[Sigia-l] Translating Spanish Content on the Web

[courtney.crowell at wachovia.com]

I am working on a large financial services website and exploring ways to
better serve our Hispanic/Spanish speaking customers and am looking for any
information on the following:

1) Are there accepted standards/best practices regarding translating and
integrating Spanish content on the web from one language to another? To
what degree is word for word translation vs. "transcreation" (creating
appropriate content in a culturally sensitive context) considered the best
way to approach providing multilingual content on the web?

2) Of the sites that have currently translated some of all of their site,
does it appear that a particular dialect of Spanish is used more often than
others? How is it determined which dialect speaks to the most people?

3) Is there any information on approaching information architecture design
for a Spanish language site? Are there cultural differences that will
influence customer classification/organization expectations?

Any information or experiences shared would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!

~Courtney Crowell