| Pages in topic: [1 2] > | What not to do with your webpage Thread poster: Yaotl Altan
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Yaotl Altan 
Mexico
Local time: 00:38
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
+ ...
I present t you this webpage in order to learn what not to do with some HTML commands and formats.
The URL is http://www.grupoaltan.com.mx As you can read, Altan is my last name and this is the firm of two of my cousins but I did not translate their webpage
They are great civil engineers but as the webpage has some ... See more I present t you this webpage in order to learn what not to do with some HTML commands and formats.
The URL is http://www.grupoaltan.com.mx As you can read, Altan is my last name and this is the firm of two of my cousins but I did not translate their webpage
They are great civil engineers but as the webpage has some errors in its english version, potential clients could fly away.
Let's see:
http://www.grupoaltan.com.mx/indexing.html
1) There are some mistakes
1a) "at de present time"
1b) "you work carried out"
1c) "Political of Quality"
2) The page starts with a marvelous flash intro wich is totally oposed to the elegant golden letters which, IMHO, would be better to sell chocolates or panties.
3) There are some image links at the bottom part.
3a) Look at the red, white and green banner. When you click on it, the instruction set the focus on the left frame.
3b) It`s the same with the image "Altas en buscadores" located at the right bottom corner.
3c) The google bar too.
I'll describe these errors to them as soon as I see them and I'll ask them to keep a copy of this because it's very interesting to learn what not do with some fonts, HTML commands or translations.
[Edited at 2007-05-09 00:28] ▲ Collapse
| | | | | A machine translation | May 9, 2007 |
"To today's day we are a company recognized by our work and consolidated in the dependence government y private companies giving us these, possibilities to be able to work on the whole and to offer them our services. Supporting them with our knowledge in the different areas of the construction."
The introduction page must surely be a machine translation? They are lucky to have a translator for a cousin to save them from the potential losses this webpage might cause!
| | | | | It made me dizzy | May 9, 2007 |
... I mean the clouds in the logo background. Ouch!
I'm not so sure the English is machine translated; it looks more like the work of someone who studied six semesters of English in a prestigious school (Fans of a certain telenovela may recognize the reference.)
| | | | Yaotl Altan
Mexico
Local time: 00:38
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Yes, it's a little kitsch. It has a very modern lettern in the flash introduction and then, you can see classical style letters , the goldden ones. It would be better to decide just one font, and in this case, I prefer the modern font.
Too many image links look like a prpaganda flyer. If it's necessary to advertise something, then a special links page could be created to reach this goal.
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megane_wang
Spain
Local time: 08:38
Member (2007)
English to Spanish
+ ...
Let me guess...
Did they run out of budget after the first byte of code?
In short, language is not the major problem in there, but a serious misunderstanding of what corporate image communication is or not.
A small budget is still of good help if you choose the right professionals to do a job.
... same as with translators.
I work on both sides (image and translation), so it hurts on both sides too, but if your cousins like it...... See more Let me guess...
Did they run out of budget after the first byte of code?
In short, language is not the major problem in there, but a serious misunderstanding of what corporate image communication is or not.
A small budget is still of good help if you choose the right professionals to do a job.
... same as with translators.
I work on both sides (image and translation), so it hurts on both sides too, but if your cousins like it...
Ruth @ MW ▲ Collapse
| | | | Klaus Herrmann
Germany
Local time: 08:38
Member (2002)
English to German
+ ...
| A link to skip the Flash intro | May 9, 2007 |
I haven't found a link to skip the Flash intro, and I didn't have the patience to wait for it to end. (You never know how long these intros are.) So, good thing that I only didn't review the site, as opposed to not buying there
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There are many small factors.. for example I could find at least four different fonts (Times New Roman, Verdana, Arial and the fancy curly in the heading), and I'm sure there are more fonts around.
Annoying flash into and moving pictures above text have always been a pain and is very often a reason for a visitor to leave the site asap.
Our offices: under construction. It would be a better idea to just skip "Our offices" on the left and then insert it again at a later po... See more There are many small factors.. for example I could find at least four different fonts (Times New Roman, Verdana, Arial and the fancy curly in the heading), and I'm sure there are more fonts around.
Annoying flash into and moving pictures above text have always been a pain and is very often a reason for a visitor to leave the site asap.
Our offices: under construction. It would be a better idea to just skip "Our offices" on the left and then insert it again at a later point of time.
The English translation is unique but I don'T think it's the major problem. The guys wanted to put in as many features as possible, but in this case, as often, less is simply more to make a professional impression.
Erik ▲ Collapse
| | | | Kunik
Local time: 08:38
English to Latvian
+ ...
Klaus Herrmann wrote: I haven't found a link to skip the Flash intro, and I didn't have the patience to wait for it to end. (You never know how long these intros are.) So, good thing that I only didn't review the site, as opposed to not buying there
Besides, as I was listening to some music, I found the sudden loud noise (music) extremely annoying and closed the site immediately.
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Erik Hansson wrote: The English translation is unique but I don't think it's the major problem.
As a native English speaker, I have a different opinion. The quality of the English is so spectacularly in need of improvement that I barely noticed the design problems that the rest of you commented on.
| | | | Fan Gao
Australia
Local time: 16:38
English to Chinese
+ ...
I always wonder why companies bite off more than they can chew when it comes to translating their own websites. This DIY, hotch-potch and cramming as much as they can onto their sites approach is so common.
The sad thing is, this company is probably very professional and they are probably very good at what they do, but they let themselves down so much and are undoubtedly losing potential business because of their website.
Yaotl, why don't you post a job and find a goo... See more I always wonder why companies bite off more than they can chew when it comes to translating their own websites. This DIY, hotch-potch and cramming as much as they can onto their sites approach is so common.
The sad thing is, this company is probably very professional and they are probably very good at what they do, but they let themselves down so much and are undoubtedly losing potential business because of their website.
Yaotl, why don't you post a job and find a good translator to start from scratch or at least point them in the direction of a good English editor who has an understanding of the subject matter? If they got the English sorted, overhauled the Flash and tidied up the site in general it would be such a worthwhile investment for their future.
Good luck and best wishes,
Mark ▲ Collapse
| | | | | Website shredder | May 9, 2007 |
Just put the second link into the shredder (http://www.potatoland.org/shredder/shredder.html)
It chews up the very worst a website creator’s mind can produce and spits it out as an appealing, psychedelic artwork – but sadly not on the Web, only on your own computer.
mp
| | | | | This is the problem | May 9, 2007 |
megane_wang wrote:
I work on both sides (image and translation), so it hurts on both sides too, but if your cousins like it...
Ruth @ MW
This is the problem, isn't it?. The website should not be something that the owner "likes", but (as Ruth says) a tool to communicate corporate image to potential customers.
If we do not understand the way such communication should be made, then things like this will happen.
Take care,
Andrés
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Yaotl Altan
Mexico
Local time: 00:38
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER
Klaus Herrmann wrote: I haven't found a link to skip the Flash intro, and I didn't have the patience to wait for it to end. (You never know how long these intros are.) So, good thing that I only didn't review the site, as opposed to not buying there
Hi, Klaus.
Yes, I didn't realize that. Nowadays, every single page using Flash has the option to skip a Flash introduction. That's another good point. Thank you very much.
| | | | Yaotl Altan
Mexico
Local time: 00:38
Member (2006)
English to Spanish
+ ...
TOPIC STARTER | What about a piano? | May 9, 2007 |
tinageta wrote:
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Besides, as I was listening to some music, I found the sudden loud noise (music) extremely annoying and closed the site immediately.
Right. I remember those pages with a lod piano music.
When I opened this thread I just wrote those points which shocked me. Now, after reading your contributins, I realize there is still a huge number of issues, for instance, all those fonts explained by Erik.
| | | | Heinrich Pesch
Finland
Local time: 09:38
Member (2003)
Finnish to German
+ ...
My Firefox did not show any or play any.
Perhaps the English is adequate for the location these people are working - local flavor?
Cheers
Heinrich
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