English today is probably the third largest language by number of native speakers, after Mandarin Chinese and Spanish. Approximately 375 million people speak English as their first language. However, when combining native and non-native speakers it is probably the most commonly spoken language in the world. An English translation of your website is a requirement if you are planning to expand your business internationaly.

Why translate your website into English ?

Through the global influence of native English speakers in cinema, music, broadcasting, science, and the Internet in recent decades, English is now the most widely learned second language in the world.

Some other facts about English:
– over 470 million to over a billion people speak English, as a foreign language. Estimates vary greatly depending on how mastery is defined and measured.

– of all the world’s languages (over 2,700) English is one of the richest in vocabulary; the Oxford English Dictionary lists about 250,000 words.

– the countries with the highest populations of native English speakers are, in descending order: United States (215 million), United Kingdom (61 million), Canada (18.2 million), Australia (15.5 million), Nigeria (4 million), Ireland (3.8 million), South Africa (3.7 million), and New Zealand (3.6 million)

– the easiest way to calculate the economic influence of a language may be to add up the gross domestic products (GDP) of all the nations where it is spoken. People who count English as their mother tongue make up less than 10% of the world’s population, but possess over 30% of the world’s economic power.

– two of the main English speaking countries, the USA and the UK, are among the world’s wealthiest countries.

To reach your English customers, your company definitely needs to  offer a version of its site in English. And this is certainly an important step,  as research shows people are more likely to purchase from a site in their own language.

Here are some facts about the USA and the UK

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What English language issues do we need to watch out for when translating in English ?

The major issues are vocabulary and spelling differences between the major English-speaking countries – the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand…Our native translators are qualified to handle these differencies.

English translation of your website: a mix of SEO and localization

However, it takes more than translation to go global. Localizing both the language and content of a website in English is a significant, complex undertaking. If your website is currently not meeting the internet standards, it will not be indexed by search engines in the UK or in the US, and your English speaking customers will not be able to find you.

We have to make sure that your website is “searchable” by English search engines. We also need to be aware that localizing your website for the UK is not as easy as simply translating your site into another language. We must also be culturally aware and sensitive to local customs and needs.

At Openvalley, when translating your website in English, we will take into account these particularities of web translation. That way, we are able to make your website more appealing both to your English customers, and to UK search engines.

Which digital services to enter Great Britain or the USA ?