Understanding Shallow and Deep Levels of Cultural Adaptation in Website Localisation (Full Transcript)

Speaker 1: Hi everyone, today I would like to talk to you about two levels of cultural adaptation in website localisation. There is a shallow level and a deep level. The shallow level considers the adaptation of colours, measurements, currencies, symbols, etc, which are elements other than the language and which are more or less obvious when adapting your website for other markets. The deep level, as the name suggests, is the adaptation going a bit deeper and it considers things like how users behave, how they think, navigate or purchase when they are on a website. This level of localisation has to include some cultural dimensions. For example, individualism versus collectivism, so the belief in the importance of goals of the individual versus the group's goals. Power distance, which is the belief in authority and hierarchy versus the belief that the power should be distributed. Uncertainty avoidance, the importance of predictability, structure and order versus the willingness to take risks. Masculinity femininity, the belief in achievement and ambitions, which is usually considered masculine versus the belief in nurturing and catering for others, which is usually considered feminine. And finally, low high context. So whether the communication style is explicit or you have to read in between the lines. The above could be reflected in the images you choose, such as using traditional gender roles or not. Whether you use a soft sell approach or not, personalisation, transaction security, whether you have chat rooms, display quality awards, etc. So if you're planning to localise your website for other markets, don't just think about translating the language, but also think about the cultural elements on your website that may cause a problem. And also think about what will engage better with the culture of your target audience. Why not explore this a bit further with us? Please email us at hello at local to global dot UK or book a free clarity call. We'd love to help you.