Spoken by approximately 100 million native speakers, German is one of the world’s major languages and the most widely spoken first language in the European Union. A German translation of your website is needed if you are planning to internationalize your business, or to grow your export sales, in Central Europe.
Why you should translate your website in German
Here are some facts to consider about the German language:
German is primarily spoken in Germany (where it is the first language for more than 95% of the population), Austria (89%) and Switzerland (65%). German is also spoken by the majority of the populations of Luxembourg and Liechtenstein. You can also find German speakers in parts of Belgium, Eastern France and Northern Italy.
And there are some other facts about German you might be interested in knowing:
– Standard German is the only official language in Liechtenstein; it shares official status in Germany, in Austria, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg. It is the official language (with Italian) of the Vatican Swiss Guard.
– German is the third most popular foreign language taught worldwide after English and French.
– German was the fifth most used language on the Internet in 2010, with over 75 million German Internet users.
Germany is the strongest European economy, and one of the largest economies in the world. Germany is also one of the world’s largest exporters and is home to many international corporations. The German speaking population is very present in global business affairs, international organizations, technological applications…. For companies willing to grow at an international level, Germany is a key market.
Full name: Federal Republic of Germany
Population: 82.1 million (UN, 2010)
Capital: Berlin
Area: 357,027 sq km (137,849 sq miles)
Major language: German
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 78 years (men), 83 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 euro = 100 cents
Main exports: Motor vehicles, electrical machinery, metals
GDP per capita is US$ 39.100 in 2012: US $42,560 (World Bank, 2009)
Internet domain: .de
Full name: Republic of Austria
Population: 8.4 million (UN, 2010)
Capital: Vienna
Area: 83,871 sq km (32,383 sq miles)
Major language: German
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 78 years (men), 84 years (women) (UN, 2010)
Monetary unit: 1 euro = 100 cents
Main exports: Machinery, metals, paper, textiles, food, livestock
GNI per capita: US $47,060 (World Bank, 2010)
Internet domain: .at
International dialling code: +43
Internet domain: .at
Full name: Swiss Confederation
Population: 7.7 million (UN, 2011)
Capital: Bern
Largest city: Zurich
Area: 41,284 sq km (15,940 sq miles)
Major languages: German, French, Italian, Romansch
Major religion: Christianity
Life expectancy: 80 years (men), 85 years (women) (UN)
Monetary unit: 1 Swiss Franc = 100 Rappen
Main exports: Machinery and electronics, chemicals, precision instruments, watches
GNI per capita: US $71,530 (World Bank, 2010)
Internet domain: .ch
International dialling code: +41
Source: bbc.co.uk
What German language issues do we have to take into account ?
Standard German varies regionally, between German-speaking countries, in vocabulary and some instances of pronunciation, and even grammar and orthography.
In the German-speaking parts of Switzerland, mixtures of dialect and standard are very seldom used, and the use of standard German is largely restricted to the written language. Austrian Standard German officially in the Austrian education system.
German translation of your website: make sure your website is SEO friendly!
Having a website translated or localized into German will not ensure high visibility: if your website is not meeting the internet standards, it will not necessarily rank well in German search engines, and your prospective customers will not be able to find you.
Translation has to be adapted to the requirements of SEO, so as to make your website “searchable”. When translating a website into German, keywords have to be included in text copy. A previous research should be carried out to understand which keywords are generally used in Germany. Other elements of the website have also to be translated, such as metadata, anchor texts…
Which digital services to enter the German market?
1SEO for German speaking countries
Improve your organic search rankings and digital presence in Germany. SEO is a complex activity that involves various technical aspects (site structure, geolocation,…), multilingual keyword research, website content optimization, link bait…
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2Social media in Germany
Social media should be used to connect with your prospective customers in Germany, which will drive more business. Openvalley assists you in defining the right social media strategy, so as to increase your presence on social networks.
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3Content marketing for a German speaking audience
As cliché as it may sound, content is one of the most important factors in any search marketing strategy. It is highly important to ensure that you have content worth viewing in German to connect with a German-speaking audience.
4Website translation
The issue of localization and translation of content in German is key to connect your customers abroad. Openvalley works with a team of native speakers to ensure web translation and localization is SEO optimized which, will positively affects your website rankings.
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5Website design in Germany
Openvalley design websites that are fully functional, either e-commerce or corporate websites. You can add an unlimited number of pages, update content anywhere, at any time, in a simple way. Our websites are multilingual, which means you can add several additional languages, and smartphone optimized.
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6Paid search
Launching a pay-per-click campaign in Germany is a good way to quickly reach new customers. With pay-per-click, advertisers can efficiently and effectively target customers in a foreign country. We can efectively create paid search campaigns on Google targeting the German market.
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