YouTube Goes Multilingual

Jun 19, 09:08 PM

Current Headlines: Literally, it might be known as Voustube, Voitubo or Vocetubo, but the world's most popular video-sharing site introduced local- language sites in nine countries yesterday that will all just go by YouTube.

Chad Hurley and Steve Chen, the co-founders of YouTube, which was acquired by Internet search leader Google for $1.76 billion last year, told a news conference that the nine country sites will eventually feature locally popular content.

Until now, while user-generated videos and comments could be posted in any language, the YouTube.com site framework and navigation menus have been in English only, while the featured pages users first see are heavily skewed to US tastes.

The site's US-slant was incongruous with more than half of YouTube's audience coming from outside the United States, Chen said.

He said expanding overseas had always been part of his plan, but didn't become viable until Google bought YouTube.

YouTube unveiled national sites for Brazil (http:// www.youtube.com.br), Britain (http://youtube.co.uk), France (youtube.fr), Ireland (youtube.ie), Italy (http://it.youtube.com), Japan (youtube.jp), the Netherlands (youtube.nl), Poland (youtube.pl) and Spain (youtube.es).

During the first stage of the international move, each site will offer fully translated local homepages and video search functions. Over time, each national site will have an entirely "local" feel that will allow for country-specific video rankings and comments in various sections, YouTube said.

Consumers will have a variety of ways to reach the international sites. Users with computer Internet addresses in the nine countries will be offered the option of switching to the local sites. A series of flag icons will also now run along the top of YouTube sites, allowing users to jump to other country sites.

Besides giving YouTube more computing power, Google also supplied its new subsidiary with the expertise it needed to diversify. The international expansion is being overseen by Sakina Arsiwala, who previously worked on Google's search engines outside the United States.

Arsiwala eventually hopes to engineer additional YouTube channels in dozens of other countries. By making its programming more accessible to people who don't speak English, YouTube is hoping to stimulate even more usage outside the US.

In recent months, YouTube has signed up various major international media partners including broadcasters such as the British Broadcasting Corporation, France 24, the Spanish Antena 3 and Cuatro TV, the Portuguese RTP, and the Dutch VPRO and NPO.

It features archive and daily news from popular European football clubs such as Chelsea FC, AC Milan, Barcelona FC and Real Madrid, but is restricted from showing live matches in most cases.

It also has programs from non-profit groups like Greenpeace, Friends of the Earth, UNHCR and Medecins du Monde.

"Right now, the content will be available to everyone, unless the (media) partner specifies otherwise," YouTube international manager Sakina Arsiwala said in an interview.

In total YouTube has more than 150 international media partners.

Media contracts have traditionally been negotiated country by country, reflecting the local nature of broadcast television technology, but Arsiwala the new sites were not designed to limit content by country.

YouTube says it currently streams more than 200 million videos every day.

Agencies

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