What languages should I translate my website into?

As a translation agency the question, “What languages should I translate my website into?” all the time. And the answer of course is “it depends.”

If you are a U.S. based company that has recently started operations in Germany then your needs are clear and you would be translating your content into German. This would allow you to serve your clients in Germany in their own language and get them the services or products they need in German. If you are a U.S. based company and you want to cater to a Spanish speaking community again, this is a simple choice in that you would translate your website content into Spanish. What we are trying to answer is expanding your market through translation. What if you feel you have a service or product that you believe can appeal to non-English speaking internet users and you would like to expand your market by allowing them to find you by catering to them in their language. Here are the top 10 languages you should translate your website into for maximum effect…

1. Spanish
   In addition to being the second most spoken language in the U.S., Spanish is spoken in more than 20 countries. Spanish website content would help you communicate effectively with prospective customers.
2. Chinese
   Ranking second in terms of the number of internet users following English, Chinese is considered as a huge online market with 751 million users.
3. Arabic
   The Arabic language is spoken and accepted over the world. Being one of the fastest growing languages on the internet, there is a huge raise in Arabic-speaking internet users.
4. Japanese
   Japan is the world’s third largest economy and it has a very active population on the internet. Translating your website into Japanese would allow you to access markets and have more chances of building work relationships.
5. French
   Although the number of countries French is spoken in is lower compared to other languages, these French-speaking countries have high buying power and a large share of web content.
6. Russian
   There has been a great amount of increase in the number of internet users in Russia. 61% of the population is connected to the internet. It is expected that more of the country goes online in the upcoming years, which means that it will be a bigger market.
7. German
   A large percentage of German-speaking population is online and its online content covers 5.8% of the total web content.
8. Portuguese
   The share of Portuguese content has been growing for years. Although less than half of the population is online, as more Portuguese speakers go online, the market will expand.
9. Italian
   Around 65% of the country’s population is using internet actively. Italian is also one of EU’s official working languages, which makes it more common in Europe.
10. Polish
    Polish is spoken by more than 38.5 million people and Poland’s economy is considered as one of the fastest growing within the EU. According to the data, the percentage of web content in Polish is one of the highest.

“What languages should I translate my website into?” might not be a relevant question for you. If your needs in international expansion can be met through translating press releases that showcase your company we recommend that you also read our article titled: “Translate a Press Release for International Distribution”. And remember, whatever your translation needs are, Link Translations project managers and translators stand ready to assist you. Just send us a note.