Article by ICG Advertiser, The Language Factory
English may be one of the most widely spoken languages, with 1.53 billion people worldwide who speak it natively or as a second language*, but did you know that other European languages have also left their mark around the globe? *Statista
French is the official language of 32 states, with over 61% of these states based in Africa. There are more Spanish speakers in Mexico (132.5 million) and Colombia (52.7 million) than in Spain itself. Arabic is an official or co-official language across 25 countries and recognised as a minority language in six more.
All these languages have something in common: regional variations, idioms and cultural nuances that can significantly influence your audience and impact your business. For example, only translating your marketing content into Peninsular Arabic risks alienating speakers of other dialects, while translating your research survey into Québecois French (Canadian French) ignores Swiss French, French in France and all the African French dialects.
In this blog, the TLF team highlights the value of localisation by including regional variations and top tips to get it right the first time..