We laugh at stories like this, thinking we could never make such a silly mistake today. Or could we? Recently, when Microsoft released its new product called Vista, PC users in Latvia found a "frumpy woman" on the software market. Microsoft may fully realize it has a frumpy woman for sale in Latvia, choosing to stick with the name because it works in all its major target markets. But without doing the necessary research, it would have no idea whether "Vista" is something positive or negative in other languages around the world.

Global marketing would be simple if brand names were all we had to worry about, but successful international business efforts go far beyond a name. Think of all the communications vehicles necessary to market and support a product sold globally—from websites to print collateral to product packaging and manuals. You can't stop with words or, in some cases, treat an entire country the same.

Innocent marketing, language, and cultural mistakes are easy to make. As you expand to new markets or reinvigorate efforts in an existing market this year, here are five mistakes to avoid.

1. Understand Your Brand Name
Your company or product name could mean something undesirable in another language. Do the research necessary to ensure you do not sell a car that means "no go" or a computer product that means "frumpy woman." Even something as innocent as a person's name can trip you up. "Gary" sounds like the Japanese word for "diarrhea." Do your homework, and you'll avoid unpleasant surprises.

2. Understand the Cultural Significance of Colors
Colors can play a significant role in the aesthetics of your website or other marketing materials, but they also communicate a message. Unfortunately, the message and significance of a color may not be consistent from culture to culture.

In North America, for example, red is often used in operating instructions to signify danger, while other cultures often use green or black for the same purpose. In Asia, white is the color of funerals, while in Western cultures, white is the color of weddings. Without realizing the difference, a wedding company could be sending a disturbing message to its Asian audience.

Again, it's critical to do your homework before choosing colors for your international branding efforts.

3. Use Humor Carefully
What's funny in one culture may not even make sense in another. For example, when a preacher visited a missionary, his message on "The Four Ships of Christianity" (fellowship, discipleship, membership, and worship) was a disaster because it was based in a pun that was completely lost in translation.

Culturally or regionally based humor should be avoided as well. Even within the US, what might be funny in one part of the country may not be understood elsewhere. If that's true within the same country and language, imagine how true it is across cultures and borders.

If you must use humor, research carefully first and proceed with caution.

4. Don't Alienate with Analogies
Similarly, analogies can trip you up. Common analogies in the US may make no sense elsewhere. Even worse, the analogy may be insulting. Neither scenario will help you reach your goal of gaining and maintaining customers.

Instead, use analogies your target market is familiar with. When the Walt Disney World Resort created promotional material for a North American audience, it stated that the resort is 47 square miles or "roughly half the size of Rhode island."

Outside of North America, many people don't know about Rhode Island, and this analogy would have no meaning. Walt Disney wisely chose to customize the material for each target market. For instance, in the UK version, the material states that the resort is "the size of greater Manchester," and in Japan, the resort is described as the size of the subway system.

A little research can go a long way in avoiding mistakes and making your target market feel as if you're truly speaking to them.

5. Go Native Online
For years, many people assumed that being on the web meant that you were instantly global. But being available online internationally is a far cry from being able to act global and meet the needs of local international markets.

A website is typically the most efficient and economical way to market and sell to an international customer base. Localizing your website for your target markets is key, and part of localization involves translating your website into the language of your target market.

A report by Forrester Research on multilingual websites reported that international visitors are three times more likely to explore a website and make a purchase if the website is in their native language.

The localization process, however, goes much deeper than straight translation and involves meeting both technical and linguistic challenges. From a technical standpoint, all facets of the material being localized must be considered, from the user interface to how numbers and other values must be presented in the local format. Equally important is targeting your audience appropriately, taking such things into consideration as cultural nuances, appropriateness of graphics, and even locally preferred color schemes.