May is Asian-American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month in the US. This commemoration recognizes the influence and contributions of Asian Americans and Pacific Islanders to the US. To commemorate, let’s explore the most widely spoken Asian languages in the world and how professional translation services can help you expand your business to that demographic.
We will also cover the importance of aiding Asian speakers worldwide with information products and services.
The Importance of Linguistic Heritage
According to the 2020 census, roughly 24 million people in the US identify as wholly or part Asian, and another 1.5 million identify as Pacific Islanders. While most of this group were born in the US, many became US citizens later in life.
Language plays a big part in the development of culture and identity. As a great melting pot, it’s essential to examine the linguistics of the various cultures that make up the US today and where they originated. And don’t worry—you don’t have to speak any language on this list to reach audiences in these countries or communicate with Asians in the US—you need a translation company to support and guide you during the journey.
Top Asian Languages by Speakers Around the Globe
1. Chinese Language– 1.3 billion Speakers
Around 1.35 billion people worldwide speak a variety of the Chinese Language, representing 17% of the world’s population. This fact makes Chinese the most spoken language in the world, with Mandarin being the most spoken g Chinese, with 898 million speakers. Mandarin Chinese is Asia’s most widely spoken Chinese dialect and the second most spoken language globally (winning over English.) Mandarin is the official language of China, spoken by over 70% of the population. It’s also the official language of Taiwan and one of the official languages in Singapore.
The buying power of the Chinese-speaking market is massive, but don’t expect to make any headway if you don’t speak their language. Utilizing Chinese translation services is a simple way to create an impact and generate traction in the Chinese market.
2. Hindi – 580 million Speakers
Hindi is the third most-spoken language in the world and one of two official languages in India (the other is English). It is heavily spoken in the northern states of India, but native speakers can be found throughout the country. Hindi is also the mother tongue of many people in other countries such as Fiji, Nepal, and South Africa and a recognized minority language in the United Arab Emirates. You may realize Hindi terms like yoga and nirvana in your everyday life.
If you want to break into the Indian market, you need Hindi translation services. Using the Hindi language will help your company bridge cross-cultural understanding and dialogue between India and other countries, promoting global cooperation, commerce, and intercultural conversation.
3. Arabic – 420 million Speakers
Despite coming in third on this list for the number of speakers, Arabic takes the cake in the number of countries where it is the official language. Arabic is the official language of more than 20 countries, including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Morocco, and Qatar, the fourth-richest country in the world.
Such a diversity of countries means that there are many dialects of the Arabic language, and localization services are essential to tailor your message to your specific audience. You’re missing an opportunity if you don’t localize your language services.
Doing business in Asia isn’t the only place where Arabic translation services can benefit your business. You should also consider them if you’re working in North Africa. Arabic is the official language of the Arab world and is spoken by Arabs living around the world, particularly in Latin America and Western Europe.
4. Indonesian – 260 million Speakers
Indonesia is an incredibly linguistically diverse country, with over 700 recognized dialects across the islands. Indonesian was adopted as the common language, and the vast majority of residents speak it, but few consider it to be their primary language. This language is also widely spoken across the Oceania region and in other countries such as Malaysia, Singapore, the Philippines, and Australia.
The growth of Indonesia’s population has contributed to Bahasa Indonesia’s recent evolution into one of the most rapidly extending languages. If you have interests or potential for commercial exchange with the Indonesian market, Indonesian translation services are necessary for your marketing and content development.
5. Russian – 258 million Speakers
While Russian may not be the first language that comes to mind as an Asiatic language, Russia is on the Asian continent. The language originated in Eastern Europe, not Asia, but it is included on this list because of the country’s geography.
Russian is the official language of Russia, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, and Belarus. It is also widely spoken in other countries, including Georgia, Poland, and Ukraine, and is spoken by more than 220 million people in Europe. The Russian Language is also widely used online.
The buying power of the Russian-speaking market is not to be underestimated. Russian translation services are necessary to reach the European and Asian markets connected to the Russian language.
6. Bengali – 230 million Speakers
Bengali is the official language of Bangladesh and is widely spoken in India, particularly in the northern states, as well as in the United Arab Emirates, Qatar, and Kuwait. Also known as Bengala do not overlook the potential of this Asian Language.
Bengali translation services should be on your radar if you’re doing business in India or the Middle East. If not, you could be leaving business on the table.
7. Persian – 130 million Speakers
Persian is a language with a long history and many names. It’s the official language of three countries; Iran (called Persian or Farsi), Afghanistan (called Dari), and Tajikistan (called Tajik.) Persian speakers are also heavily prevalent in Iraq, Turkey, Uzbekistan, Bahrain, and Kuwait. Learn more about how your business can use Persian translation services or Farsi translation services.
8. Japanese – 120 million Speakers
The country of Japan has no “official language”, but Japanese is the “national” and de facto language of the country, containing the vast majority of native speakers in the world.
Japan has become a center of technology and business in the last 30 years, and a company rarely begins international business without interacting with or dealing with Japanese companies in some capacity. Enlisting Japanese translation services (or interpretation services for live meetings) can make business dealings faster and run smoothly.
9. Punjabi – 100 million Speakers
Punjabi is a widespread language in India (the third most popular) but is a “scheduled” language, not an official one. The difference is in government designation; the government protects scheduled languages without using them in an official capacity. Efforts to reach your audience or do business with an Indian company might require investment in content produced via Punjabi translation services.
Other widely spoken Asiatic languages include:
1. Marathi – 99 million
2. Filipino – 93 million speakers
3. Turkish – 88 million speakers
4. Korean – 80 million speakers
5. Vietnamese – 80 million speakers
6. Telugu – 79 million speakers
Tapping into the Buying Power of the Asian Market with Translation Services
Asia is a large continent that stretches over 17 million miles, taking up over 30% of Earth’s landmass. This geographically vast area is home to many cultures and languages, some dating back thousands of years. Over 5 billion people live here, and they speak over 2,300 languages.
Despite the prevalence of English worldwide, people don’t buy from brands that don’t speak their native language. So, if you want to break into new markets and foster partnerships, you need documents and content translated into new languages. But you don’t need to know any of them to overcome language barriers- you need to tap into the power of professional translation services. Translation services for Asiatic languages open the door to an entirely new market. Five billion people have significant buying power; reaching even a fraction of that can quickly expand your reach and audience.
You don’t need to learn a new language, reinvent the wheel, or change any of your services or products; simply incorporating translation services into your marketing, advertising, or education services is a great place to start. And when you work with a professional translation agency, you get high-quality translations without increasing your workload.
How A Translation Company Can Help You Do Business in the Asian Market
Working with a translation company is the easiest way to harness the power of professional translation services. While you could hire professional translators internally, working with a translation company keeps your costs and efforts low while using the power of a company to add synergy to yours—a win/ win.
Professional language services can touch every aspect of your business. Whether you need marketing translation services, technical documents translated, or interpretation services for a live meeting, having a professional translation company in your corner makes it easy to achieve excellence in multilingual communication.
The quality of your translation service can make or break a deal when you’re working on an international scale. A high-quality translation can pave the way for a long-standing business relationship, while poor translation services can keep a deal grounded. Working with professional translators and a knowledgeable team to offer advice and options for your needs sets you up for success.
The best part is that working with a professional translation company doesn’t add any work to you or your team. Professional translation services work in the background for you, managing the content, resources, deadlines, and quality by allowing your team to focus on what you do best.
Ready to expand your business to an international audience? Working with a translation company makes translating your existing materials like presentations, manuals, training material, websites, and legal documents simple.
With the goal of serving companies and individuals with translation services in the USA, JR Language goes the extra mile to exceed customers’ expectations. Contact us for a translation services quote today—we’d love to learn about your Asian communication needs and assist you succeeding in any market you would like to explore.
