is available to be bought (tomato Lobello). If we continue

analyzing this menu, we find that there is a section called “Quality Certifications”

below the online shop.

Finally, at the bottom of the menu, there has been included a section dedicated to

customer service though e-mail for further information and requests has also been

included in the section Contact us.

Thus, this whole section is misleading users as by clicking on it they will not

find information about Caparrós Nature’s international activities and it would be

completely impossible to guess that the online shop and quality certifications had

been included in International section.

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Graph 12: International section.

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Multimedia. A video under the name of “Mediterranean products” is included in

their corporate website, though no translation is provided. The video does not

include voiceover, but information is displayed in Spanish throughout the video.

This information should be adapted into English to increase website’s credibility

and customer experience.

Color. White and green colors predominate in their corporate website. According

to Angela Wright (2016), the positive psychological effects of these colors on

people are the following:

o WHITE: Hygiene, sterility, clarity, purity, cleanness,

simplicity, sophistication, efficiency.

o GREEN: Harmony, balance, refreshment, universal love, rest,

restoration, reassurance, environmental awareness, equilibrium,

peace.

Thereby, colors have been chosen wisely to give this impression of cleanness,

equilibrium and environmental awareness in the Spanish version language and so

does it work for the English version.

Caparrós Nature’s Website follows a half-monarchist approach in translation.

Content is translated but not adapted which results in a website that is not responsive to

the U.K market. I refer to this website as a half monarchist approached translation as not

even all the content has been translated into English, most sections include information

in Spanish or even “Spanglish” is used.

A semi-translated and non-localized website. According to the levels of website

adaptation, I would refer to Caparrós Nature S.L as a semi-translated and non-localized

website. The reason lies in the existence of content in English, but also a word-to-word

translation mixed with information in Spanish, as mentioned above.

High context cultures in Website development. Finally, as being designed in Spanish

which is considered a high context culture language, this website fails to:

o Facilitate communication among users by making it linear, transparent and direct.

o Provide cultivability, that is, a comfortable design and a good structured and

well presented usability features which would increase customer satisfaction and

website usability.

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o Provide an organized and clear layout as the current one misleads users and does

not guide them step-by-step to access to information which provokes a gap

between the user and the system.

o Increase website usability and ease navigation.

o Provide a proper translation of the website into English.

o Creating a clear and efficient website that would be customer satisfaction-

oriented.

o Localize multimedia aspects.

o Use proper language register.

o Provide proper and easy navigation throughout the website due to there exist

broken links.

Other shortcomings:

o Unsuccessful internationalization process as it is half available in the language

of users (English in this case).

o Unsuccessful attempt to create an International Marketing Strategy to explore

new market opportunities.

o It is a website locally designed to be used according to the Spanish culture and

language which hinders its localization process.

o It is a culturally non-responsive website.

4.3 Objectives & Strategies

The restructuring process carried out in Caparrós Nature’s website is aimed to

prove that the company is conscious and respectful of the English culture. Our goals

are:

o To provide an appropriate translation of the English language version.

o To adapt the website to make it responsive towards the U.K market.

o To eliminate elements that can mislead users and decrease their satisfaction and

web experience.

o To improve website usability.

o To improve website visibility.

o To build trust among users.

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4.4 Practical Application of Proposed Measures

Practical applications will be presented from the latest modification and

restructuring of the website to the old version.

Graph 13: Home menu. Brand section.

Analysis. In order to avoid the inclusion of repetitive information, we have changed

the heading of this section to a more visual one that better catches the attention of users.

Apart from that, the text has been simplified in order to offer clear and more direct

information regarding the corporate brand, avoiding the use of subordinate sentences

and long sentences (run-on lines), characteristic of the Spanish language.

Finally, this editing has also solved grammar and spelling mistakes present in the

website such as “his·” to make reference to an inanimate object (company) or

“corporative image” instead of “corporate image” respectively.

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Graph 14: Home menu. Welcoming information.

Analysis. A restructuring of the main sentence has been carried out to portrait

information in English according to proper grammar rules, using the present perfect to

refer to something that started in the past and that still has relevance in the present.

Moreover, as a concrete year is included, it is necessary to use the time expression

“since” as it is used to talk about the starting point of actions, events or states not

“from” as used in the former version of the corporate website. In addition, as there

appears information in English and Spanish at the same time in the English version, it

has been carried out a proper translation of the untranslated sentence to make it

culturally responsive with the target market and increase trust among users.

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Graph 15: Home Menu. Internationalization section.

Analysis. Several grammar mistakes have been found in this section. The present

simple is used to talk about a past action regarding the origins of the company instead of

using the past simple. Again, the personal pronoun “his” has been used to refer to an

inanimate object (the company). Specific corporate vocabulary has been translated

word- to-word from Spanish as in “commercial team” instead of “salesperson team”.

Sentences are too long and punctuation marks have not been used properly. In this case,

a categorization of objectives regarding Caparrós Nature’s international mindset has

been carried out to avoid obscurity and vagueness in meaning and offer a concise and

limpid view of its international activities.

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Graph 16: Home Menu. Innovation section.

Analysis. The Spanish expression of the heading “a la vanguardia de” is translated

into English as the idiomatic expression “on the cutting edge”, thus this change has been

incorporated in the remodeled version of Caparrós Nature’s website. Again, there are

run-on lines and an overuse of commas which hinder the understanding of the text.

Thus, it has been carried out a restructuring of the whole paragraph to adapt it to the

rules of the English language.

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Graph 17. Farms Menu. After and before the localization and internationalization process.

Analysis. In this section we find half of the text in English and half of it in Spanish. A

proper translation of the whole fragment and a correction of the last paragraph have

been carried out as it turned out to be a word-to-word translation of the Spanish version.

Our intention is to provide users with a trustworthy website where content can be easily

understood in the target market.

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Graph 18: Food Safety and Quality Menu.

Analysis. In order to avoid repetitions, we have restructured the subheading of this

section. In the second paragraph we find a disagreement between the subject and the

predicate (every product…are; and of the plants and its fruits). The last paragraph is

disorganized and obscure. In this way, improvements have been included to palliate the

confusion and distrust that may have been caused by the former translation of the

website.

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Graph 19: Environment and C.S.R menu.

Analysis. In this section a clearer and more direct language has been used to catch the

attention of users and to offer a culturally responsive website.

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Graph 20: Contact us Menu.

Analysis. As one of the main aims of a proper LC designed website is to guide users

step-by-step through navigation, we have specified the initials used to refer to telephone

number, fax, website…etc., to provide users with clear and unambiguous information

regarding Caparrós Nature’s contact information.

In addition, information in Spanish has been translated into English.

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Graph 21: New Market section.

Analysis. This section offers a combo of disorganized information about the company.

None of the sections included in this menu fits well together. Thus, we have proposed

several solutions to this section. They are the following.

- New Markets section will be restructured to avoid presenting redundant

information. See graph 22 in the following page.

- The video will be properly translated into English and moved to “Product

section”.

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- The online shop will be removed from this section as it has nothing to do with

new market opportunities. It will be placed at the top of the site on the right

corner. I suggest that other flagship products would be included to increase its

efficiency.

- Quality Certification section will be removed from this section and included in

“About us” section.

Graph 22: New Market Menu.

Analysis. In regards to this section, there has been deleted the information regarding

the company as this information had already been included in other sections of

Caparrós Nature’s corporate website. Apart from that, only a proper translation into

English has been carried out as no other serious mistakes have been found.

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4.5 Limitations of the study

o Limited knowledge of graphic design.

o Impossibility to access to the original source code, thus this have hindered the

modification of the content. As a result, it has decreased the performance of our

internal restructuring.

o The Spanish version of the website is not properly developed in regards to the

use of Spanish which have hindered the translation into English.

o The company denied to offer any type of corporative information. Thus,

information included regarding “flagship products” might be outdated as it dates

from 2013.

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5. Conclusion

Caparrós Nature’ website was in deep need of an internal restructuring and

proper translation. However, a mere translation was not enough when adapting a

website culturally and linguistically to the target locale.

Caparrós Nature’s website has been translated into English without taking into

account that English is a low context culture country. As Spanish is a high context

culture country, information is presented in a non-linear, more indirect, ambiguous,

implicit in communication and complex way than in LC communication.

Thus, we have aimed to make Caparrós Nature’s corporate website more readable and

easy to understand to the target market by making messages linear, explicit and

simplified, and guide visitors step-by-step providing direct and transparent information,

characteristic of LC countries. Our endeavor has been to change the strategy used in the

creation of this corporate website, that is, a monarchist approach where content is

translated but unusually adapted and results in a non-responsive website to local

markets to a federalist or subsidiary approach where content is adapted, localized and

translated to be used in different countries. We have also aimed to increase credibility

by identifying cultural elements that subject of adaptation. We paid special attention to

language as it is the fundamental element needed to obtain information from a website.

Thereby, textual structure, pragmatics differences and genre-specific conventions have

been carefully analyzed. In the same way, content and structure, which refers to aspects

such as dates, currencies and units of measurement have also been analyzed in detail to

make the website culturally responsive. However, due to the limited resources, we have

been unable to adapt the multimedia content to the target locale.

Apart from that we can conclude that after the internal restructuring Caparrós

Nature S.L can be considered an extensively localized website as a global localization

process has been carried out providing a fully adapted website to the target locale in

regards to content and website structure and functionalities.

Now, users will experience a website that provides clear and understandable

information fully conscious of cultural differences which will help to increase website

credibility and usability, and customer satisfaction.

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