Annual benchmarks by market research firm Common Sense Advisory provide essential metrics for measuring content competitiveness in the top online languages

(BOSTON) –Half the world’s population is now online: In 2017, 3.74 billion people will traverse the internet. To reach them, websites must be available in dozens of languages, with English, Chinese (Simplified) Japanese, and Spanish leading the pack of most valuable online languages. How many languages does it take for global businesses to stay competitive online? According to independent market research firm Common Sense Advisory’s 2017 findings, it takes a minimum of 31 languages, including Indonesian, Polish, and Turkish, to get access to 97% of the total online opportunity. Global brands looking to appeal to 99% of the world’s online wallet will need to add another 23 languages.

These findings are detailed in the firm’s research report, titled “Digital Opportunity: Top 100 Online Languages for 2017.” It updates Common Sense Advisory’s proprietary metrics on the fastest growing languages online, in terms of total population and economic opportunity.

“Evaluation of return on content begins with understanding the language composition of the online world. CSA Research’s annual online benchmarks capture the total economic opportunity that global brands address when they add a new language. English only gives you access to 37% of digital opportunity,” explains CSA Research Chief Research Officer Don DePalma.

The research includes detailed calculations, metrics, and concepts for the top 100 languages online of the 139 analyzed. To develop the research, the firm compiled and evaluated the gross domestic product (GDP), language data, and internet penetration across 221 countries and territories.

The firm’s research shows the potential ROI of translating into additional languages is much improved due to increased access and the expanding influence of digital content in daily life. It concludes that the calculus of online languages goes well beyond e-commerce. Digital communications affect offline purchases, business partnerships, government policies and regulation, news, and general perceptions about brands, product categories, lifestyles, and cultural and social identities.

Adds DePalma, “Content operations teams must account for ROI if they are to have meaningful negotiations with other business functions in enterprise planning. The fundamentals of market share and audience reach provide a base reality for digital customer experience and content measurement.”

“Digital Opportunity: Top 100 Online Languages for 2017” is a part of CSA Research’s annual membership. Visit csa-research.com for more information.

About Common Sense Advisory

Common Sense Advisory is an independent market research company helping companies profitably grow their international businesses and gain access to new markets and new customers. Its focus is on assisting its clients to operationalize, benchmark, optimize, and innovate industry best practices in translation, localization, interpreting, globalization, and internationalization. www.csa-research.com, www.twitter.com/CSA_Research.

Media contact: Melissa C. Gillespie, Melissa@commonsenseadvisory.com, +1 760-522-4362