Differences in English: Regional differences and specialized words and phrases in English
This is primarily intended for fluent English speakers who are designing a personal website in English, but many of the tips should be helpful for commercial websites or websites in other languages that have significant regional differences (ie Espanol).
United States: March 7, 2007 or 3/07/07.
United Kingdom: 7 March 2007 or 7/03/07.
There is more than one way to speak English
As you can see in the examples above if you write the date using numbers you need to state which format you are using or you risk having a visitor misunderstand the date.
While "English" is usually referred to as one language there are regional differences. The most significant difference is between "American" and "British" English. In many cases the differences do not affect the ability of a reader to understand the word. In context it is usually clear that "color" and "colour" have the same meaning.
Unfortunately, this can present a problem if one is using a translation software or viewing a website through a translation as can be done with AltaVista's Bable Fish. It can also be a problem if you want people to find your website while searching. If you use "color" and they are searching for "colour" they will not find your website. If you have keywords on your website you may wish to include both the American and British English spellings. Australian English and New Zealand English are similiar to British English. Canadian English is a combination of British and American English with a small number of terms specific to Canada (1). The spelling used by people who learned English as a second language often depends on how they learned English. Thus, by using only British English or only American English you are likely to lose some searchers.
A greater problem occurs in cases when a word exists in British English, but not American English or vice versa or if the word has a different meaning in American and British English. For example, using the Babel Fish translation of the English word "flat" into Spanish gives me "plano". This is a good definition if you are reading a website in American English. However, in British English "flat" can refer to the American English word "apartment" which would be "apartamento" in Spanish. Even if someone viewing your website knows that you live in Britain and is aware that there are differences between American and British English, Babel Fish only offers one choice for English and that focused on American English.
There are also regional, generational, socio-economic, and cultural language differences within English speaking countries. This is particularly true with "slang" or words used in casual conversation. While this is often a source of amusement (and some people use ambiguous words or phrases intentionally to get a laugh) it can be a problem when for both searchers and people who want searchers to find their website.
Even ignoring regional differences translation programs are not 100% accurate. The website Lost in Translation offers a humorous look at some of the mistakes that can occur using Babel Fish. "I love movies" becomes "_ film of apreci of I _" (the main error occurs in the translation into Portuguese). "Not everyone speaks English fluently" becomes "_all English the normal fal_". I speak English fluently and I wouldn't be able to guess the original sentence from that nonsense.
For graphic design websites and other websites where a limited amount of text is necessary you may wish to limit the amount of text and use simple words that easily translate. This will help make your website accessible to people who are not fluent in English. Although I do not speak or write German I can often navigate German websites that are mostly graphics or pictures even if I don't understand the language.
There are print and online dictionaries both that show the differences between British and American English. Unfortunately, these dictionaries vary radically in quality and do not always solve the problem. Every discussion I have seen about a British English to American English dictionary (or Canadian English) has led to arguments by people who do not think that they way they speak and write is represented in the dictionary.
I can read the words, but I can't understand you
"Right now we are in the middle of March Madness(2), but my friend keeps going on and on about the Raptors. Football season has been over for two months and I am getting ready to route for the Cubs, Mets, and Angels."
Part or all of that paragraph probably made sense if you are an American or Canadian sports fan. March Madness refers to a college basketball tournament. (In America college refers to either 2 or 4 year schools that people can attend after high school.) The Raptors are Toronto's basketball team. Football refers to American football. The Cubs, Mets, and Angels are baseball teams. The majority of people on the internet (or even the majority in the United States and Canada) will not understand at least part of that paragraph. Thus, if I posted that sentence in a blog and many of my readers were not familiar with these teams I would include an explanation.
If you are part of a group (you live in a specific country, are a fan of a film, etc) it can be hard to guess what people who aren't in the group do not know. Even people who are not Star Wars fans have usually heard of the films. The BBC (British Broadcasting Corporation) has better coverage of American politics then some American news.
(1)As an example of the language issue and of the problems with relying on Wikipedia there is currently a discussion on Canadian English. Ironically sometimes one of the best uses of Wikipedia is finding discussions about subjects in dispute.
(2) Obviously, I started writing this during March.
