The Web is always changing and so are its users  who search the Internet every day for all types of products and services. How companies respond to these Web trends will determine their ability to capitalize on new international growth opportunities.

Business services such as website localization can help companies capitalize on what is perhaps, the most important growing trend on the Internet. The trend is that most Web consumers today don’t speak English, and they prefer to access websites about products and services in their own language.

In the early days of the Internet from the late 1990s to the early 2000s, most people on the Web spoke English. But that is changing rapidly.

More than 50 percent of today’s Web users speak either Chinese, Spanish, Japanese, Portuguese, German, Arabic, French, Russian or Korean, according to Internet World Stats.  Nearly 27 percent of Web users speak English. The number of web users who speak Chinese increased by 1,478 percent from 2000 to 2010. What’s more, in the same time period, Spanish-speaking Web users rose by 807 percent, Arabic, 2,501 percent, Russian, 1,825 percent.

Business Opportunity Opening

This trend of non-English speaking consumers is opening an important new opportunity for companies growing internationally. Here’s why:

• A recent European Commission study found 90 percent of European Union Web users prefer to access websites in their own language.
• Forty-two percent said they never buy online in a language other than their own.
• Only 18 percent of EU Internet users buy products from a foreign language website.
• Forty-four percent of EU Web users feel they are missing interesting information because they do not understand foreign language websites.

The European Commission concluded its study results “underline the need for investment in online translation tools so that EU Internet users are not excluded from finding information or products online because they lack the language skills.”

The Solution: Website Localization

Website localization is a solution many businesses are leveraging to accurately translate their websites so their international customers can read the company’s content and access information in their native languages.

Website translation and localization is the process of adapting online content to another language, culture, region or country so that it feels natural to the  target audience. This process not only includes accurate language translations and adaptations, but also the functional requirements to ensure your website works with local hardware, complies with local customs and legislation, and most importantly, meets the expectations of your customers.

For these reasons and others, it’s important to use a website localization vendor that uses state-of-the-art tools as well as professional Adwords translation and translation integration for content management systems to ensure the management and promotion of your new site is as efficient as possible.

However, it is equally important that your website localization vendor has in-country translators, project managers and engineers who understand the different language and cultural subtleties of your targeted international markets.

So what’s the bottom line?

The European Commission study and other research clearly shows that most international consumers want to read about your products or services in their native languages, and many of them don’t buy in a language other than their own.

A website localization solution can reach these untapped consumers international markets that can lead to a much bigger bottom line for your business.

Related articles

• Website Translation Tools and Expertise from Globalization Partners International Featured in New Book on Localization Strategies by Cambridge University Press (prweb.com)
• 5 Ways to Win at Website Localization (mashable.com)
• Website Localization For The Global Market (borderswebdesigner.wordpress.com)

How Website Localization Helps You Reach New Global Markets

Related articles

• 5 Ways to Win at Website Localization (mashable.com)
• Optimizing Your Website for Local Search (customerthink.com)
• Localization Trends: 2011 review Part 2 (milengo.com)

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