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Spanish Speakers Not Served by the Internet
Wednesday, August 06, 2008
Language is an added obstacle to finding credible sites and reliable information on the Web
NEW YORK, Aug. 6 /PRNewswire/ -- A good Web site is hard to find: Surveys
consistently show that most Internet users have difficulty finding and
evaluating credible sources of information. This holds especially true for
non-English speakers. Though the Internet is a global phenomenon, U.S.-based,
English-only Web sites remain the most popular destinations for Internet users
from all over the world. Users whose native tongue is not English have a
particularly hard time evaluating the credibility of these Web sites.
In the United States, language barriers contribute to a troubling digital
divide. Surveys report that approximately half of native Spanish-speaking
Americans use the Web, versus as much as 80% of other ethnic groups. (1)
While many factors contribute to this digital divide, Juan Tornoe,
publisher of HispanicTrending.net, a Latino marketing and advertising blog
(2), points to a, "dearth of online content that speaks to bilingual and
Spanish-dominant Hispanics. They either can't find it, or it's so bad that
they'd rather use English-language sites." Although many Spanish-speaking Web
users do the best they can with English-language sites, "even Hispanic
Internet users who are completely comfortable accessing English-language
content may prefer to read explanatory information in Spanish," says Mr.
Tornoe.
For some Spanish speakers, the lack of explanatory information in Spanish
is a mere inconvenience. But for most, the adverse effects are more profound.
"Language barriers prevent too many Spanish speakers from sharing in the
educational and economic opportunities that the Internet offers," said Anita
Gutierrez-Folch, project manager for encontrandoDulcinea.com, the new
Spanish-language Web site that offers topic-specific guides to reliable sites
and information on the Web. Gutierrez-Folch continued, "The Web is a big part
of the library of the future, and Spanish speakers must be able to use it."
EncontrandoDulcinea, which launches on August 6, 2008, will appeal to
Spanish-speaking Internet users who read online content in both English and
Spanish. The site will launch with more than 20 Spanish-language guides to the
best Web sites-either in English or Spanish-about a particular topic. New
guides will be added to the site every week.
"For the many Spanish-speakers who have yet to conquer the Internet
frontier, encontrandoDulcinea is a guided tour, in their first language, to
the best content that the Web has to offer," said Gutierrez-Folch.
About encontrandoDulcinea
EncontrandoDulcinea is an offspring of findingDulcinea, a widely
acclaimed, human-powered search alternative that is the best place to start
Internet research on any subject. FindingDulcinea's 500 Web Guides offer
narrated, topic-specific tours of hand-selected, credible Web sites, with
insights and research strategies to help readers find just what they're
searching for. EncontrandoDulcinea is the first in a series of
foreign-language Web sites that findingDulcinea will publish.
To visit encontrandoDulcinea go to
http://www.encontrandoDulcinea.com
To visit findingDulcinea go to
http://www.findingDulcinea.com
Source Links:
(1) eMarketer: US Hispanics Online, July 2008
[http://www.emarketer.com/Reports/All/Emarketer_2000514.aspx?src=report1_home]
(2) The Cost of Leaving Hispanics Lost in Translation, Juan Tornoe,
Grokdotcom, February 14, 2008
[http://www.grokdotcom.com/2008/02/14/latinos-lost-in-translation-online/]
Contact Info:
English speaking:
Sushene Leitch
Sushene.Leitch@DulcineaMedia.com
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/employees/management/sushene-s-leitch.html
Spanish speaking:
Anita Gutierrez-Folch
Anita.Gf@DulcineaMedia.com
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/employees/editorial/freelance/anita-
gutierrez-folch.html
Isabel Cowles
Isabel.Cowles@DulcineaMedia.com
http://www.findingdulcinea.com/employees/editorial/isabel-cowles.html
Phone 212.685.7307
SOURCE encontrandoDulcinea
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