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Japanese Website Localization

Japanese localization requires various additional steps to ensure its success and it is critical to choose a vendor with experienced team in Japanese web site localization.

There are several additional steps required for a proper Japanese localization. First, like any other double-byte character languages, an appropriate character set needs to be selected from multiple options. The proper character set needs to be declared in meta tag of each html files, and the Japanese text and the entire file needs to be saved in a right character encoding. Double byte characters require additional codes to search functions or email functions because text parsing mechanism for Western European languages is not sufficient to preserve the integrity of characters. Or, one could work around that problem by converting the double-byte characters to entities. All of which should be assessed by the experienced engineer with thorough knowledge of double-byte characters in programming language.

Additionally, because of the difference in character composition and appearance, CSS font size declaration often needs to be changed to allow legibility as well. Font names do not have to be changed because of language-font detection systems in most browsers. In web graphic production, Japanese character will not be displayed correctly using Western European fonts. In Japanese localization production, choosing the right font is a key to its success. It goes beyond a distinction between sans type and sans-serif types. (Or, use OSbundled fonts for highly sophisticated website graphics) In other words, a Japanese web user can easily tell a website that is developed for the Japanese audience from non-sophisticatedly translated websites.

The choice of right font and the right usage of type specs determine this user perception, which is critical to success to any highly visible consumer product website for Japanese markets. The key here is how Japanese typography communicates as the original English typography, or corporate brand communicates. The value of the website will be diminished if the site does not function right, characters are not displayed correctly or typography used in the website does not represent a brand image for the company/product; therefore it is very essential to choose the right partner who has experience and understands the importance of subtleness when it comes to localization.

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