A Study On The Website Localization Competence Of Chinese Infrastructure Corporations

Amid a long-term and in-depth development of globalization over past years,major multinational companies from developed countries have made considerable efforts to establish footholds in every corner of the world to promote their products and services and seek business cooperation opportunities.Among all the attempts they made,the establishment of fully localized websites is always attached to the highest importance.Meanwhile in China,since the implementation of the Reform and opening up policy and especially the accession of China to WTO in 2001,China’s economy has developed rapidly and a large number of leading Chinese enterprises have gone abroad to explore overseas markets.Given the successful experience of a good many international companies from developed countries,we can surely conclude that website localization holds the key to the success of these companies.At present,the researches on the website localization quality of multinational companies in China mainly focus on the localization of the Chinese websites of foreign companies,the English localization of Chinese enterprises are rarely touched.Meanwhile,fewer researchers have talked about the website localization of construction companies.Therefore,the author selects two representative enterprises in China’s infrastructure construction industry,China Railway Construction Corporation Limited)(CRCC)and China Power Construction Group Co.LTD(POWRCHINA)as the research objects to evaluate the website localization quality.First of all,the author introduces the origins,definitions,and development of localization and website localization.Secondly,previous studies,including Nitish Singh’s B2 B Website Localization Assessment Framework and Cui Qiliang and Wang Dandan’s Website Localization Evaluation Framework of China’s Language Service Companies,are introduced and analyzed by the author.Based on the previous study where the similarities and difference between B2 B business and Infrastructure companies and Language Services Companies and Infrastructure Companies are thoroughly analyzed and considered,the author builds a new framework which emphasizes the most integral elements of Infrastructure Companies’ websites.Based on the structure,the quality of context localization,content localization,cultural localization,translation quality and local gateway of the English websites of CRCC and PWERCHINA are analyzed and scored.In addition,through case analysis,the author points out the advantages and disadvantages of the two companies’ English websites.Besides,10 MTI and international students who are from Belt and Road Initiative countries are invited to a questionnaire adapted from the framework proposed by the author.Through the research,the author concludes that the two enterprises have high localization ability of English websites.But with thorough comparisons and analysis,the author also stated the problems of the two websites,including the lack of notice on use of website,cooperative norms,contact information,privacy protection and dynamic design and so on and some corresponding suggestions,such as increasing the conditions of use of the website,terms of use of privacy,adding more communication information,and enriching the settings of user pages were made the author as well.This study is helpful for transnational infrastructure enterprises to establish localized websites as they try to build sound international images and enhance the acceptance level of the enterprises around the globe.