The Internet is constantly evolving at an incredible speed, and today both companies (in the person of specific representatives, employees) and individuals turn to it in the first place when searching for almost any goods, services and information.
For organizations looking to gain a competitive edge, a multilingual site (site in multiple languages) is one of the most effective ways to expand your customer base and increase sales.
With the development of the processes of globalization and internationalization, in connection with the increase in economic integration with the countries of the West and the East, as well as with the development of the Customs Union and the prospect of new members joining it, and not only from the EurAsEC, the need for a multilingual site becomes more and more obvious.
● Reason 1. English is the language of the Internet, but its share is also declining. The Internet originated as an English-speaking invention, and as a result, its original audience was mainly English-speaking users, and most of the sites were in English. But times are changing. Given that computers and Internet access are now available to people in countries as diverse as Nigeria to New Zealand, it is likely that English-speaking users will soon become a minority. At the moment, the reduction in the number of English-speaking users has a quite pronounced trend. This means that if an organization is focused not only on counterparties in the domestic market, the site needs to be translated not only into English, but also into other languages of potential counterparties, for example, the languages of the countries of Eastern Europe and Asia.
In a March 2005 study by the American think tank Nielsen-Netratings, overseas internet markets were described as “ripe fruit.” In other words, if you are enthusiastic and forward-thinking, it is enough to put in a little effort to make a huge income. The research results showed that the growth of the number of Internet users in those countries where the Internet has traditionally been the most widespread – the United States, Germany, the United Kingdom and Sweden – has slowed down. On the other hand, in countries such as France, Hong Kong, Italy and Japan, the number of Internet users is growing steadily.
According to Kaizad Gotla, senior analyst at Nielsen-Netratings, “… most sales opportunities are in countries where Internet usage patterns and relationships between users and sites have not yet been established. Attracting new users to markets that are currently in the growth phase will create a loyal user base, which will bring significant profits to companies doing business on the Internet in the future. ”
● Reason 2. A website in a foreign language is a very effective and relatively low-cost marketing tool. The ability to communicate with international audiences in their own language will undoubtedly pay off not only financially, but also in terms of marketing and increasing brand, service or product awareness.
A multilingual website is probably one of the most cost-effective ways to promote your company, attract new users, build relationships with new customers, and provide international visibility for your brand.
● Reason 3. New customers. Ultimately, the main thing a multilingual site gives you is new customers. By making your site potentially accessible to thousands of people, you represent your company around the world. This means that you will automatically draw attention to your products or services of a huge number of users who do not speak Russian.
● Reason 4. Sales. Translation of a website into each new language carries the potential to multiply sales. Even if you only translate your site into a few of the world’s major languages - English, Spanish, French, German, or Italian – your sales can grow 400% or more. There are few ways to achieve this effect with a very small investment.
● Reason 5. Customer orientation. A multilingual site clearly demonstrates what you think of a customer. With very little effort, you show potential customers that you have thought and taken care of them enough to create a version of the site in their own language. As is always the case in business, if a client realizes that you care about him, he tends to do business with you much more.
● Reason 6. Trust. For many cultures, online shopping is a matter of trust. It will be difficult to gain the trust of people belonging to these cultures if you speak to them in a language that they do not understand very well (as a rule, we mean English or Russian for the CIS countries). If you speak to them in their own language, customers will feel more confident in knowing exactly what they are buying, from whom, and on what terms.
● Reason 7. Taking into account cultural characteristics. A multilingual site, if well thought out, helps overcome potential cultural barriers. By being able to navigate, search, and interact in their native language, the user automatically finds himself in a “comfort zone”.
● Reason 8. Victory over competitors. To gain a competitive advantage, you must think outside the box today. Many companies try to highlight their differences. Take a look at your competitors – if they have multilingual sites, why don’t you already? If they don’t have multilingual sites, why not be the first to enter foreign markets before them?
● Reason 9. Demonstrate the international nature of your business. Image is everything. The multilingual site demonstrates that you think, operate and do business internationally.
● Reason 10. Search engines. Search engines allow people to find your site. In countries like China or Japan, Yandex and Google are not among the most common search engines. In many countries and regions, their own search engines are emerging, which turn out to be more successful because they work in the national language, take into account local semantics and are guided by the mentality and needs of local users. These search engines are the key to conquering these markets, however, if you do not have a multilingual site with a version in the appropriate language, information about your company will simply not be found.
In addition, Google dominates most regions, with Yahoo and Bing in the background, and these major search engines, especially Google, are developing search capabilities in foreign languages. If your site is translated into these languages, you are much more likely to show up in search results.
In conclusion, we can say the following. Business is constantly facing change. Now the development of multilingual sites is still at an early stage – they are used mainly by large international companies. However, sooner or later, the effect of spreading “from top to bottom” will make itself felt, and multilingual sites will become an integral part of the Internet space. Whether you choose to invest in building a multilingual website today or later, you have no other choice.