Different Languages To Add To Your Magento Store

By Author: Maulik Shah
Total Articles: 91
Comment this article

English is a common language for online businesses. However, adding a native language to the website would give you a competitive edge. It would help you target those 72.4 percent who are more likely to buy products or services in their native language. But you can't do it manually. You would need a Magento 2 language switcher tool to convert your website content into a convenient language. This tool will give you the impedance to expand globally.

However, a global reach is not the only reason to have a Magento 2 language translator. By providing English as the only means, you could lose domestic customers. For instance, the US has a high ratio of Spanish speakers after Mexico. It has 41 million Spanish speakers and around 12 million bilinguals. Looking at the numbers, you can't deny adding the Spanish language to your Magento store for US locations. Similarly, Hindi for Indians, and so on.

You don't need to add hundreds of languages. You can if you want to.

A location-specific language would be better. Fortunately, with the approaches mentioned below, you can get a gist of the languages ...
... you should translate to.

- Research Target Audience

Unless you know the demographic location of your visitors, you won't understand which language to add. It would not be easy to communicate without knowing who they are and what language they speak. For instance, translating your website to Spanish in an English speaking country hardly affects your product sale. That means you don't need to translate it.

The easiest way to learn about your audience is Google Analytics. It would give you detailed insights about your visitors, their demographics, preferences, and behaviors. Once you add this tracking tool to your website, you can enable geolocation and learn your users' location and the languages they speak. Doing this will give you an inkling of where your audience is coming from. It will help you settle on the list of languages you need to add to your Magento store.

- Note the Popular Languages

If you research, you will find a comprehensive list of common languages spoken worldwide, except English. They are

1. Chinese (1117 million speakers)
2. Hindi (615 million)
3. Spanish (534 million)
4. French (280 million)
5. Arabic (274 million)
6. Bengali (265 million)
7. Russian (258 million)

Adding these languages to your Magento website means covering more than 50% of the population. However, they may not be necessary for your business. So, while adding a language, make sure you first research the target audience (as discussed above). Learn about the language they are comfortable with.

To ease up the work, you can try using a Magento 2 Language switcher to translate the website into the language you want. Suppose, at present, you don't need Spanish, but your business expands, and in certain regions, it becomes necessary to translate the website. At that time, you can't keep adding languages. That's when the translator will help you out.

- Add a Language you can Translate Manually

The cost-effective solution is to add the languages that you or your staff speak fluently. It would take up a lot of time, as content needs to be updated manually. However, you won't have to invest in a suitable tool for businesses on a tight budget.

But, it has limitations. You will restrict yourself to limited languages. Besides, speaking the language fluently doesn't mean they know all the language's nitty-gritty elements.

Language is not just about the words. It refers to social and cultural context. The meaning and emotion behind the words differ. You can try cross-checking it with Google translator. Still, it may not be entirely right. And updating the content repeatedly from the backend can be challenging.

You can go for a Magento 2 language translator that allows easy updating of language content. Also, don't try to update the language on your own. Hire a professional translator to cross-check the contents unless it's your native language.

Last but not least,

Integrate a Magento 2 language switcher that will ease up your translation work. Because words mean something (more in the business), and for that, you first need to know the language. If you don't, a translator can help you out.

https://www.appjetty.com/magento2-language-translator.htm

Maulik Shah is the Founder and CEO of AppJetty, a fast growing software add-on store selling extensions and plugins for various technologies, including Odoo themes and odoo apps Magento 1 extensions and Magento 2 extensions. Maulik is a tech enthusiast and writes about the various aspects of ecommerce technology.