English is the foundation of the Internet. Nevertheless the majority of literate people in the world either do not understand it at all, or are more comfortable with their own language.

Unlike other companies, which tend to glaze over or prevaricate when other languages are mentioned, we know all about the issues involved, and support virtually any script or language used anywhere in the world, with a particular specialisation in Indic scripts.

We exist and compete in an increasingly globalised environment. Depending on your markets, or your mission, it may be perfectly obvious why you need a multilingual web site.

Nevertheless, English has by-and-large won the language battle: it is the international language of business, as well as the language of computing, and in many cases you can probably rely on people understanding you well enough if you stick to English.

The thing to realise, though, is that people cherish, are comfortable and are intimate in their mother tongues. They are who they really are, and why they exist, in their mother tongues. And by addressing them in their mother tongues, you are saying that you respect all of that.

You probably won't sell a crap product by respecting others; but by respecting who your prospective clients really are you are meeting them at quite a different level; and that may make quite a difference.

The FAQ page provides at least enough information to support you in getting up-to-speed with the issues:

• What type of site do we need?
• Should we rely on written text, or use also/instead multimedia presentations?
• What problems do the scripts we need to use present?
• What if any standards should we comply with?
• What technology should we use to display non-English text?
• How will our site cope with the different capabilities of the multiple browsers on different operating systems?
• What typefaces do we need, and where can we get them from?
• How will we deliver typeface data (if necessary) to our users without creating copyright problems?
• Who will write the non-English text, and with what software?
• How do we manage translations?

How Can Gate Seven Help?

We are aware than many potential clients are busy people who want problems taken off their hands. If you are one of these, we are very happy to act as consultants, doing the considering for you, producing reports, feasibility studies and recommendations, and subsequently implementing a multilingual strategy for you directly, or in collaboration with your other partners.