Languages Online in an Expanding Digital World
It is well known that English-language content dominates the internet — over half of all written content online is in English, despite just 16% of the global population speaking the language. There are number of reasons for this. Firstly, the history of the internet — the web was initially developed in English-speaking countries and as a result the majority of the early-adopters were English-speaking. Over the last decades, “Silicon Valley” in the USA, has been a leader in tech and online innovation. This has further solidified English as the default online language. Finally, English is the most common second language worldwide, and as such, is the most prominent language used in academia, diplomacy and, of course, international business. The majority of multinational companies use English as their corporate language.
Furthermore, English as the default is a self-fulfilling cycle — the more content that is produced in English, the more people assume English is the default and this makes it more difficult for non-English sites to gain the same reach and recognition.
A Change in User Languages Online
So will this change in the coming years? We think, yes, it will. Internet access and usage has increased dramatically in the last 15 years. In 2005 there was an estimated one billion internet users; by 2022 this had dramatically increased to five billion. The majority of this new online community originate from non-English speaking countries. For example, China has the largest number of internet users worldwide — exceeding one billion in 2021. In second place is India, with more than 600 million internet users.
China and India also lead the world in Social Media users, yet nearly 90% of Indians do not speak English. Within the next few years, India is expected to become the largest social media community, reaching 1.3 billion users by 2029. Interestingly, Nigeria’s online social media network is expected to grow from 47 million in 2023 to 114 million by 2029, an increase of over 142%.
With this massive influx of non-English speaking users, we think it is inevitable that this will lead to shift in the language of online content to include many other commonly spoken languages, including Mandarin Chinese, possibly Cantonese also, as well as Hindi and Arabic.
Did you know that UAE has the fastest fixed internet speed in the world? At 398.51 megabytes per second, it is also the country with the fastest download connection on mobile devices.
Cultural Impact and Languages Online
Furthermore, the online culture is changing. As the “personalisation” of online marketing becomes more sophisticated, users now have an expectation that content — especially eCommerce content — will be provided to them in their own language. Many successful eCommerce sites have already realised this! And are already offering localised region-specific sites and/or online translation (usually via machine translation platforms).
It is worth noting that some of the countries with the highest internet penetration are also countries with a high number of English speakers. With 99% of the nation online, six countries across Europe and Asia have the highest internet penetration rates in the world in 2024: the Netherlands, Norway, Saudi Arabia, Switzerland, the United Arab Emirates, and Denmark. However, marketing research has long-established that even if a consumer speaks a high level of English they will still choose to browse and purchase in their own language if it is offered to them.
A 2022 survey found that among those proficient in English, 65% prefer to read content in their local language. Localisation research from One Sky found that 55% of global consumers would only purchase from websites that provide product information in their own language, 72% of shoppers are more likely to buy from sites written in their native language, and 87% of customers would not buy from an English-only website.
How Will This Affect Your Business?
Inclusivity has become a key issue in our culture, and the future of languages online has significant implications in determining what level of inclusivity our online communities will achieve. Currently there is a digital divide between those who have access to digital spaces and those who have been marginalised. If a language is not being supported online the speakers of that language are denied access to information and the opportunity for interaction in online spaces (again, this includes eCommerce and the ability to purchase products and services internationally).
The use of local regional languages is likely to increase to support specific communities. Tech companies are right now investing in tools that will enable access for non-English speakers to all sites and platforms. While machine translation is still not at a sufficiently high level, the possibilities for Natural Language Processing AIs are significant. We may see more instant translation services provided. Alternatively, many multilingual websites are using Proxy Web Translation to power real-time, easily updatable language versions of their core site.
As we navigate the challenges of a rapidly changing digital landscape, promoting online language diversity is essential for creating a more connected, equitable, and accessible world. As such we are confident that translation, and other language services, will remain an essential component of our online world.
