Breaking down Weibo’s language barrier (2)

Development of a useful app

Based on the premise that "one out of five online users worldwide are Chinese" and the impact Weibo has in both China and now the West, the mobile app Surround is trying to tap into the rapidly growing market of people interested in China, from celebrities and students of Chinese to researchers at financial institutions conducting reports on consumer activities.

"Last semester, I didn't really go on Weibo much…reading Chinese characters is a bit intimidating," said American Alexandra Tirado, who is currently in the middle of a one-year language program at Peking University.

For Kaiser Kuo, head of communications at Baidu, the app could clear away some of the hurdles non-native speakers face in gathering information.

"I have a Weibo account, but after a while, it was taking up too much time. My account is essentially dead. I'd be eager to try out an app that does translations. I'm anxious though, to see how well they implement Chinese to English translations, especially in light of how full of slang Weibo posts tend to be," he said.

They are also working on adding a slang database and a feature that will include a translation done by an actual person, and the translations would be instantaneous.

When asked if the potential customer base at home will see any differences as they switch between Western social media sites like Twitter and Chinese counterparts like Sina Weibo, Broer said that the functions are generally the same, but that Westerners may have to adjust to shifts in cultural significance.

"You have some things that are a local problem that can become a national problem through Weibo. It raises more the cultural and social aspects in China. Twitter [has] the social aspects of US or Europe but less of the political…. Things like Sina Weibo force more transparency," he said.

Official papers might reveal breaking news in Western media, but in China, political and social outreach often occurs first among Web users on Weibo. This will only make Chinese social networking platforms more valuable in the years to come.

As for the future, Broer isn't just setting his sights on Sina Weibo.

"We want to tear down language barrier walls in all social media platforms," he said, mentioning among others, such as popular Tencent WeChat.

Though WeChat is not a microblog, similar features on this mobile app, like the ability to chat, post moments and tag friends, is quickly making it a competitor to Sina Weibo.

Broer predicts that Sina Weibo's targeted demographic might not change that much in the coming years.

At this moment, it does not seem interested in tapping into the Western market, he said.

"Though it [released] the English option, in the next few years, I still see Sina Weibo will be focusing on China," Broer said.