Hardly any of you have thought about the extent to which language barriers and translator app for windows 10 limit your reach. Although worldwide access to the Internet is growing every day, your information on the web may be completely useless on the other side of the world, as a language problem arises. English is the most widely spoken language today, it plays the role of a kind of language – a bridge. That being said, it is one of the top ten languages, which, according to the World Bank, accounts for about eighty percent of all online content.
How many people actually understand English?
According to experts, 21% of the world’s population, both online and offline, understands English. In total, this is about a quarter of the entire population of the Internet. At the same time, almost half of all online content is published in English. Accordingly, if your content is written in English, then 76% of your potential audience will not be able to read it. And all because of the language barrier.
Content Purpose
Whether you should expand your language base or not depends on the purpose of the online content. If you run a local business and your target market primarily speaks its native language, then it is not worth the time and effort to translate your site into another language. However, if you run an internet company that sells goods / services abroad, then most of your target market may not understand you due to your lack of language skills. In this case, consider a second option for your site. The version of the site with simultaneous translation will expand your market and increase international sales.
How do I translate content?
Many web browsers, such as Google Chrome, have translation functionality built into the browser. However, these translators usually translate word for word, and therefore the translation version can be very inaccurate, because the grammar and syntax of different languages have significant differences. If you want your content to be available to a specific target market, a group of people, or simply more widely available, then a quality translation is worth doing. There are many companies that offer translation services, you can also use an online translator.
Cost of web page translation
The cost of translation services will fluctuate depending on the complexity of the language and the subject matter of the content. Some specialists have hourly rates or charge a price per page on a site, a certain number of characters or words. As a rule, official translation agencies are cheaper and guarantee high quality services. You will save time and effort, as well as get a truly faithful and marketable translation from professionals.
What if I can’t translate my content?
If you find translating content too hassle, or not worth the extra cost, it’s yours. If most of your target market speaks English as a second (non-native) language, then make your writing fairly easy to read. The main thing is that the meaning is clear. An alternative is to customize the pages so that pages available primarily for non-English speaking countries display more or less the same content, but in a simpler language.