Er engelsk fortsat lingua franca på internettet?
I årevis har virksomheder udelukkende betjent globale kunder med websteder på engelsk. Har de gjort det forkert i alle disse år?
 9 min. læsning |
 Evan Kramer |
 04. april 2023 |
| 9 min. læsning |
Evan Kramer |
04. april 2023 |
Sprog forbedrer personlige forhold og former vores daglige liv på effektiver måder - både i den virkelig verden og online. I det globale marked stoler kunder langt mere, og bruger flere penge, på websteder, der rent bogstaveligt taler deres foretrukne sprog.
Yet many major companies are just now beginning to appreciate the vital role language and website translation play for online global customers. Not only does it govern our online conversations and behavior, but it also limits what information we access.
Kunder stoler langt mere, og bruger flere penge, på websteder, der rent bogstaveligt taler deres foretrukne sprog.
Twenty years ago, researchers determined that about 80% of the Internet’s content was published in English—not surprising, given that the Internet was initially developed in the U.S. and UK, and was rapidly adopted in those countries.
I disse tider har virksomheder brug for mere end websteder, der kun er på engelsk, hvis de håber at engagere sig effektivt i globale kunder. Internettet og verden har ændret sig radikalt siden midten af 90'erne. Virksomhederne skal holde trit, hvis de vil forblive konkurrencedygtige.
January 1, 1983 is considered the official birthday of the internet. Since then, a lot has changed. The Internet's expansion into a global communication landscape was expeditious. In 1993, after 10 years of existence, it only communicated 1% of the information flowing through two-way telecommunications networks. That shot up to 51% by 2000, and more than 97% by 2007.
Here are some of the ways the internet was able to expand into a global communication tool:
Though everyone around the world started to use the internet to interact, buy and sell goods, and develop professionally, the issue of language and communication barriers became evident. But if the whole internet were to choose one language, what would it be?
By definition, a lingua franca is a language used to communicate between groups of people who all speak different languages. It is considered the most efficient way to get information across to multilingual audiences. In the case of the internet, it would be the "most common" language utilized by web creators and businesses.
Den dramatiske stigning i internetadgang over det sidste årti har haft en stor indflydelse på indhold online. The number of Internet users worldwide is around 5 billion, up nearly ~126.24% from the 2.21 billion users reported in 2015. Meget af denne vækst sker på vækstmarkeder, hvor man taler engelsk som andet- eller tredje sprog — hvis det tales overhovedet.
Between the mid-90s and mid-2000s, English-language content dropped from 80% to about 45% of total online content, with some experts placing it at less than 40%. This trend was fueled by the global adoption of mobile and smartphone technology, and the emergence of social media. Chinese became the second-most common language used online, increasing by a staggering 2,227% since 2000.
Currently, English still holds the first place slot with 58.8% of Internet use. Russian is in second at 5.3%. Spanish represents a close third, with French trailing right behind in fourth.
China and India currently lead the world in Internet and social media usage. By 2023, nearly half of China's population will be using social networks. Kina er ikke et engelsk-først-marked og i Indien taler næsten 90 % af befolkningen ikke engelsk.
Studies suggest that about half of all Twitter posts are written in languages other than English—with Japanese, Spanish, Portuguese and Indonesian consumers being most active.
[insert YouTube video: https://youtu.be/bVeAN8h40Q4]
Det sproglige landskab, der hele tiden er i udvikling, har en kraftig indvirkning på den globale handel online. For 73 % af svarpersonerne, ifølge en undersøgelse fra 2006, foretaget af Common Sense Advisory, var det mere sandsynligt, at de ville købe på deres eget sprog. Eight years later, the group conducted a larger-scale study. Forbrugerefterspørgslen var steget til 75 %.
Undersøgelsen fra 2014 fandt, at næsten 60 % af de besvarende enten "brugte mere tid på websteder på deres eget sprog fremfor websteder på engelsk, eller de boykottede helt engelsksprogede URL'er" Derudover udtrykte globale kunder en villighed til at betale mere for varer, hvis de beskrivende oplysninger var på deres foretrukne sprog.
By translating and localizing your business’ website to accommodate certain markets, you open yourself up to some great benefits:
The takeaway is clear: English hasn’t been the lingua franca of the Internet for many years—and as Internet adoption continues to grow worldwide, content in languages other than English will become increasingly vital for business.
For at kunne bevare konkurrenceevnen på en global skala skal virksomheder i enhver branche kunne levere en online oplevelse, der er på lokalmarkedet, på det korrekte sprog, og som kan findes af lokalbrugerne med deres foretrukne enheder. Website translation is becoming a must for businesses who want to grow and remain relevant. Det er utroligt vigtigt at inkludere disse bedste praksis for at opnå international succes for virksomheden.
