November 23, 2023

Languages of the global market

Wanting to reach the global market means needing to understand your potential consumers. As of June 2021, the most common languages across the globe are Chinese (1.3 billion native speakers), Spanish (471 million native speakers), English (370 million native speakers), Hindi (342 million native speakers), and Arabic (315 million native speakers) (Lane 2021). While combining both native and non-native English speakers makes up almost 1 billion people, it is important to understand how people from different countries communicate with one another and how they choose to make their purchasing decisions to find how to effectively reach them.

Statistics reported in January 2020 show that the most common language used on the internet by share of internet users was English, with 25.9% of users (Johnson 2021). Chinese follows closely at 19.4%, with all other languages making up 54.7% of users (Johnson 2021). Keeping this in mind, using only a single language to communicate to the global market would alienate a large amount of your potential consumer base. Should you choose to use only English for foreign marketing, you could be missing out on up to 74.1% of individuals who use the internet.

What do consumers want?

A study analyzing consumer language preferences in 2020 surveyed over 2,500 consumers from 29 countries and reported that 65% of consumers preferred content in their own language, 73% want product reviews in their own language, and 40% refuse to buy in other languages than their own (CSA Research 2020). When you take into context the unique culture of every country, it makes a lot of sense that individuals would want to purchase goods and services that have been adapted specifically for them. Global consumers want products that they understand and that they feel they can trust; Language is the key to breaking through these barriers.

Professional translation comes in handy

With the aforementioned knowledge in mind, professional translation companies are here to help you build your consumer base’s trust and confidence in your company. We know your products, and we have profound knowledge of the foreign market that you are trying to reach. We are here to ensure that your company or brand’s message reaches new customers in their native languages, with proper syntax and local dialects, and with proper cultural connotations. We adapt your message to fit new cultural context and we have the technical knowledge to blend your company seamlessly with the local competitors you may face.

The research speaks for itself, consumers want companies to communicate with them in their own languages and feel more comfortable purchasing in their own language. Professional translation companies are here to help you with every step of reaching out to these costumers.

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1. CSA Research. 2020. “Can’T Read, Won’T Buy – B2C”. Can’T Read, Won’T Buy.
2. Johnson, Joseph. 2021. “Internet: Most Common Languages Online 2020 | Statista”. Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/262946/share-of-the-most-common-languages-on-the-internet/.
3. Lane, James. 2021. “The 10 Most Spoken Languages In The World”. Babbel Magazine. https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/the-10-most-spoken-languages-in-the-world.