Why Santa offers a masterclass in localisation
Santa Claus is iconic but he’s not the only mythical gift-giving figure around the world. Many cultures have their own equivalents. In this article, we explore Santa’s international counterparts.
Everyone’s name is made up of first name + surname and maybe a middle name or two, right? Wrong. How people name themselves varies around the world. This matters for marketing because:
Aside from marketing, if you’re doing business across borders, then understanding how to address and introduce people correctly is important. Read on to find out more.
In many Western (and non-Western) countries, people’s names follow the pattern of first name + middle name + family name (which is usually your father’s surname). This word order isn’t universally the case.
In China, the word order is the reverse. Chinese surnames usually come first, followed by given names. This is also true in Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Taiwanese cultures. However, this order may not always be observed in translation.
This reverse word order applies to Hungarian, Bosnian, Croatian and Serbian cultures too.
In the UK, most people have one surname and very often, this is their family name which traditionally (but not always) has been passed down their father’s side. This isn’t the case around the world. For example:
In Japan, for example, it’s very uncommon to have a middle name. The concept is not followed or legally recognised in Japan, except for foreigners. This means that online forms which have an option for middle names can seem confusing to Japanese customers.
In Czechia, it’s traditional for woman to have the suffix “ova” appended to their surnames. For example, if the family name is ‘Novak’, the male members of the family will bear that name whilst the female members will be called ‘Novakova’. (In recent years, steps have been afoot amongst law-makers to end this practice without success.) Other countries such as Armenia, Georgia and Ukraine also vary the family name by sex.
In English, titles like “Mr” and “Mrs” precede family names. In Japan, honorifics such as “san”, “sama”, “kun” and “chan” are used as suffixes after the family name.
Given that naming conventions vary around the world, bear in mind these UX and personalisation tips:
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Oban has a 20 year track record of helping UK businesses grow internationally using digital marketing techniques. Talk to us about how our network of Local In-Market Experts can accelerate your international expansion.