What languages are in high demand for translation?

by Target Language Translation Services

- September 28 2021

Language is a powerful tool–and when you have the ability to connect with people all over the world, it will do wonders for your business, research, product, or brand. Language is what connects us–even if we don’t speak the same one. While we may have barriers to overcome, the use of translation services can help us reach new heights, diverse audiences, make connections we otherwise would not be able to. Because of the internet, there’s no limit when it comes to reaching new audiences and engaging with people from different time zones and cultures and translation services is becoming an increasingly utilized tool in the 21st century. As technology and means of travel advance, foreign countries are metaphorically getting closer and closer together. Companies are beginning to sell their products abroad and need to tap into a market that speaks a different language. Tech companies are launching new sites or applications that need to be translated into hundreds of different languages to be operational worldwide. Individuals are eager to move abroad to learn about a new culture and need help with translations on important documents.

The need for translation services is seemingly endless.

Here are the languages in the highest demand for translators.

Chinese

It’s the official written language in China, which is made up of dozens of dialects and the most commonly spoken and translated is Mandarin. So, for all your written content, you need to translate into Chinese. When you need an interpreter, you should be looking for a Mandarin specialist.

A majority of Mandarin speakers all live within the borders of mainland China. Business and international relations are driving the demand for this language. As China is one of the world's biggest players in the international business industry, companies are in need of translation services for Mandarin. These services allow companies to effectively communicate, sell and manage business overall with Chinese corporations.

Spanish

Translating into Spanish gives you the chance to reach over 500 million people, in countries from Europe and Latin America, especially in the United States. There are countless reasons for this high-level of need.

This language is officially spoken in four different continents (Europe, Africa, North America, and South America) and in 20 different countries. When operating internationally, the chances are very high that a company or individual will come into contact with the Spanish language.

Meanwhile, Spanish speaking countries offer a wide range of business opportunities, especially in terms of economic growth. Spain, Mexico, Argentina, Colombia, Venezuela, Chile and Peru are all on the list of the top 50 countries in the world with the highest GDPs.

Geography is another major reason. The United States borders one of the largest Spanish-speaking countries in the world and lies north of the highest concentration of these Spanish-speaking countries. These geographical realities also have increased the demand for translation services in the United States.

Spanish is also said to be one of the easiest languages to learn, which explains why it’s one of the most popular languages of all.

Arabic

280 million people speak Arabic in 28 countries. Almost 46 million people search the internet in the Arabic language only. Even Google has developed domains and integrated language options for 15 Arabic countries.

The middle east is a high growth region, with a huge potential for businesses. So invest in Arabic content now to gain a competitive edge, while less than two percent of the internet is written in Arabic.

This language remains less popular for translation, because it consists of many dialects. According to Common Sense Advisory, Arabic regional versions occupy a vital role in digital marketing, making translation and localization difficult and more expensive than for other languages.

Portuguese (Brazilian)

Portuguese is spoken by more than 203 million native speakers, most of whom live in Brazil, which is the largest internet market in Latin America, with 140 million internet users. By 2021, this country will reach an internet penetration rate of 61 percent. Businesses that invest in localization for this country will reach even higher audiences in the following years.

Another advantage of this local market is the country’s young population. More than half of Brazilians are under 30, which indicates more people in the workforce, with the possibility of higher income and a growing middle class.

Indonesian (Malay)

When talking about the most popular languages, you probably didn’t consider Indonesian, which is a version of Malay and the official language of Indonesia. Even if the local population speaks over 700 living languages, Indonesian is the only language recognized officially, and applied in administration, commerce and media.

Indonesia is an attractive market for digital marketers, with more than 150 million internet users. And Indonesians are significant internet consumers, with a passion for social media, especially YouTube and Facebook, which adds importance to Malay as one of the most popular languages.

Content marketing in Indonesia provides vital growth opportunities, so Indonesian has a great chance of becoming even more popular among languages for translation.

Japanese

Japan registered 77 million digital buyers in 2015 and retail ecommerce sales are steadily growing. If you plan to expand in Asia, you can’t miss this market.

Between Japan’s advantages in terms of digital marketing, you should consider that Japanese is spoken by more than 128 million native speakers. They like shopping with their smartphones and are fond of Western products. In terms of ROI, translating into Japanese is certainly one of the most popular languages and most profitable.

Moreover, 99 percent of Japanese people don’t speak English. So, if you want to engage with a Japanese audience, you need localization.

This language has several writing systems and complex grammar, which leads to higher costs as Japanese is hard to translate into. But the 109 million Japanese users online makes this one of most popular languages worth the effort.

Russian

Russian is an official language in Russia, Ukraine, Kazakhstan, Belarus, Kyrgyzstan, and Uzbekistan. But translating into Russian opens your business up to people from more than these countries, as Russian is widely spoken in Eastern Europe. So, you’ll also reach audiences in Estonia, Latvia, Lithuania, Moldova, Ukraine, Armenia, Bulgaria, Finland and Georgia.

About 109 million internet users speak Russian. Many of them have basic knowledge of English. In Russia alone, 30 million people shop online and ecommerce is thriving.

At present, it seems that Russians prefer shopping from local online stores, and Chinese sites are gaining in popularity. However, the Russian online market remains an opportunity for foreigners, especially if they sell footwear, smartphones, tablets, computers, household appliances, electronic devices, goods for children, cosmetics, perfumes and furniture.

French

French is an official language in countries with strong economies. If your website speaks French, you can reach audiences in France, parts of Canada, Monaco, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and parts of the Caribbean.

All these French-speaking countries have seen consistent growth in the ecommerce local markets. 36 million French internet users shop online, spending an average $2,100 annually.

French-speaking countries also include African countries with growing economies: Rwanda, Cote d’Ivoire and the Democratic Republic of Congo, etc.

German

German is also a language in high demand for translation services. Part of this need is motivated by the difficulty of the German language. Many people give up learning German altogether because of the complex sentence structure and syntax.

Another reason for this high demand is the booming German economy. As one of the strongest economies in Europe, countries with important economies have German as an official language: Germany (the largest economy in the EU), Austria, Luxembourg, Switzerland and Belgium. In addition, the German online market is divided between Amazon and the local giant, Otto. Small businesses have little chances of making a difference. So, in this context, not having your website localized into German, one of the most popular languages, means not selling at all.

Any Language

There is no doubt that some languages are in higher demand regarding translation services than others. However, every language has the potential of being in high demand. The trends of advanced technology and globalized culture have coerced and encouraged companies and individuals to reach abroad. Businesses and people from various countries are interacting in ways and with a frequency that has never appeared before in the history of human civilization. So, before deciding on the most popular languages for translation, you should think about the future.

This article is reprinted from FFTRANSCRIPTION, The Spanish Group and Clear Words Translations.

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