When releasing mobile or traditional applications, companies must consider multiple factors and features related to the product’s characteristics, such as functionality, usability, and user-friendliness. These must be taken into account to ensure the success of the application. Choosing a language for translating your application into is a complex issue influenced by a variety of factors, such as the target audience, the cost of translation, and the complexity of the language. Professional translators can help with some languages, but code modifications may be necessary for others. To ensure multilingual support, it is important to consider language choice during the application requirements development phase. To learn more about this topic, read here.

What are The Top 10 Most Widely Spoken
Languages in The World?

Let’s look at the ten most popular languages for app translations worldwide. Here is a list of the top ten:

1. Chinese: more than 1.3 billion people speak this language.
2. English: more than 600 million people speak this language around the world.
3. Hindi: there are more than 490 million speakers of this language worldwide.
4. Spanish: it is used by 427 million people.
5. Arabic: this language is used by more than 267 million people.
6. Russian: 260 million people speak this language.
7. Bengali: is the mother tongue of 250 million people. 
8. Portuguese: the language is spoken by 240 million people.
9. Indonesian: there are around 200 million speakers of this language.
10. French: 150 million people speak this language.

But more information is needed to understand which languages are better for translation. It is essential to understand which languages are popular on the Internet.

What are the Top 10 Most Widely Spoken
Languages on the Internet?

The situation for popular languages on the Internet has changed drastically since 1997. Back then, almost all existing websites were translated or localized into English, with only 26 million people using the Internet worldwide. Fast forward to today, and Internet users have skyrocketed to over five billion, with an additional 500 million being added each year. Ukraine alone has over 26 million Internet users, demonstrating the immense growth of the Internet and its users.

Fun fact.

If the world’s population were limited to only 100 people, only 49 would have Internet access. Of these 49 people, nine would be native English speakers; ten would speak Chinese, four Spanish, three Portuguese, two Arabic; one for Japanese, Russian, Indonesian, French, and German, and sixteen would speak other languages. The remaining twenty-one people would be non-verbal.

From comparing the percentages of the popularity of languages in the world among speakers (the diagram on the right, which forms the demand) with the languages of websites on the Internet (the chart on the left, which includes the offer), the following conclusions can be made:

English, Spanish, Chinese, German, and Russian are some of the most widely used languages for website localization on the web. These five languages are among the top five major languages used on the Internet.

but

If we look at the number of speakers of a language and the potential users of an application, the top five languages are Arabic, English, Spanish, Chinese, and Hindi.

By identifying the languages with the most speakers and popularity on the Internet, you can determine the translation needs for a mobile application. However, to ensure its success, the right platform must be chosen, as the popularity of Android and iOS varies from country to country.

Review of Online Sales Ranking in Mobile Applications

The mobile app market is highly competitive, with new apps being released daily. As such, businesses need to keep track of their online sales rankings to stay ahead of the competition. Fortunately, tools are available to help companies monitor their online sales rankings. One such tool is App Annie, which provides detailed analytics on mobile app sales rankings. App Annie tracks sales rankings across multiple app stores, including the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Appstore. It also provides insights into the performance of individual apps, including their daily downloads, revenue, and ratings.

Another popular tool is Sensor Tower, which offers a comprehensive view of app sales rankings across multiple app stores. It also provides insights into the performance of individual apps, including their daily downloads, revenue, and ratings. Finally, AppFigures is another excellent tool for tracking mobile app sales rankings. It provides detailed analytics on app sales rankings across multiple app stores, including the Apple App Store, Google Play, and Amazon Appstore. It also provides insights into the performance of individual apps, including their daily downloads, revenue, and ratings. These tools enable businesses to gain valuable insights into their online sales rankings and make informed decisions about their mobile app strategies. With the right tools, companies can stay ahead of the competition and maximize their profits.

Every year, Android and iOS compete fiercely in the mobile app market. In the US, the market share of Android and iOS has remained relatively stable over the years, with Android at 59.1% and iOS at 39%. IOS is becoming increasingly popular in China: its users’ share has grown from 12.3% to 22.1% in the last year, while Android’s share has dropped from 87.3% to 77.4%. In the UK, France, Italy, and Japan, Android has seen a slight increase of 1-5% in the same period. Over the past year, users downloaded around 110 billion applications from the Play Store and App Store, resulting in a total of $127 billion in global consumer spending. Of this amount, $91.6 billion came from the App Store, while $35.7 billion came from Google Play.

Top 10 Languages Worth Translating the App Into

By analyzing the ranking of the most common languages in the world and studying the app sales in different countries, you can determine which languages to translate your app into in order to maximize its reach and potential revenue. It is essential to consider the local context when making this decision. For example, Google Play Store apps in China generate little income and are unpopular, so focusing on other languages and app stores may be more beneficial. English has long been acknowledged as a global language; it is the second official language in many nations. Similarly, Chinese is widely used internationally, particularly in the business world, since China is the second largest economy by nominal GDP. So far, Brazil has yet to achieve the same level of success as China. Still, according to the International Monetary Fund, its economy has risen to ninth place in the world ranking. This growth has been fivefold yearly, making Portuguese, the official language of Brazil, increasingly popular. 

Approximately 150 million people speak French, making it one of the most widely spoken languages in the world. Japan also has a significant presence in the global economy, ranking third in terms of GDP, and its language is popular due to the country’s engineering and industrial prowess. Arabic is also widely spoken, with an estimated 240 million speakers.

We advise against limiting your choice to just one language from the list. Experts recommend creating versions in multiple languages so that a larger audience can access the product.

How to Understand How Many Language Versions
Your Application Should Have

If you are interested in reaching 90% of the online market, it is recommended to translate your product into at least 40 languages. To cover 80% of the market, translating into the top 10 languages is enough. However, it is crucial to consider the target audience of your app. For example, children and teenagers may need sufficient English to understand and enjoy your game entirely. For adult users, it is preferable to have an app with an interface translated into their native language for activities such as meetings or buying tickets. However, it is only sometimes possible to provide a multilingual app for a specific region or country.

The Best Multilingual Websites

The top 150 multilingual websites, according to the 2024 Web Globalization Report Card, are localized in an average of 34 languages. For comparison, this figure was only 12 languages in 2004. And the top 25 global websites support in 2024 astonishing 58 languages. This ranking is based on four criteria: global reach (the number of languages and users covered), the amount of localized content, user-friendly navigation, and adaptive design. 

Wikipedia leads the way in terms of language support, offering 326 languages with convenient language switching and valuable multilingual content. Google follows with 149 languages, while Airbnb, Philips, and Spotify offer 91, 73, and 62 languages, respectively. Amazon, a relative newcomer to this list, has been sending packages worldwide for many years, but its language portfolio has been limited. However, Amazon has added 21 languages to its portfolio in the past year. DHL has made a strong showing on the list, offering support for 44 languages and superior navigation capabilities that put it ahead of the competition. However, sometimes quantity does not equate to quality. This is evidenced by the fact that Facebook, which was once at the top of the list due to its support of multiple languages, has been removed altogether. In its place, we now have companies such as Netflix, IKEA, and Volvo, which have become popular due to the quality of their products and services. This shows that brands cannot be successful in countries whose language they do not understand.

By analyzing the degree of localization of various resources, we can determine the extent to which it affects the success of a product and whether it is necessary in the first place. Localization can be a critical factor in the success of a product, as it allows customers to access the product in their native language, making it easier to understand and use. Additionally, localized resources can help to increase brand recognition and loyalty, as customers are more likely to purchase a product that is available in their language.

Should You Localize Your App?

As the app market has demonstrated, applications become more successful when localized into different languages. Producers should not wait for their competitors to implement the same idea in the language of their target audience, as people are more likely to use an app in a language they understand. For the best results, plan localization from the beginning of the development process. In different countries, the format of dates or measurement units may vary, requiring them to be recalculated rather than simply translated. For example, in the US, the date “01.05.2025” is interpreted as “the fifth of January”, while in the UK, it is read as “the first of May”. This is also true for measurements such as inches and feet. These distinctions should be considered during the development of the app in order to facilitate localization into other languages in the future.

With the abundance of electronic dictionaries and other resources, it is easy to translate an application yourself. However, if the quality of the translation is not a priority, then it is possible to do it. Nevertheless, it is different from communicating with people in hotels and shops when traveling abroad. A native speaker will be able to tell that you have not invested in a professional translation, which could affect the overall quality of your product. Did you also sacrifice product quality?

Professional translation agencies employ only native speakers to ensure that the translated application interface looks like it was originally written in the target language. This can profoundly impact how customers perceive a company or brand.

How to Choose Experts for App Translation and Localization?

Nowadays, you will hardly find a translation company that has never dealt with localization. The question is how that company has handled the task. Most companies may not disclose information about their customers, as all materials of this kind are usually trade secrets. But there are some indirect factors to consider when choosing a language service provider.

• Technology and automation tools must be used for translation, including the so-called CAT tools (Computer-Assisted Translation tools), which reduce the cost and time necessary to complete the job. 

• The workflow should include translation, editing, proofreading, and quality control by automated tools at each stage. There is no other way. Even an excellent translator’s texts have to be proofread twice. These are the basics of localization. All other services can be modified, but we recommend ordering linguistic consultation at the concept stage, i.e., before the start of product development, to have the sequence of actions. It’s up to you whether you stick to it or not.

• Do you get a lot of questions? It’s a good sign. At least you can expect that the work will be done with an understanding of the goals and values of your company. You should be asked about your target audience, specify if there are any terminology requirements, and ask for a consultant from the company who will help the linguistic team stay in line with your terminology and style.

• A good translation can be compared to a good suit: a cheap one can’t offer much in the way of quality. Companies often do not provide their price list because they work with native speakers who reside in the country where the language is official (these are the industry standards). Moreover, the price depends on a few factors: technical complexity of localization, time limits, services of consultants involved, etc. Usually, when it comes to localization, the price that includes TER (translate, edit, proofread) will be offered immediately, while the additional services will be negotiated separately.

Either way, localization is a fun and exciting process that will make you feel like a pioneer. And Kenaz Translation Company will gladly become your pilot in this sea of possibilities.