While researching US companies is now easier than ever, what with specialized Web-based directories like WetFeet.com, for example, the same cannot be said for international firms. If you're seeking the scoop on a company in Israel or Italy, prepare to do some sleuthing or translating, if you're up for it.

Resources on international companies exist in scattered directories and online yellow pages. And these, in turn, may be in languages unfamiliar to you.

Is online research for international businesses a lost cause, then? Not at all. You'll simply have to scout out multiple sites to piece together an adequate picture of a company. Don't settle for the bare-bones listings available at digital versions of the Yellow Pages. Instead, look for newspaper articles mentioning the firm. Find financial reports. Follow a virtual trail, as it were, in order to inform yourself about a company. Here's how, with links to assorted resources to help you get started.

• A company Web site may have more to do with marketing than with presenting objective information, but for international companies, it can often be a good place to begin your research. Areas of the site devoted to investor relations, press releases, news coverage and products can help to inform you about the firm. Look for the firm by typing the obvious Web address (like www.att.com for AT&T) or by searching at a Web portal, like Excite or Google.
  
  

• Hoover's Online, a company information site, includes detailed profiles of major international companies. Select Hoover's Hypersearch, available from the bottom of the home page, to connect you with the latest info. Even if Hoover's Hypersearch does not turn up a profile available at Hoover's, it links you to business directories for Australia, Canada, China, Europe and the United Kingdom, along with searches at major portals.
  
  
• News media sites provide another resource for international company research. Search Google for the country name and "newspaper" or "media," and you may, if you're lucky, turn up an English-language paper. Globes, for instance, includes a "Startup Guide" for Israeli high tech, with reviews of startups and help on finding projects. Media outlets may help you find information you wouldn't locate at a company home page or a basic business directory.

At any of these resources, you may encounter materials in another language. If that's the case, visit AltaVista and select the Translation link. With the site's translation service, you're able to enter a Web address and have the page translated into English from German, French or other languages. Don't try it with Sartre -- the literary element would be lost -- but with business-oriented information, the Web's translation services come in handy.