With Memorial Day weekend behind us, “unofficial summer” vacation season is here! Where will literally millions of people spend part of their summer vacation? 

With an attendance of over 52 million annually, Disney World (FL, USA) is the most visited vacation resort in the world.  Or shall we ask where is the “The Happiest Place on Earth”?  Disneyland (CA, USA) is the second most visited theme park in the world, with almost 16 million visitors in 2012.  Oh why stop there…Tokyo Disneyland and Tokyo DisneySea, with 14.8 million and 12.6 million visitors in 2012, are the third and fourth most visited in the world.  Do you want to even venture the fifth? Of course, in one of the most romantic cities in the world… Disneyland Paris.  Don’t forget about Hong Kong Disneyland with about 6.7 million visitors in 2012.  

Al Weiss, former president of Worldwide Operations - Walt Disney Parks and Resorts, said it well: “At Walt Disney World, our magic knows no boundaries.”  

My intent is NOT to be an advertisement for the big Mouse, but I have to say, Disney’s globalization and Localization efforts are incredible.  Everywhere in the world, people know Disney – from the lovable Mickey and friends to the blockbuster Disney films, stories and shows to the Magic Kingdom, or various magic kingdoms - Whether you like it or not, Disney World is the epitome of theme parks, and does feel like... “The Most Magical Place on Earth.”

Try to count the number of languages the brand has been translated into – from its various movies, shows, stories, songs, Disney Vacation resorts and packages, websites, etc.   

The Company has been around for over 90 years. The Walt Disney Company was founded on October 16, 1923, by Walt Disney and Roy O. Disney as the Disney Brothers Cartoon Studio; Disneyland Park in California joined the scene in 1955.  Mickey Mouse, being the primary symbol of Disney, is virtually, if not THE most well-known and lovable mouse in the world.  So it really doesn’t matter how many languages the Mouse actually speaks, everyone knows him.

So what does Disney do to support the “The Most Magical Place on Earth” for international visitors?   

Ears to the World: Expanded translation services – complimentary personal translation devices called Ears to the World, Disney’s Show Translator.  These are wireless headsets that provide synchronized narration in five languages, at many popular attractions. Wireless signals throughout key attractions trigger digital audio recordings in each unit — providing real-time translation in French, German, Japanese, Portuguese or Spanish.

Additional multicultural offerings:

• International Information Centers in each of the theme parks and Downtown Disney staffed by multilingual cast members to assist guests. 
• Maps and resort signs employing more than 40 international symbols.
• More than 7,000 multilingual cast members with nametags indicating their fluency in languages other than English.
• Theme park guide maps printed in French, German, Japanese, Portuguese and Spanish.

Mickey speaks!  A lot of excitement has been generated in recent years as Disney World announced that the big Mouse was going to break his silence and actually interact with guest verbally.  That is pretty cool (maybe a bit clunky at times, but still awesome for kiddies).  I’m not sure if they plan on rolling out the speaking Mouse to the other international Disney parks, or if they plan on rolling out a multi-lingual speaking Mickey (or even bi-lingual) – but is seems awesome and fitting given Disney’s commitment.

“Our multicultural efforts demonstrate our strong commitment to remove communication barriers and make this the most welcoming place on Earth,” said Al Weiss, former president, Worldwide Operations, Walt Disney Parks and Resorts. “At Walt Disney World, our magic knows no boundaries.”

Happy Summer! Have fun … “I’m going to Disney World!”

… Stay tuned for the next Segment of HT Localization Presents Language Translations for Real Life Series, where we’ll continue … with more stuff.

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This article was written by Rachanee Thevenet, Co-Founder of HT Localization.  Rachanee is an Asian-American expat living in Spain with her family.  She loves all things international including food, art, literature, culture, languages and people.  She has years of professional product marketing expertise and global expansion experience.

HT Localization, LLC. is a worldwide translation & localization agency providing a full range of professional language translation services, including social media localization, marketing translations, website translations, software localization, eLearning materials, documentation translations, etc.  With locations in the US, Spain, France, Zambia & Thailand, and coverage across all languages and most industries, HT Localization is well positioned to provide around the globe services for all translation needs.  

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