The LXD's five most popular languages and why

Did you know that more than 7,000 languages are spoken around the world? Language defines the art of communication. It is how we connect with friends and family, and how we ultimately unlock understanding. 

 

Here we reveal the five most popular languages that our clients are currently translating their content into – based on translation volume analysis from our Language eXperience Delivery (LXD) platform. In case you’re not familiar with our LXD platform, it processes and translates billions of words per year, and offers our clients access to 29k+ translators across the globe.

 

Although French is the fifth most popular language in the world, it currently takes the top spot in terms of the most popular languages we’re translating into. Around 220 million people natively speak French, and interestingly, around 45% of English words have a French origin. It’s also considered one of the most influential languages in the diplomatic world. Many international institutions have French as one of their official languages, including the United Nations, the European Union, the International Olympic Committee, the Red Cross, alongside international courts.

 

About 130-155 million people speak German as their mother language or as a second language. German is the most widely spoken mother language in the European Union and an official language in seven countries. Although the language uses the Latin alphabet, it has, however, an additional consonant: the ß, called "Eszett." It’s also known for its long words, and if you’re interested, here’s one of the longest: “Grundstücksverkehrsgenehmigungszuständigkeitsübertragungsverordnung.” It means “regulation on the delegation of authority concerning land conveyance permissions.”

 

Around 130 million people speak Japanese, making it the ninth most widely spoken languages in the world. It’s also considered one of the most concentrated – with the vast majority of speakers living in Japan. Amusingly Japanese is one of the fastest spoken languages – a spoken syllable rate of nearly eight syllables per second! That outpaces Spanish, French and Italian.

 

It should come as no surprise that Mandarin Chinese ranks as one of the top most spoken languages in the world. More than 60% of China's 1.4 billion residents speak a form of Mandarin Chinese. Mandarin is far from the only type of dialect in China. There are many different versions of the Chinese language. Mandarin is the most prominent and is the preferred dialect of the Chinese government.

 

Approximately 66 million people speak Italian worldwide and it is considered the 20th most popular language. The standard Italian alphabet only has 21 letters (J, K, W, X and Y aren’t used in Italian words). Italy is home to several regional dialects. In 1950, it was estimated that less than 20% of Italians spoke fluent Italian, and even today, many people feel more comfortable using a local language or dialect. Approximately half of all Italians speak a regional dialect as a mother tongue.

While Mandarin Chinese, French, German, Japanese and Italian are widely spoken, there are many other popular languages. These include Hindi, Arabic, Portuguese, Bengali, Indonesian, and Urdu, and of course English. As countries around the world have grown in economical significance, their native languages have become more prominently used in the business world.

 

As a business, you have the opportunity to explore a diverse client base around the world. But you must market your products and/or services in a personalized and localized way that takes into account your customers’ cultural nuances.

Localization efforts do not have to be difficult. The most important task is to understand your markets, their different cultures, and then individual preferences. We want you to go one step beyond and truly connect with your new customers. To learn more about RWS and how we can help, click here.