Less than a quarter of American companies are able to offer a consistent online customer experience in multiple languages, according to a study by Forrester Consulting commissioned by Global Information Management specialists SDL.

Compared to European marketers, half as many American marketers say that their brand values are well represented in all of their supported languages. As a result, only 24% of US marketers say that their customer experience is consistent across all languages, compared to 54% in Europe.

35% of the survey’s total respondents cited language and translation issues, while another 35% cited cultural differences, as the main barriers to effectively managing in global markets.

“Companies transitioning to a global model—especially companies based in the US—aren’t confident that their brand’s values are consistently represented across all the languages that they support,” wrote Forrester Consulting. “It is necessary, then, for marketers to adopt consistent technologies and processes across regions and to develop core skills for brand consistency and content management when they expand to new local markets.”

“It appears that globalization has been a double-edged sword for American businesses,” said Chris Boorman, CMO at SDL. “While the Internet has removed boundaries between markets, the need for cultural and linguistic awareness is more pressing than ever.”

“The fact that so few US companies have effectively managed their brands internationally – despite acknowledging foreign culture as such a big stumbling block – reveals a real pessimism on the part of American business,” explained Boorman. “US enterprises accept the difficulties presented by foreign markets, but seem unwilling to make the strategic decisions that are imperative for success in global commerce.”

“European companies have been much more optimistic about the role of international brand management,” Boorman continued. “And the numbers speak for themselves: almost a third of the European companies surveyed expect to generate over half their revenue outside their native country.”

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