THE MOST SPOKEN AND TRANSLATED LANGUAGES ON THE INTERNET

English, Chinese, and Spanish are the top three most popular online languages.

By Julio García

When discussing localization in international markets, it is important to know the basics, such as the languages most spoken across the world, the most used on the Web, which are the most used languages in the different applications or channels languages, and the most translated languages.

Most spoken languages

Data released by Internet World Stats in 2021 shows that English is the most spoken language globally, even though only 28% of people are native speakers, indicating that it is the most learned second language.

Spanish came in fourth but ranks second in terms of native speakers (6% of the global population). According to Instituto Cervantes, the number of Spanish speakers is expected to grow over the next five decades.

At first glance, the most popular languages across the globe seem to coincide with the most used languages online. According to Internet World Stats' estimates, the most popular languages used online are English (25%), followed by Chinese with 19.4%, and Spanish coming in third with almost 8% of speakers. Although there are many similarities, there are also differences.

Therefore, it is safe to say that English and Mandarin Chinese account for 45% of language use. In fact, English is the preferred language for business, and Chinese is the country's official language with the largest population in the world.

While the data is relatively straightforward, companies should not neglect other languages since, as previously mentioned, translation into the language of a country allows for a relationship built on trust with clients. Whether in the commercial sector or international affairs, communicating in another person's native language or translating it is an added value that makes all the difference.

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