With about 477 million native speakers, Spanish is the third most widely spoken language in the world after Mandarin and English. In recent years, the demand for Spanish translation services has grown by an estimated 40%, largely because of the importance that Spanish translations carry for United States companies. Take a look at why Spanish has become even more significant over time, especially to U.S. businesses.

The Number of Spanish Speakers Will Continue to Increase

In the United States, more than 41 million people speak Spanish as their first language. Even more amazing is that the United States is expected to have the largest number of Spanish speakers across the globe by 2050. With these numbers continuing to rise, it simply makes good business sense for companies to embark on Spanish translations and localization of products and services.

Spanish Education is Booming

One reason that Spanish translation in businesses is increasing is that the language continues to become more prevalent in education. As more people are employed by the education system, and as Spanish books, software, and other products are being used in classrooms, book publishers and educational companies are relying more on Spanish translations. With Spanish being the most studied language in the United States, businesses have to keep up with the demand for translated products.

Social Media Speaks Volumes

Since social media is a significant part of marketing strategies, Spanish translations and localizations for these platforms is critical. With 377 million people communicating in Spanish on social media, it ranks second in the most used languages on social media networks. As an example of the use of Spanish in these platforms, 73% of U.S. Hispanic people utilize Facebook, and almost half of them consider it to be a place to share information about brands. Additionally, 31% of Instagram’s 13.1 million Spanish-speaking users favor Instagram accounts that offer content in Spanish.

Businesses Need to Keep Up with Trends

As businesses work to stay ahead of the upward trends of the use of Spanish, their need for Spanish translations and localization also continues to grow. Some of the Spanish translation and localization services that businesses are using include:

  • Document Translation – Considering the volume of documents a business produces in a day, one of the primary areas for Spanish translation is general document translation. Translations of manuals, letters, handbooks, and countless other materials are necessary to accommodate for Spanish-speaking employees and clients.
  • Medical Translations – As the number of Spanish speakers grow, their need for precisely translated medical and pharmaceutical information also increases. Accurately translating medication names, complex terminologies, dosing information, and instructions is absolutely critical, and there is no room for error. This is especially important, as trends in healthcare point to more services being offered virtually.
  • Finance Localization – Similar to the areas of medicine and pharmaceuticals, finance is another area that has to completely resonate with customers in their own language, and translations and localization have to be accurate. As the finance industry further develops, fintech companies and other financial institutions will continue to need Spanish translations to keep up with the rising number of clients.
  • Marketing Materials Localization – A critical aspect of localization is tailoring content to a region, not just a language. Since Spanish is the official language of 20 countries, marketing materials for a business would need to be customized to each country. By localizing content to a region, your business has an opportunity to attract numerous new customers.
  • Website Localization – Since the use of Spanish online has surged by an astounding 800%, it is now the third most frequently used language on the internet. With this in mind, localizing websites to Spanish-speaking countries should be a part of your company’s growth strategy.
  • App Localization – Although there are millions of apps accessible for users to obtain, only about 9 apps daily and 30 apps monthly are actually used. As such, localizing an app for a Spanish-speaking region makes it significantly more likely that a user will download it, since consumers prefer to buy products in their own language.
  • Video Localization – As businesses seek to attract new clients, Spanish localization of videos is particularly important, since three-fourths of Hispanic shoppers use YouTube to discover new services and products. Furthermore, one in every two Hispanic smartphone users prefer mobile video advertisements that authentically portray their culture.

With approximately 754 million people across the globe expected to speak Spanish by 2060, the growth of the language will continue to surge. As such, the need for Spanish translations and localization in businesses will rise in the years ahead.

Summary

As the third most widely spoken language in the world, Spanish continues to remain a significant language for U.S. businesses. As such, the need for Spanish translation services has grown by an estimated 40%.