I’m a big advocate for Localization as the only way for any company to truly make it in a foreign market is to adapt to the markets language and customs. I’m also a regular LinkedIn user and I think it is a great site and service.
I give credit to LinkedIn for localizing their site. However, this promo video is not a good example of localization. Using non-native speakers whether they are fluent or not is not a good option. Any professional translator or localization expert knows that you only localize/translate into your native language. Furthermore, the definition of Localization is to give a product or service a local look and feel.”
This video does not do this. The message it sends is, “we couldn’t find enough native German speakers to use in our promo video, so we used what we had. Never mind that they have accents. The Germans won’t notice.” If anyone, a business networking site should have the resources to find enough native speakers. At least you would think so…
Unfortunately, this doesn’t bode well for the success of LinkedIn in Germany.
Check out the video and comments on LinkedIn’s blog
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