Issues in globalizing a U.S. government Website

Abstract

The author applied findings from international technical communication research to compare and contrast two informational Websites: a U.S. government Website (response.restoration.noaa.gov), which she had designed, and an analogous French government Website (www.le-cedre.fr). The Websites reflect contrasting rhetorical choices made by their designers, suggesting that some substantial cross-cultural differences among Websites within a genre may be rhetorical in nature rather than surficial. The author suggests five areas where future research could lead to guidelines for Website globalization.