Multilingual e-Business in a Global Economy: Case of SMEs in the Lodging Industry

Multilingual communication over the Internet has the potential to facilitate e-business, especially among small and medium-size enterprises (SMEs) in the travel and tourism industry, which is at the forefront of cross-cultural interaction. A pragmatic methodology is introduced to enable innkeepers and travelers to correspond in their own preferred language. Using a prototype system called “TigerTalk for Innkeepers,” a study involving over 4000 small inns worldwide was conducted. The results reflect the extent to which SMEs in this industry, which stand to gain the most from global connectivity and online communication, are ready to take advantage of technology to overcome language barriers.