59Box - China Hosting Blog

Internationalization challenge in Hosting

March 30th, 2007

Internationalization. Other than being a mouthful to read aloud, it is a real challenge if you are trying to host multiple languages website, across multiple locations.

Like most IT issue however, hosting multiple-language site either works just fine and you never think there is a problem or it can turn out to be a full-blown nightmare.

In the time of nightmare, don’t you wish there is someone around to help? Well, we had been through numerous scenarios and can confidently say we can help.

Let me share just one example we just encountered a few days ago.

Internationalization problems (or challenges) come in many permutation. In this particular case, it was a case of programmers working in one language assuming people who use their software also speaks the same language. Having dealt with just one language all the time, they are not equipped to solve problem arising from interaction with another language.

Indeed as Einstein put it, “We cannot solve our problems with the same thinking we used when we created them.“So happily one fine day, an English speaking user brought a Chinese software and install on an English-based server. And like they said, all hell broke loss.
Was it the hosting company problem who did not configure their server to handle another language? Or was it the software company problem who did not anticipate someone using their software with another language?

While they are deciding, we already decided to get the customer’s site up, without starting a global war.

• Do you have a multiple languages website?
• Are you localizing and migrating your web application to run in China?
• Are you thinking of moving your Chinese website from an overseas server to a server in China?
• You have website in English, Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Thai, Arabic and they just don’t work the way they do compared to the server back home?

Leave us a comment.

Or better yet, come host with us.

Entry Filed under: Web Hosting, Hosting in China, Hosting Technology