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Which variety of English — like American English, British English, and so one — is better to choose when translating to Englis, or building it from scratch, for an e-commerce site which intends to operate globally?
Is American English a standard choice for such a use? Or is there a trend for some artificial mix of different varieties of English to become such a standard?
Even though I'm a Brit I would have to vote for American English. I've lived here (the US) for 12 years, and there have been just too many words that translate OK from American English to British English but not the other way round, examples include; mail/post, dumpster/skip. It is also a lot easier to explain American English spelling, I give you the letter 'u' as an example.
As an Australian, I don't mind a web site using US English if some care is taken. "Zip code" is a good example of something to avoid.
I do mind web sites that think that only the US and Canada have states and provinces, and that states always have two-letter abbreviations. Saying that a product will be ready in "the spring" is only true for half the world, admittedly the more populous half. Say "second quarter" instead.
Yes, it depends on your target market. A lot of sites that initially targeted Australia from O.S. (international E-Commerce sites) used a common US English site wide. Later incarnations with .com.au specific sub sites have started to offer a more natural British English spelling, to appeal to the local population.
I think if you're trying to get market share anywhere but the US, you will find that UK English will seem less incongruous to readers.
Personally I would stick to UK-English. People like differences, in my experience, and global shoppers would by definition be a pretty savvy bunch anyway. Be proud of your heritage!
I would however avoid words which could cause confusion.
Instead of mail or post, I would say shipping.
I would certainly stick with UK spellings. There is nothing wrong with "colour", and it is always amusing hearing somebody from outside the UK asking for Worcestershire sauce.
