This week, a study done by Frenchinvestment bank Natixis projected that there will be 750 million French speakers by the year 2050, making French effectively the most spoken language in less than 40 years. While the study has a couple of flaws, like not taking into account the language diversity in many countries where French is the official language and just counting their entire population as French speakers nonetheless, the fact that “it is the language of areas with population booms, particularly sub-Saharan Africa,” as the study points out, is undeniable.
It is also undeniable that French is widely spoken right now, and by widely I mean not only the number of French speakers, but also the variety and nuances one can find in the French spoken in different parts of the world. Let me illustrate this with this video about the differences between French in Canada and in France:
Right now, French is the ninth most spoken language in the world, and considering its spread around the world, its rapid growth, and the diverse uses of the language in the different French-speaking countries, offering high-quality translation services that can accommodate all of these nations’ particularities while keeping up with the rising demand is a tall order.
Fortunately, inwhatlanguage is up to the task. And the keyword for this is localization.
Localization is the full and complete customization of content for a specific language, dialect, idioms, and cultural context of the intended audience. Even if both cultures speak the same language, that doesn’t guarantee that they use the same context to interpret linguistic content. By localizing content, you make sure that the true intended message shines through, without any of the embarrassing miscommunications that can happen when a literal French translation isn’t quite enough.
In iwl, we take extra care to make sure that the work we do for our clients is properly localized to the cultural context of the intended audience. That way, you can rest assured knowing that your audience will fully grasp the intended meaning of the localized content we translate into French for you.
And also, this way we are also prepared for the future. A future where, regardless of whether French, Chinese, Malay or Urdu is the most spoken language, inwhatlanguage will be able to provide help for whoever needs their words to reach communities where other languages are spoken. Just try us!
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