Languages have been around ever since human beings have inhabited this world. It has helped the human species communicate, educate, conduct business, build communities, and pass down the history of their existence. There are various kinds of language both simple and complex. With over 175 countries and more than 7164 different types of languages spoken across the globe, it is language that connects us with each other.
Fun-fact: Did you know that nearly 44% of languages are endangered and 3.6 billion world population extensively uses only 20 languages out of so many.
English is the most widely spoken language in the world closely followed by Mandarin and Hindi. However, there are many other languages spoken by a majority of the population across the world. Historically, people have tried to find a common language such as Greek, Latin, French, and now English to communicate across boundaries. Although there are 1.4 billion English speakers worldwide, the importance of other popular languages cannot be undermined in today’s world that is connected by the internet. The primary language on the web continues to be English but advancement in language technologies has made the internet accessible to speakers of other native languages as well.
Before we deep dive into how language technology is making the internet accessible and more inclusive space, let’s understand the definition of language, its various types and more.
Definition of Language
Simply put, language is a medium humans use to communicate with each other, an enabler of knowledge transfer from the stone age to the internet era across generations. Over the years there have been multiple definitions of language by different authors. American scholars Bernard Bloch and George L Trager define language as a system of arbitrary vocal symbols by means of which a social group cooperates.
Henry Sweet the English language scholar defines language as the expression of ideas by means of speech-sounds combined into words. Words are combined into sentences, this combination answering that of ideas into thoughts.
The Global Language Landscape
However, given the geographical distance and cultural diversity languages in different parts of the world are remarkably different. In a world divided into different continents, let’s deep dive into the different types of languages across different continents.
Given below is a summary of the number of languages spoken across different continents.
CONTINENT | NO. OF COUNTRIES | LANGUAGES |
Asia | 48 | 2300 |
Europe | 50 | 24 |
America | – | 1604 |
Africa | – | 2000 |
ASIA
One of the most diverse continents, Asia is home to 48 countries and 2300 languages. A melting pot of cultures, popular languages like Mandarin, Hindi, and Arabici have their origin in Asia.India alone has 23 official languages with Hindi being the most widely spoken language in the country. With over 400 million internet users in Southeast Asia, making information available in different languages on the web is certainly a given.
EUROPE
Home to 50 countries and 24 official languages, Europe has a rich cultural heritage. Besides the 24 official languages there are some 200 languages spoken across the continent. Popular languages widely used in the business world such as French and German have originated from Europe. Portuguese, Finnish, Dutch, Spanish and more are all spoken in Europe. With 90% of European households accessing the internet, businesses and government bodies can’t undermine the importance of making information in native European languages available on the web.
AMERICA
North America, Central America, and The Caribbean is home to 1,064 languages. Many popular languages that are widely spoken in America like English, Spanish, Portuguese, and French have originated from Europe. Several other languages such as Quechua, Mayan, and Gaurani are native American languages. America has a very complex and fascinating linguistic landscape. However, despite English being the primary language in America a whopping 21.6% of Americans are more comfortable with other native languages.This again reaffirms building an online space which is more inclusive, diverse, and accessible.
AFRICA
The continent is believed to be the birthplace of human species – “Cradle of humanity”’ which clearly explains the language diversity in Africa. With over 2000 languages spoken across Africa, the continent accounts for 30% of languages spoken worldwide. East Africa is believed to be the most linguistically diverse region. Despite the impact of colonialism on African languages, the native tribes have been able to preserve their native language and dialects. But all of this does not mean that the continent is not catching up with the world. The internet penetration rate in 2021 was at 43% and 130 million people out of a population of 1 billion are proficient in English. Africa is a huge market with great potential for businesses, but this means investing in technologies like website localisation to connect with the local consumer in their language.
It is clear that though English remains the lingua franca, there are many native languages that people speak across the globe. In a world that lives and thrives online today, businesses and governments need to be cognizant of the needs of the non-English speaking population as well. They account for a sizable chunk of the global population and therefore investing in language technology that can make the internet accessible to all is no more a choice but a necessity.
Language Technologies : Making the Internet Accessible
The advancement in communication technology and the internet has blurred geographical boundaries. It has afforded businesses the opportunity to engage and do business with customers outside their home city and country. However, in order to make a genuine connection with these customers they need to invest in technologies like website localisation, translation, transliteration, and translation management services etc.
Reverie Language Technologies is a pioneer in the language technology business. They have helped many government bodies and local Indian businesses to connect with millions of Indians across the length and breadth of the country. India with its many languages and dialects has a very diverse and complex linguistic tapestry. Reverie’s ready to use APIs, multilingual voicebots, website localisation platform and other cutting-edge technologies help industries across the spectrum to connect with Indians in all the officially recognised 23 languages.
Faqs
How many languages does Reverie provide translation services in?
Reverie provides translation and website localisation services in all the officially recognised 23 Indian languages.
Is the platform customisable?
Yes, the platform can be customised according to your unique business needs.
Does Reverie provide translation services in foreign languages?
Not at the moment, at present we work only on Indian languages.
Can the platform integrate with our existing website?
Yes, our platform is easy to install and can be integrated with your existing CMS/webstack.
