English is the most spoken language worldwide and is often considered the universal
language for business, but can international businesses really rely solely on the English
language to communicate globally?
Can businesses rely on English as a Global Language?
The rise of the internet and the increase in expanding trade agreements has made many
businesses seek international expansion, but in a world with more than 7,100 languages
choosing the must-have target languages is often tricky!
Faced with this decision, many business leaders’ toy with the idea of saving some money and
relying on English as a Global Language. Today we explore whether English can truly be
used as a global language for business by reviewing its strengths, limitations, and capacity to
be the main source of communication for international organisations.
Website Language Optimisation
Your website is your number one marketing tool to inform, engage and convert interested
clients, but without translation, you fail to attract a host of international traffic.
While English remains the world’s most popular international business language, it is only
spoken by 1.35 billion people, leaving 80% of the world’s population out of reach from your
business.
It is no coincidence that the most visited website in the world, Google, hosts up to 149
languages. Each language you provide represents a new audience you can support.
Speaking of search engines, businesses that fail to translate SEO keywords are missing a big
trick in improving their International Google Rankings. If a country’s language and culture
changes so does their search behaviour and you must ensure your website is fuelled with the
correct translated keywords to attract international traffic.
Communicate with Culture
Most cultures have unique traditions, sensitivities, and nuances, and it is important
to recognise them in your organisation’s communications. Relying on English
prevents your organisation from achieving a positive cultural reception worldwide but
more importantly ignores the incredible diversity our world offers.
Communicating in an audience’s native language ensures a higher level of
engagement and prevent multicultural audiences from misunderstanding your
organisation’s key messaging.
Don’t forget your Workforce
It is all too easy to get caught up in how to communicate more effectively with consumers but
considering your own employment structures internal communication is vital for global
success.
Multilingual workforces often struggle to overcome language and cultural barriers resulting
in a breakdown of communication, missed deadlines or even an unsafe working environment.
Building Relationships
At PAB Languages our award-winning translation, interpreting and localisation services
bring people of different cultures and countries together. Using our team of native speaking
experts, we support an organisation’s ability to communicate in 200+ languages. While
businesses can get by on the functionality of using English as a lingua franca, there is no
doubt that engaging audiences or workforces using their native language will always achieve
a more positive response and inclusive cultural reception.
