Japanese Website

[Ghome1971]

I am just about to start creating a Japanse version of my site. I understand I need to use Unicode and Version 8 supports this. Can anyone give me more information.

Thanks

Geraldine

[Ghome1971]

I have spoken to Actinic support who don't seem to know much about how it works except that version 8 is compatible with unicode.

Do I need to buy the unicode software. If so where from and are there options such as Japanese

Do I need a Japanese keyboard ( I assume yes)

Do I then (my Japanese colleague) just start typing and actinic automatically enters the Japanese characters.

Thanks

Geraldine

www.stardustkids.co.uk

[Duncan Rounding]

I may be wrong but I thought that some of the text is derived from the perl scripts and the catalog executable, if this is the case then you will have problems with parts of the site regardless of unicode.

[leehack]

My first question would be; can someone living in Japan, who speaks Japanese, has a Japanese keyboard etc. and has Japanese hosting use actinic? Without a yes to that, i think it would be a non starter. I believe that the French can use actinic, it may be wise to investigate using it in French to find out any possible shortcomings.

Like Duncan said there are some things created via a script, particularly the log in side of it from memory.

Sounds like a nightmare to me.

[acompton]

A japanese keyboard isn't necessary provided you have Japanese Windows. It has a special key entry system that allows Japanese pictograms to be built up from basic elements. I can't remember what the system is called, but I think it pops down from the system menu when activated.

Alan

[Duncan Rounding]

You can load the Global IME from Microsoft:
http://www.microsoft.com/windows/ie/...e/default.mspx

[RuralWeb]

Ive looked at this a few times in the past and the only sure way I found was to create images for the text and build the site using them.

[Ghome1971]

Wow I'm shocked. I've actually upgrade to Actinic V8 multi user especially to create this Japanese site. I asked Actinic support "can I create a Japanese version of my site using Japanese characters". The answer was "yes you just need to install unicode and to remember that one Japanese character uses two English characters".

However, I am still determined to proceed. I plan that my site to be part Japanese part English. Text that was predominantly important for SEO would be in Japanese eg page titles, alt tags, product description, link text. Which of these is translated into scripts? I also plan to display prices in Yen which is already offered in Business Settings | Options.

Thanks

Geraldine

[Ghome1971]

Can a member of Actinic give me a detailed answer as the customer support does not seem knowledgeable on this matter?

Thanks

Geraldine

[cdicken]

Geraldine - Actinic only supports Western character sets within its database fields. So you will not be able to manage Japanese text within the Actinic application.

[Ghome1971]

My Japanese website (www.stardustkids.jp) was completed a few months ago. Although it has no good organic listings I have paid for Adwords in order to test the site. But I have not received a single order. We recently took on a Japanese agent for our wholesale business who said the site was not working. When he clicked on checkout the site freezes. Both my website designer (Lee) and I have tested the site. I tested it again from a Mac this time and it seemed fine. Then I tested it from a Japanese computer located here in London and it also froze when just trying to add items to the cart. My main site www.stardustkids.co.uk allowed items to be added to the cart but was painfully slow but also froze when I clicked on checkout.

Does anyone know why?

Geraldine

[chris ashdown]

Geraldine

As someone who has visited Japan in the 1960's and also one year ago, things have changed a lot in that before absolutly nobody spoke or could read english, now everyone under about 30 is very good at both, with plenty of English signs all over the country.

It may be worth trying a simpler English route but tailored and hosted in Japan as well as persevering with the Japanese route

English goods are highly valued so the more you make of your English connections the better it should be

[RuralWeb]

While lee was building your site I was in New Zealand on a job building a site aimed at the Japanese market. It was interesting that lee was building in Japanese but I was building in English and we had a few discussions about it at the time. As Chris says and from the info I got while down under English sites are becoming the norm for higher value/quality goods especially if they are from outside of Japan.