Indian language web publishing: The next gold rush for the Net in India
September 29, 1999
By Preethi Mariappan
Indian language web publishing is on the brink of becoming the next hot area for organisations involved in local and multiple language business activity, be it strategy and consulting or development and deployment. As a tool and as a market, companies with vision, agility and determination can tap the embryonic Indian language Web at the dawn of the Internet age.
Of late, the South in particular has become the hub for online regional language development with State Governments from Tamil Nadu, Andhra Pradesh and Kerela rooting strongly for Indianising the Web. Their initiatives to provide web access to citizens via kiosks and spread awareness about the medium among people is paving the way for a web-literate society.
Today, the commercial potential of multi-lingual web publishing, translation and localisation services for entrepreneurs and web business companies looking to expand their portfolio, is tremendous.
The Indian language web publishing industry itself has grown from troublesome adolescence rife with standardisation, keyboard and font hassles to maturity with several software companies, research units and consortiums sinking time, money and effort to develop legitimate standards and software.
Indicators of Indian language market maturity
**ISPs vying to get the sizeable urban populace online.
Governments providing web access to citizens through kiosks.
**Software companies and commercial agencies contributing to the quantitative and qualitative increase in Indian language content online.
**Readymade target group in the form of NRIs online.
With technology and market size problems gradually waning, new sectors will be thrown open to Indian language publishing. Web based services in Indian languages are required for both completely utilitarian purposes like directory services and city maps to high-end commercial requirements like Indian music and entertainment sites touting audio and video.
Currently, publishing categories span news, literature, arts, religion and culture. Others like administration, education, healthcare, community development, finance & banking are poised to follow.
From Small and Medium Enterprises (SMEs) wanting to use the Web for communication and transaction, and MNCs seeking to localise their web presence, business prospects are far from few.
Currently the credible Indian language web publishing companies number a handful. What's more, many focus on publishing in only one or two languages. An exception to the norm is Cybershoppee, the company behind indianlanguages.com - the Indian language portal that showcases the company's expertise across 11 Indian languages.
With a commendable success story tucked under his belt, Cybershoppee's CEO Ninad Pradhan indicates how Indian language web publishing is the next big business opportunity for interested players.
Since companies already involved in providing web based and language based services would find the entry barrier into this field relatively lower than others, Pradhan thinks that translation agencies stand a good chance.
Translation agencies already have expertise in not just one but many languages and this will be a great opportunity for them to get into a new business, says Pradhan. He feels acquiring web technology will not prove to be an obstacle at all.
Similarly, Nabil Freiji, CEO of GlobalVision, a software localisation company based in the US with interests across Europe and Asia, sees a prominent place for India's technical and linguistics skills in the $3.5 billion localisation industry.
According to him, if Indian companies specialise in localisation services, commercial agencies would be first to take advantage of India's large pool of excellent technical talents coupled with its relatively low costs.
Freiji says India can be a production centre for localisation projects, and points out that "technology + language + management" will be key to the success of localisation companies.
The skillsets required for Indian language web services, according to Pradhan, are not very different from those required for web publishing in English. He cites in-depth understanding of culture, language and society as crucial knowledge areas.
Freiji also emphasises thorough understanding of culture as vital for companies publishing in local languages. Translating technical text is one thing, selling a company and its services is another. When locale and culture are involved, re-writing, as opposed to translating, in the target language will be necessary, says Freiji.
In a field strewn with freelance contractors and small agencies, the need for large companies with skills and means is evident. The industry by its nature also demands pooling of talents and promises facilitation of profitable alliances.
Companies interested in exploring the potential of Indian language publishing also do not have to re-invent the wheel. They can look towards European, Far Eastern, South East Asian and South American countries for direction.
Since countries like France, Japan, China and Brazil already have a head start in local language publishing, there may be 'borrowable' components and models for strategy across business, communication and management.
The Indian language publishing industry has plenty of niche service requirements and is at that important stage where new players can still step in to capture the market, without getting wiped out by competitive pressure.
The key to gaining a firm foothold in this emerging industry is to be there before it booms -- with a good business model, strong linguistic, cultural and technological skills, and the ability to learn, amend and grow with the industry.
(Preethi Mariappan is a Webwriter at Bangalore-based Web solutions firm www.Planetasia.com) |
