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(Re)imagining Canada: Projecting Canada to Canadians through Localized Websites

(Re)imagining Canada: Projecting Canada to Canadians through Localized Websites. Julie McDonough Dolmaya University of Ottawa, Canada julie@mcdonough-dolmaya.ca www.mcdonough-dolmaya.ca. Methodology.

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(Re)imagining Canada: Projecting Canada to Canadians through Localized Websites

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  1. (Re)imagining Canada: Projecting Canada to Canadians through Localized Websites Julie McDonough Dolmaya University of Ottawa, Canada julie@mcdonough-dolmaya.ca www.mcdonough-dolmaya.ca

  2. Methodology • Millward Brown Optimor Most Valuable Global Brands 2009 (cf. April 29, 2009 Financial Times) • Top 25 brands with Canadian website (from the top 33 brands) • Various degrees of localization • Sites considered “localized” when global gateway offered link to Canada site

  3. Google Microsoft Coca Cola IBM McDonalds Apple GE Wal-Mart Nokia Toyota UPS Blackberry HP BMW SAP Disney Gillette Intel Oracle Amazon AT&T HSBC Pampers Nintendo Cisco Top 25 brands with a website localized for Canadians

  4. Focus on websites localized for Canada • Diversity • French Canada

  5. Canadian Diversity • Images usually depicted people of various ages and ethnicities. • Only 3 of the 19 sites with images of people did not include at least one photo of a visible minority: • AT&T Canada • UPS Canada • BMW Canada

  6. Canadian Diversity Diversity in localized websites differs from “official” federal government’s narrative: Multiculturalism ensures that all citizens can keep their identities, can take pride in their ancestry and have a sense of belonging. Acceptance gives Canadians a feeling of security and self-confidence, making them more open to, and accepting of, diverse cultures. The Canadian experience has shown thatmulticulturalism encourages racial and ethnic harmony and cross-cultural understanding, and discourages ghettoization, hatred, discrimination and violence (Citizenship & Immigration Canada 2008).

  7. Canadian Diversity hsbc.ca hsbc.ca pampers.ca pampers.ca nokia.ca cisco.ca walmart.ca

  8. apple.ca ge.ca Canadian Diversity mcdonalds.ca nokia.ca toyota.ca sap.ca mcdonalds.ca walmart.ca

  9. Are companies representing themselves or what they think their customers want to see?

  10. HSBC site localized for French and English Canada

  11. HSBC site localized for Chinese Canada

  12. French Canada • On the surface, French and English are equal • 23 of 25 sites localized for English Canada and French Canada • Layouts of English and French versions identical • Textual and visual content usually identical

  13. Gaps in French/English content • Multimedia sometimes available in English but not in French • Microsoft Canada • Pampers Canada

  14. apple.ca pampers.ca sap.ca amazon.ca Gaps in French/English content • Text within images sometimes not translated into French • SAP • Pampers Canada • Amazon Canada • Apple Canada • Text within images sometimes contains errors • Pampers Canada

  15. Political implications of localizing for French Canada 2006 census: Canada’s population: 31.2 million English mother tongue: 17.9 million French mother tongue: 6.8 million Residing in Quebec: 5.9 million Ontario: 488, 815 New Brunswick: 232,975 Other mother tongue: 6.1 million Trends for translation of general and commercial texts: English into French

  16. Conclusions Future studies: How do these sites compare to domestic (Canadian) sites? How are other website elements (e.g. environment, community involvement) depicted on the websites? What cultural and political implications do they have?

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