Abstract

Multicultural information dynamics is exploratory cross-cultural research of the information-seeking behavior of a group of eighty-four Egyptian and American reference librarians asked to choose from websites in different languages. This paper, the fourth in a series, focuses on national, monolingual, and multilingual subgroups, and provides multi-tiered analyzes of websites clicked, reasons given for clicking, preferences for machine translations vs. original foreign language websites, decision making when choosing non-native language hits, and foreign language anxiety. Findings of the research show that information seekers of both nationalities are reluctant to cross cultural lines at the basic level of retrieved Internet information hits. Further results delineate differences and similarities in motivations, circumstantial preferences for original languages or machine translations, and comparative information-seeking behavior of subgroups. The research has implications for improving search performance in the fields of global knowledge dissemination via website and search engine design, library science, and international scholarship.

Talk to us

Join us for a 30 min session where you can share your feedback and ask us any queries you have

Schedule a call

Disclaimer: All third-party content on this website/platform is and will remain the property of their respective owners and is provided on "as is" basis without any warranties, express or implied. Use of third-party content does not indicate any affiliation, sponsorship with or endorsement by them. Any references to third-party content is to identify the corresponding services and shall be considered fair use under The CopyrightLaw.