Are you coping with the challenges of expanding into foreign markets?

This research from Common Sense Advisory on how language affects purchasing behaviors may interest you:

There is very strong link between product information in the local language and the client’s likelihood of buying the product.

• 72.1% of clients spend most or all of their time on websites in their own language.
• 72.4% of clients said they would be more likely to buy a product with information in their own language.

Furthermore, over half of clients are willing to pay more if they receive product information in their own languages.

A study based on a Gallup survey of language preferences [PDF] among internet users in 23 E.U. countries by the EU revealed some remarkably similar findings:

• Nine out of 10 Internet users said that, when given a choice of languages, they always visited a website in their own language.
• 42% said they never buy products and services in other languages.

So even though English remains the lingua franca for now and many Europeans understand it, translated materials that make a direct connection to your clients in their native tongues virtually guarantee higher sales.

These clear figures are pretty conclusive evidence: the time to translate is now, and with a good LSP it’s an easy, exciting business move.