If you don’t speak or write to them in their languages, what opportunities are you missing?

Some countries such as India and the Philippines use English as a second or business language, and therefore aren’t included in the 72%.  But over six billion other people are.  And in today’s rapidly globalizing economy, those billions have both rising purchasing power and the desire to use it.  That’s a huge opportunity for you to expand your global sales and profits, while delivering the benefits of what you do to the whole world.

Here are some facts to consider regarding the negative consequences of keeping your websites, manuals, videos, etc. in English only.

  • In 2013, 79% of the users of the Top Ten Global Websites were outside the US.  A year later that had grown to over 86%.  (Source: KPCB)
  • In a survey of global consumers, 72% said that they prefer to use their native language when shopping online.  56% said the ability to obtain information in their own language is even more important to them than price.  And 55% said they only buy products from websites that provide them with information in their own language. (Source: Common Sense Advisory)
  • 41% of prestige brands maintain at least one Facebook page in another country’s language.  The instance of such localized pages has grown at twice the rate of business pages in general.  And pages in target countries’ own languages register a 50% higher rate of visitor engagement than pages in English. (Source: Facebook)
  • Finally, Fortune 500 companies that expanded their translation budgets were 1.5 times more likely to report an increase in total revenue, compared to those whose budgets remained the same.

The simple truth is that website localization grows global sales, profits, and impact for the companies doing it.  Many companies are already benefiting from this marketplace evolution.  Where groups have been hesitant, a common question has been, “What if foreign prospects write to me or call me? I don’t speak their language.”  But the answer to this is also simple.

Whatever written communications arrive from abroad can be sent to a professional language agency for translation. Assuming such foreign documents or files are relatively short, they can usually be translated into English within a day or two. Then you can write your answers in English, and your agency can translate them into your prospect’s language.

If you receive a phone call from a non-English speaker, full service agencies have Telephonic Interpreting. In the case of Auerbach International, you can be connected 24/7 to a telephonic interpreter for a three-way call in any of 150 languages and dialects, for only $1.85/minute.

Here’s a small-scale example of how this can help.  A boutique skin salon in California had an important client who spoke only Cantonese, and whose English-speaking child was often unavailable to come in with her. The salon owner used our telephonic interpreting service to understand the customer’s needs, and this much appreciated extra effort to communicate resulted in a long-term relationship and many referrals.

Whatever your language needs, Auerbach International can help with customized solutions and award-winning client service.  For more information or to request a quote, please contact Philip Auerbach at 415-592-0042, ext. 107.