Translation agency: English language

Did you know that English is the most dominant language internationally and that it ranks third in terms of the number of native speakers? According to a study by Statista, there are over 1,452 million English speakers, but only 379.9 million of them are native speakers. This is due to the fact that English has spread across the globe to become a lingua franca.

In fact, it is an official language of 67 different countries and 27 non-sovereign states. The United States has the highest number of English speakers. India comes second, followed by Pakistan and Nigeria. The United Kingdom holds fifth place even though it is the country with the highest percentage of English speakers in its population.

Due to all this, English has become an important business tool inbrand internationalization. Translating into or out of English is clearly all important in boosting the activities of any business.

Where does English come from?

English can be traced back to what is now northwest Germany and the Netherlands. With the Norman invasion of Great Britain (in 1066), French became the language of the country’s aristocracy. While the Norman monarchs and their court only spoke a Romance language known in England as “Old Norman”, the common people continued to speak English.

For example, animals were referred to by their English names: ox, cow and swine. However, the meat of these animals, which was served to the Normans, was referred to by names of French origin: beef, veal and pork.

This was how French and Latin words were incorporated intoOld English, a language of German origin, during the period when Middle English was spoken, and this then evolved into the English we know today.

Although the Norman invasion led to the disappearance of about 80% of all Anglo-Saxon vocabulary, the most commonly used English words today are of Anglo-Saxon origin.

Curiosities about the English language

• The English alphabet consists of 26 letters (five vowels and 21 consonants) and 44 different phonemes or sounds. In this language, there is no close correlation between the spelling and the pronunciation. The phonemes can be represented by more than one letter of the alphabet. For example, the phoneme [ʒ] can be represented by either the letter “s” or “g”.
• It is estimated that around 4,000 words are added to the English language every year. Although not all of them make it into the dictionary, most come to be used in everyday life, on the Internet and in the media.
• In addition to synonyms and antonyms, English also has contronyms: words with two opposite meanings. For example, the wordbound can mean “fastened to a place or circumstance” and, in other cases, “heading for a new place or destination”.

There are many variations of English

As also happens with the Spanish spoken in Mexico, Argentina and Spain, there are many differences in variations of the English language since the English-speaking world is a huge, very diverse one. The expansion of the English language and the cultural changes that have taken place in different regions have led to the emergence of other variations of English, for example the English spoken in Canada, New Zealand, Australia and South Africa.

American English vs. British English

As we have already seen, English is not spoken the same everywhere. Although all speakers share a language with the same foundations, each version has a vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation of specific characteristics.

It is difficult to say whether American or British English is more widely spoken. Nevertheless, given the number of native speakers and the spread of American culture through cinema and television, American English is probably the winner.

Major differences between British and American English

How does British English differ from American English? They diverge in four major aspects: the vocabulary, spelling, pronunciation and grammar.

Which is the best variant of English to use in translations?

This depends on various factors, such as the objective and the target audience. Translating a document to apply to study at a university in the United States is not the same as translating audiovisual material or a legal document from or into English.

Although British English is the most commonly spoken type in the West, people working in cultural sectors are more accustomed to American English. One thing always holds true though: a good translation by a professional translator is essential in achieving positive outcomes in work or business. Nowadays, English is one of the most in-demand languages in the global market, whether online or offline.

How to expand a brand on the web: the importance of an English translator.

A bilingual person who speaks Spanish and English is not only able to understand one out of every three people who go online (Internet World Stats, 2019), but also 60% of all content published online (W3Techs, 2019).

This explains why English is so important in the business world, tourism sector and in international relations, and it is likely to remain so for the foreseeable future. According to a study by Statista, English is needed to understand 52.3% of all available online content. and yet only 26.2% of Internet users speak it.

The importance of international search engine optimisation and translation on the internet

At the same time, there are companies and even marketing agencies that fail to take into account international search engine optimisation when translating their websites into other languages, and that is a mistake. Website translation does not, in itself, guarantee the incorporation of the keywords that Internet users might choose when searching in their language for information online.

One good international SEO strategy is to begin by researching suitable keywords for a certain product or service in the language you wish to add to your marketing mix. For example, SEO translation of a website from English to Spanish not only involves translating the keywords into Spanish, but also identifying the keywords for each target region. This is the only truly effective way for the content to reach your target audience.

Why hire a translation agency?

In a multicultural society like ours, translators play a prime role as intercultural mediators. Today, professional translators must be capable of transposing the realities of one culture to another different one. In other words, a translator working from or into English must be able to adapt a message expressed in the source language to a target language infused with totally different cultural connotations without the target audience realizing that it is a translation.

As we have already seen, the differences between British and American English are just one example of the different variations that can be found. That is why, in translations from or into English, it is important to decide which variant to opt for, taking into account your needs, objectives and target audience.

In this kind of scenario, hiring a translation agency is the best way to ensure high-quality work that does not sound like a translation.

sanscrit’s translators are experienced native language professionals, able to tailor their work to meet the needs of each individual customer. This way, we ensure that our translation services in Barcelona meet the highest quality standards to deliver the expected results. Don’t hesitate tocontact us in the event of a query or question of any kind.

Order your English translation to or from Barcelona:

Company or individual *

• Private individual
• Company

Company details *

First

Last

First and last name

First

Last

First and last name *

First

Last

Email *

Email

Confirm Email

Phone

Comments *

Attach document

Click or drag files to this area to upload. You can upload up to 5 files.

GDPR Agreement *

• I accept the privacy policy and the general terms and conditions.

Send