Your business needs to have a multilingual marketing strategy if you want to maintain a competitive advantage. No matter your industry or the market that you serve, your customers continue to turn to the Internet for communication and commerce.
This means that your company has the opportunity to reach people in different countries and cultures around the world. Yet, you will need to localize your marketing material into different languages to meet the needs of your customers and engage a broader audience.
Image Source: https://www.independent.co.uk/news/world/the-worlds-languages-in-seven-maps-and-charts-a6791871.html
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Since your business has limited time and resources, you will need to choose what languages you want to localize your content to serve. There are many variables that you need to consider, and one of the items you will need to think about is the popularity of each language around the world.
Let’s take a look at the top 10 languages that you should consider when localizing your marketing materials to reach the most people around the world today!
1. English
English is one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. The English language is spoken in 106 countries with more than 339 million speakers using this language on a daily basis.
Along with being one of the most widely spoken languages in the world, English is the most popular language used on the Internet, so your business needs to incorporate English into your multilingual marketing strategy if you have an online presence.
If your content isn’t already in English, be sure to use a professional translation marketing company to appeal to this audience. Because English is the primary or secondary language of so many countries, it can open a lot of doors for you.
2. Spanish
If you are talking about the most widely spoken language around the world, then you have to consider the Spanish language. While Spanish is only spoken in 31 countries, it is spoken by over 427 million people.
It is the second most widely spoken language in the world, so it should be at the top of your list for marketing translation.
Just like English, translating your marketing into Spanish can help you reach a large sect of consumers in multiple countries around the world. Even if your audience pool is small, English and Spanish marketing can help you reach a wide range of individuals and open your products and services to the largest population possible.
3. Chinese
Chinese is the most spoken language in the world, with over 1.3 billion speakers. The power of China in the world’s economy can’t be understated, and the sheer number of Chinese speakers means this language is one of the most important languages used on the Internet.
These factors make Chinese a vital language to consider for your multilanguage marketing strategy if you are trying to reach a broader consumer base.
The Chinese culture is notoriously private, and this makes finding a professional Chinese translation company difficult to source. You will need to work with native Chinese speakers who have extensive knowledge about the Chinese culture if you want to accurately translate and localize your content.
4. Arabic
The Arabic language is one of the fastest-growing languages in terms of the number of speakers and economic importance throughout the world. While the Middle East has been in the news for decades, Arabic is used by consumers throughout Africa, The Middle East, and even Europe.
The largest group of Arabic speakers are found in Egypt and Iran, but these countries could soon be outnumbered by the number of consumers around the world who need content translated into Arabic.
While the amount of content on the Internet is currently low, your business should still consider translating content into Arabic if you want to round out your multilingual marketing strategy. This is especially true if you want to reach customers who may move from the Middle East to other countries, helping to show you care about giving them content in the language they prefer.
5. French
French is another very popular language on the Internet, and this is especially true for industries like fashion and lifestyle products. Due to the historical importance that France has around the world, you can rest assured that the French culture should be considered no matter what products or services you sell online.
There are many French speakers around the world outside of France. Places like Morocco, Vietnam, and Canada have large pockets of native French-speaking citizens who need localized content to engage with when shopping online.
Working with a professional translation company can give your company a competitive advantage when you need localized content for French-speaking consumers. Translating content to French can have a positive impact on your marketing and the number of customers you’re able to reach around the world.
6. German
Germany has had a lasting effect on world history and events, and due to its significant importance, German culture permeates throughout the world. As a result, the German language is the third most used language used on the Internet today.
With almost 77 million speakers worldwide, German can help your marketing reach a number of different countries, particularly in Germany and the surrounding in Europe.
Since Germany is one of the biggest exporters for the United States and British goods, you should consider including German in your marketing strategy if you look to serve those industries.
7. Portuguese
Unlike other languages on this list, Portuguese is not spoken by a large population throughout the world. Yet, while Portuguese may have limited global use, you should consider Portuguese because it is the primary language of Brazil.
Portuguese is the native tongue of about 200 million people worldwide. If you’re expanding your market to South America or Europe, Portuguese is a definite language you need to target for your online content.
8. Russian
Russian is a common language both in Russia and other post-Soviet states, like Ukraine. With over 100 million internet users speaking Russian, it should definitely be one of the languages you consider with your translated marketing efforts if you want to tap into this market or reach consumers for industries like manufacturing.
Russia is also continuously growing, with IT and global business that expands its reach around the world. If you’re appealing to that audience with your marketing efforts, you could improve your business and connect with more potential customers.
9. Japanese
Like Portuguese, Japanese isn’t spoken in many countries around the world. However, those countries have very high citizen numbers, making it a very popular language. It has over 128 million speakers, and citizens of Japanese-speaking countries tend to be more affluent and highly educated.
Not only are there a lot of Japanese speakers online, but they’re also big buyers. With almost $80 Billion of e-commerce sales in 2015 alone, Japanese-speaking consumers are one of the most technologically advanced nations in the world.
Translating your marketing to reach this audience could not only give you access to more customers but to customers who are ready to buy.
10. Hindi
The last language on our list is Hindi. It’s another language that is only spoken in a handful of countries, 4 to be exact, but the number of Hindi speakers is over 260 million. India, one of those Hindi-speaking languages, is the second-most populous country in the world.
India is a growing power, developing more economic power all the time. This makes it one of the biggest target markets for campaigns. It should definitely be included in your marketing translation.
Choose The Best Languages To Expand Your Business
If you’re only marketing in one language, you could be missing out on serious markets. In order to improve your reach, you should translate your campaigns into multiple languages, depending on your target audience. With campaigns in these ten languages, you can reach more potential customers and expand your business globally.
