Building the Case for Global Readiness

1. Building the Case for Global Readiness Michele Coady Director, Global Readiness, Microsoft April 14, 2015

3. For a company to succeed in worldwide markets, they must enable the right customer experiences by making their products locally relevant, culturally appropriate and market ready

4. How You See the World Depends on Where You Are From

5. If a company is globally ready it…

6. If a company isn’t globally ready it…

7. How to be more globally ready

8. Global Readiness Challenges • Staying agile as the world changes! • Operating in a borderless world – multilingual, multicultural, multigeo • Considering cloud and mobile requirements • Dealing with social media content

9. Assessing Global Readiness RiskIt’s a complex world: where to start?

10. Risk assessments can differ depending on the context • Market, audience, and product come into play in the review process • Where it will be sold or seen • Type of product or service • Target audience • Current events

11. Where can this image be used? Games: OK Maps: not OK

12. From the Microsoft Xbox Halo 4 Game

13. Context and Current Events

14. All content must be reviewed for geopolitical inaccuracies or insensitivities

15. Images can create special risks • Can evoke emotional reactions • Can influence beliefs • Can recall memories • Not always globally appropriate

16. Images - Flags South Korea's flag was accidentally used to introduce Team North Korea players during the London 2012 Olympics.

17. Images - Flags Using flags during sports events can be a problem

18. Images - Maps

19. Images - Political

20. Images – Religion/Spirituality By Nikeman916 (talk) (Uploads).Nikeman916 at en.wikipedia [Public domain], from Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ADome_of_the_Rock%2C_Jerusalem_(2006).jpg This file is licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license.

21. Images – National Symbols This file is licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 3.0 Unported license. http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Mexico_October_2011_Maya_Riveria_014.JPG

22. Images - Ethnicity & Stereotypes These files are licensed under the Creative CommonsAttribution-Share Alike 2.0 Generic license. 1) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3ANelson_Mandela.jpgBy White House Photograph Office, Clinton Administration [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons 2) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AGeisha_dressed_for_tea_ceremony.jpg 3) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AMountfujijapan.jpg 4) http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File%3AChallenger_Ferry_Flight_Flyover_of_Lyndon_B._Johnson_Space_Center.jpg It is important to respect the diversity of customers; this respect should be reflected in the content. Avoid negative stereotypes Provide a balanced view of any group of people. Avoid assigning a single characteristic to any large group.

23. Images - People

24. Images – Cultural Sensitivities Flag of Pakistan

25. Images - Symbols, Numbers • Symbols and numbers used outside of normal contexts should be reviewed for secondary meanings • For example, the numbers ‘88’ and ‘18’ can be offensive in some markets

26. Images - Regional and Historical Accuracy People can usually tell when a character or theme isn’t accurate Accurately reflect period clothing, architecture, art, etc. Be aware of intra-regional sensitivities Remember that significant cultural differences can exist within countries

27. Risqué or Mature Images Risqué and mature images or references may not be acceptable in content Entertainment products may be an exception, depending on the market, the audience and the age rating of the product

28. Global Readiness at Microsoft Diverse Cultures, Many Languages, One World

29. Microsoft Global Readiness Team Dedicated team provides awareness, assessment, and risk management in three areas • Geopolitical Readiness –Microsoft products are culturally respectful and accurate and comply with local regulations and requirements • World Readiness –Microsoft products meet globalization and localizability requirements • Language Readiness –Microsoft provides the correct level of localization and enables appropriate language experiences

30. Microsoft Global Readiness Practices • Global Readiness training available to all Microsoft employees • Extensive documentation available on countries, languages, maps, locales, images, etc. • Internal tools to support and validate Global Readiness for all Microsoft products • External solutions provided for developers, including international developers

31. Language Portal Supporting international app developers Search for and download: Microsoft terminology Microsoft style guides (English + localized) Millions of re-usable, Product UI strings Translation APIs, integration with apps (Multi-Lingual App toolkit) Content in 108 languages

32. Local Language Program Building a bridge: languages, cultures, and technology Language Interface Packs Keyboard builder Language preservation showcases Custom machine translation Microsoft global coverage by product News about language @ Microsoft

33. Kinect Chinese Sign Language video - Microsoft The ability to communicate across linguistic barriers

34. More information • Microsoft Commitment to Global Readiness • Microsoft Global Readiness Blog • Microsoft Language Portal • Microsoft Local Language Portal

35. Thank you! "Shanghaiviewpic1" by dawvon - Pudong. Licensed under CC BY 2.0 via Wikimedia Commons - http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shanghaiviewpic1.jpg#/media/File:Shanghaiviewpic1.jpg