German Translation, Localization, and SEO

An estimated 100 million people speak German as a first language in countries such as Germany, Austria, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Switzerland, parts of Belgium, Eastern France and Northern Italy. It is also widely spoken throughout the world by some 20 million non-native speakers and competes with Spanish, French and English as the most often chosen second language learned. In the United States, there are about 1.2 million native German-speaking individuals. German is actually the fourth most commonly used language in Europe after English, Spanish and Russian. Although, the German language varies from region to region, it remains relatively the same except for some pronunciation and vocabulary differences.

German is spoken primarily in Germany, a country that possesses one of the strongest economies in the world, and where the majority of the people are highly trained individuals who hold important degrees and qualifications. In fact, Germany is also one of the world’s largest exporters and is home to many international corporations. The German speaking population holds a firm position on the Internet sector as well with almost 84 million people using the Internet in German worldwide (as of November 2015). The German-speaking population all together in Germany and internationally is very present in global business affairs, international organizations, technological applications, Internet affairs, etc. For companies wishing to reach foreign markets, the German-speaking markets are essential.