Which Languages Should You Translate a Website ?

Here’s a short overview for top growing markets and languages. It’s a quick start guide for businesses and entrepreneurs searching for strategic target markets for translation of their digital web content.

Why Translate Your Content Online?

It’s no secret: the internet now touches everything we do. More companies are doing translation and localization of international web content to grow and compete in the global economy. An online presence helps competitive businesses reach out to new customers all over the world, anytime. To be successful however, global entrepreneurs must carefully customize their web content to address cultural and language differences and captivate new foreign audiences. The goal is to convert new online audiences into more loyal brand customers and long-term followers.

Although English is one of the most spoken languages worldwide (plus the most used online), 85% of people around the world still speak a different language other than English. Naturally, most of these folks prefer to use websites in their own language.

Effectively translated web content can also add to your bottom line revenue: according to CSA-Research.com, an online languages research, advisory and consulting firm, already in 2014 around 72% of internet users were more likely to buy something online if the information was readable in their native language. Finding more content in your own native language can also help boost a brand’s trust and familiarity with new audiences. Diversifying your website content among your best key strategic language audiences can also raise your exposure and improve your SEO – your search engine optimization ranking – with content for your topic areas in those languages. Now, more than 90% of all online experiences begin with an online search – that’s nearly all online journeys!

For global firms doing business in other countries the answer is simple: translate web and digital content into logo atenao

kokkllllllllthe languages of existing company office locations, retail stores or customer trends. But what if a company or entrepreneur has none of this yet, and is simply looking to find new target markets to consider expansion? Or simply identify and ideate new product offerings for the local cultural dialects?

Which new target business languages best fit your potential growth goals abroad? The top economies in the world, plus those countries with the most number of language speakers and language internet users, top the list. Here’s a short overview for top growing markets and languages. It’s a quick start guide for businesses and entrepreneurs searching for strategic target markets for translation of their digital web content:

1. English translation: North American U.S. And Canada Plus U.K., Australia And Oceania Markets

The top English-speaking markets round up some of the highest economic growth drivers to date in the world. The United States, just in sheer GDP numbers (Gross Domestic Product), tirelessly leads as the world’s largest economy of our industrial and post-industrial era spanning 150 years. The U.K. is itself the fifth-largest economy in the world, with Australia as the 14th-largest and growing. While the Chinese economy closely trails the U.S. GDP, China already surpasses its purchasing power as an economic goliath to watch out for.

English is still the top language used in websites on the internet, with also the highest number of language speakers on the web. The U.S. alone has the 3rd largest number of internet users by country (behind China and India).

While each of these 3 major anglo-root regions all share the English language, it’s key to still localize to each of their main speech and writing styles to best convey the proper business message, brand positioning and emotional intent. Atenao does this expertly with native speakers from these regions around the world, ensuring your intended message successfully achieves its intended meaning and impact on the target audience.

2. Chinese translation: Yes, but be careful!

China clearly comes on top with the highest number of internet users by country in the entire world. Despite providing web access to only around 60% of its citizens (with estimates of almost 1 billion people online), China still boasts the single highest number of internet users online thanks to its sheer population size. Mobile phone technology hugely got this vast country of people connected to the web, helping more than double its web user count in recent years.

China is a manufacturing and exporting hub, dubbed “the factory of the world” with enormous amounts of items mass-produced within its borders. It’s seen explosive economic growth just in the last few decades, and though still behind the US in total GDP, The People’s Republic is expected to lead in purchasing power through 2023 and beyond. Some economists even speculate China could be 20% of the world’s GDP by the year 2050. One thing’s for sure: China will continue expanding as an economic heavyweight as they blaze new trails worldwide.

Atenao’s native Chinese-speaking translators carefully locate their translation according to the dialect or region variance in the Chinese language, whether Mandarin, Cantonese, or other.

Please note! Localising your site in Chinese means it needs to be recognised and validated as a national site, which requires modifying the entire architecture of the site, particularly removing all references to Google or its subsidiaries, not just changing the language. To give you an idea, take a look at Atenao’s site in Chinese and compare You can reach a Chinese audience without completely overhauling your site by instead targeting Taiwan, Singapore (with a Chinese population of 74.3%) or Hong Kong, but be sure to choose the correct flag to respect national sensitivities. However, if you want to reach the Chinese diaspora (50 million people across 120 countries), it’s best to use the flag of the People’s Republic of China.

3. Japanese translation: A Small But Mighty Nation’s Tongue

This third-largest economy in the world, Japan crossed a GDP mark of more than $5 trillion dollars in 2019. Despite struggling to get out of the global recession last decade and overcome a massive earthquake, this is a highly industrious nation of proven hard-working people. Dedication and discipline are in their blood, elevating Japanese society to one of the most highly educated, trained and skilled in the world.

Japanese language and customs are predominantly found in this ancient island-nation’s archipelago. Still, Japan’s muscle in motor vehicle production, automobiles, electronic equipment, metals, ships, chemicals, textiles, processed food and of course pop art all extend the Japanese language reach around the globe and help make it highly relevant and important for worldwide use and translation.

With 93% of their population on the web, this highly advanced market region is key for targeting in industrial sectors and beyond. Translating properly, skillfully and politely in Japanese is a highly specialized skill that Atenao can guarantee thanks to its native Japanese translators, innate masters at their craft and in high-value communications.

4. German translation: In Europe’s Economic Juggernaut

Germany is Europe’s sturdiest economy, and the world’s 4th-largest economy by GDP. The German language is in the top ten most spoken languages on the internet despite a smaller number of web speakers vs. denser nations. Germany, along with German-speaking Switzerland, are both highly developed, stable economies with over 95% internet penetration just among the German population alone.

Germany’s typical work ethic and industry makes up for its modest standing in total number of web users. As one of the top industrialized nations, Germany is also a top exporter of durable and capital goods such as automobiles, high-tech industrial machinery, and precision industrial and scientific tools just to name their key strong suits.

The German language is important for worldwide business and trade, and a key language widely used today in scientific, medical and technical fields. Atenao provides an experienced set of native translators who are also able to handle specific technical and scientific German web translations professionally and precisely to the message intent for such documents.

5. Hindi translation: India’s Growing And Developing International Web Language

India tops the charts as the second-largest number of internet users by country in the world, behind only China. Despite having over half a billion users on the web, India is still very much in the infancy of its web network, with a high potential for growth projected in coming years. As in China, most web users in India are connected via mobile phones. Still, India’s web penetration lags with only about 17% of its citizens having web access, one of the lowest rates of connectivity in the world – and sadly typical of 3rd-world developing countries.

Commerce and trade with India should never be discounted however. Economically speaking, India is another vast force rising slowly like a Phoenix. Overall it’s seen the fastest growth in its trillion-dollar economy, overtaking the United Kingdom and France as the world’s fifth-largest economy in recent years.

A historically agrarian nation, India has seen its success rise in the service sector as the fastest-growing in the world. India’s manufacturing sector has continued growing as well, and although their agricultural sector shrunk some, they’re still a strong farming nation as compared to others.

The sheer number of its web user force cannot be discounted. India’s economic growth potential positions its top languages as Hindi and Bengali, spoken by more than 10% of the world’s population and key languages for web content development in numerous interest areas. Atenao is well prepared to connect you with skilled, native and professional Hindi and Bengali language translators.

6. French translation: The International Language Of Cuisine, Tourism and Industry

Stereotypically known for its romantic Parisian streets and charming countryside chateaus, France is no slouch in the economic and business world. Not surprisingly, tourism is one of France’s top economic industries, attracting millions of visitors to its historic cities and beautiful country towns all year round. Investopedia named it “most visited country in the world,” and it’s easy to see why.

In addition to its cultural and gastronomic allure, France is Europe’s third-largest economy and the world’s sixth-largest economy overall, with a GDP reaching $3 trillion. This is thanks to its tourism in addition to a robust and healthy agricultural sector, second only to the U.S. in agricultural exports. They also count strong manufacturing mainly in chemicals, automotive and armament. France is also a global leader in its beauty brand exports for cosmetics and luxury fashion, and a leader in design and style.

France’s economy only backs up their French language web standing as one of the top 10 languages online, both in terms of internet user numbers and overall growth. French remains a highly relevant web language for business, entertainment, educational and other communications online.

Atenao’s proficiency in French translation and localization is hard to rival, being proudly French natives based in the Southern Bordeaux regions of France – and counting sizeable clients with French translation needs. Atenao brings a rich amount of experience handling diverse client projects with expertly native French translation, interpretation and localization needs.

7. Spanish translation: Spain, Latin America And The U.S.

With more than half a billion worldwide speakers and one of the top three languages used on the web, Spanish is another key language online for business, entertainment, social and informational web content.

Spain, the native birthplace of the Spanish language, is the Eurozone’s 4th largest economy post-Brexit, and now also the second most-visited country for tourism in the world. Spain has typically been a major exporter of some agricultural products, along with a relatively solid domestic sector in automobiles, chemicals, pharmaceuticals and industrial machinery.

Together with Spanish-speaking regions of Latin America – plus the sizably varied U.S. Hispanic Latino communities in America – Spain combines to form a huge potential audience of culturally similar Hispanic Spanish speakers. Latin America’s strongest and largest Spanish-language economies of Chile, Colombia and Mexico -the second-largest economy in Latin America-, along with a few others like Panama, Uruguay and Costa Rica make the Spanish target audience vibrant and attractive for relevant online marketing.

Atenao’s skilled native Spanish translation and localization professionals have experience translating in general, Latin American and Castilian Spanish, while also paying close attention to cultural nuances flavored differently inside each of their individual Hispanic nations.

8. Portuguese translation: Vibrant, Connected Brazil And Portugal

Brazil has the strongest and largest economy in Latin America, placing Portuguese in the top 5 languages spoken worldwide and on the web. Brazil is also in the top five nations of most citizens online, thanks to its sheer population size.

Commodities like mining and agriculture make up most of this ninth-largest economy in the world, with a citizenry also well-connected in this top-consuming nation of social media, digital entertainment and cultural web content. Brazilians are fast becoming some of the best-connected online web communities thanks to their eagerness to read, relate and consume digital web content online.

Portugal gave birth to modern Portuguese, and through past expansions gave the Portuguese language major geographic reach. Portuguese now touches the realm of internet communications as well. Atenao’s expert and native Portuguese translators can handle any degree of localization and customization required by project for each region of Portuguese-speaking people.

9. Russian translation: From The Vast Lands Empire

Russia is the largest country on earth in terms of its land-mass size, and the Russian Language is also in the top 10 most spoken in the world and in use online. Russia’s key industries after recuperating from a centralized economy have been commodities like services and energy, and the nation continues to make strides in positioning itself now as the 11th-largest economy in the world. Advanced mathematics, sciences and computing have always been some of Russia’s strongest exports, and continue to develop competitively.

Russia does not compete with other countries in terms of the highest number of Russian web users online, but at a 75% internet penetration rate this vast developing nation offers potential in its emerging presence on the world economic stage. Atenao can provide skilled Russian language translation and localization for a wide array of client’s web content projects.

10. Korean translation: South Korea’s High Tech And Creative Industries

The past 4 decades saw Korea skyrocket from one of the poorest countries in the world to one of the most industrialized, high-tech, trillion-dollar plus economies in the world. South Korea’s best-known brand names Hyundai and Samsung elevated its status and popularity on a global level.

While South Korea does not top charts as most spoken language worldwide or digitally, steady economic progress, growth and global integration make it one of the key nations to watch for continued future development. South Korea is certainly poised to accelerate their success in key high-tech ventures, and Atenao is ready to provide clients with expertly tailored Korean language translations for any web format needed, text copy, video, or even augmented reality media.

11. Indonesian And Malaysian translsation: Emerging And Advancing Markets

Indonesian and Malasian languages are the 6th most spoken and used languages online all over the globe. In addition, Indonesia is the largest economy in Southeast Asia, experiencing incredible progress and advancement economically in the last few decades alone.

Indonesia is also in the trillion-dollar plus GDP club now, and thanks to its populous citizenry, its steep drop in poverty, and it’s strong and growing sectors in agriculture, industry and services, it’s also a region with great potential for the future-forward. Even though Indonesia’s web penetration still averages just above 50%, they’re projected to get even more wired as web networking advances at an explosive pace in this developing nation. Atenao can connect with skilled, native speakers of Indonesian and Malaysian language for top quality translation and localization work to clients worldwide.

More Languages, More Exposure, More Traffic

Translating your website into the top targeted languages for your business can help you get more reach, more traffic, and ultimately more business online. If you’re experiencing difficulties choosing target markets, research some of the countries and language suggestions displayed in this article, then reach out to us at Atenao for project scoping.

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