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| What languages are online? |
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What are the main online languages?
We all know that English has been the dominant language on the web since its inception. But as computer technology has become more multilingual friendly (both in terms of operating systems and browsers) so have other languages started to make their presence felt on the web. The internet was designed for, after all, communication. And nothing is more elementary than communicating in your first (or native) language. On this site you will see a wide range of statistics relating to online demographics. We quote them here as a relative guide to the importance or prevalence of any language on the web. They have been gleaned from a variety of online published sources such as the Nielsen Netratings, Forrester Research, and Jupiter Research. However, we have to make a strong disclaimer. We present these figures in good faith but cannot be held responsible for their validity; they are estimates only. Where we have conflicting figures from different sources we have taken an average of the figures available.
Right now over 50% of web users speak a language other than English; 43% of all web users do not speak English at all. By 2005, 63% of web users will use the web in a language other than English. Even within what we would consider to be the biggest English speaking market, the USA, 37 million Americans (13% of the population) use the web in a language other than English.
Investigating which online language market to enter is not as difficult as it may seem at first. Global search players such as Google and Overture provide excellent research tools via their PPC (pay per click) mechanisms. We have also provided below some downloads relating to what numbers are available as to online demographics. But at the end of the day, in our experience, most business decisions do not rely so much on statistics and data, but a gut instinct. You will know that your product and service will apply to such a market. You will have talked to others active in that market. But what you will look for is information on the how to enter and expand the market. That is what this site is here for. Have a look around, and if you don~|t find what you~|re looking for, drop us a line and we will try to source if for you.
Downloads
Far East Asian online demographics
Details of Far East Asian online demographics by language spoken.
South East Asian online demographics
Details on South East Asian online demograhics by language spoken
European and American online demographics
Details of European and American online demographics by language
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