A recent article from the Guardian states that the United States has the second largest population of Spanish speaking people in the world, second only to Mexico. Spanish is growing in use on the web, as well; both Facebook and Twitter stated that Spanish is the second largest language used globally after English. Companies selling products or services in the US and internationally need to be aware of this evolving trend.
Spanish Language is changing the Landscape across America and the Globe
The volume of Spanish translated website content in the US is growing rapidly, and in some unexpected places. For example, to better serve their communities, some local government agencies in the US are now publishing all their website content in both Spanish and English. The increased number of Spanish speaking residents within the US is driving this trend. The states of New Mexico, California, and Texas continue to lead the US in Spanish speaking populations.
The Guardian also states that Spanish-speaking population contributed 9.2% to the world’s GDP in 2014. As a result, the Index of Human Development claims that Spanish is the second most important language on earth, second to English, but ahead of Mandarin. Trends indicate that the Spanish-speaking populations’ impact on US and world GDP will continue to grow over the next several years.
Can You Afford to Ignore This Trend?
When a company advertises in a single language, the audience and market-reach can be very narrow. Making the decision to translate content into multiple languages is not an easy decision, but with the help of a translation service agency that is familiar with these trends, your business will be able to make an informed decision.
Consider the following:
Different content and different methods of displaying translated content will have a broad range of effectiveness. In some countries or for certain regulated products, translations may not be optional. With product packaging for example, today almost all consumer packaging and labels found on any US or Canadian store shelf include multiple languages. Translations on product packaging are so important that it is no longer optional in most cases.
Does this mean the product’s content on the website requires translation as well? This is not an easy question to answer. Many factors play into the decision whether to translate all sources of your content.
Contacting an experienced translation agency can help clarify your translation options. Working with specialized professional linguists, quality foreign language service providers have the expertise to help you and your company make the correct decisions for your markets, whether in-print or online.
Language is Ever-Changing
Language is never a straightforward topic. In fact, the English language adds a new word every two hours. While many Native American languages are being lost forever, languages like Spanish are growing in influence both in the United States and internationally. Staying on top of these ever-changing trends is a challenging task for any business.
Translation Companies Up to the Challenge
Translation companies, like Excel Translations, are aware of these evolving language trends, and the challenges of producing bilingual websites, product documents, instruction manuals and more. Collaborating with a quality translation agency will ensure that you can gain the advantage in the ever-changing language landscape.
If you would like to learn more about the evolving nature of language today and how this can help your business target the right audience, give us a call today. As your global source, Excel Translations can help you reach new customers in their own language.
Sources:
US now has more Spanish speakers than Spain – only Mexico has more, The Guardian
Most native tongues of the West are all but lost, High Country News