the startups.com platform about startups.comCheck out the new Startups.com - A Comprehensive Startup University
Education
Planning
Mentors
Funding
Customers
Assistants
Clarity
Categories
Business
Sales & Marketing
Funding
Product & Design
Technology
Skills & Management
Industries
Other
Business
Career Advice
Branding
Financial Consulting
Customer Engagement
Strategy
Sectors
Getting Started
Human Resources
Business Development
Legal
Other
Sales & Marketing
Social Media Marketing
Search Engine Optimization
Public Relations
Branding
Publishing
Inbound Marketing
Email Marketing
Copywriting
Growth Strategy
Search Engine Marketing
Sales & Lead Generation
Advertising
Other
Funding
Crowdfunding
Kickstarter
Venture Capital
Finance
Bootstrapping
Nonprofit
Other
Product & Design
Identity
User Experience
Lean Startup
Product Management
Metrics & Analytics
Other
Technology
WordPress
Software Development
Mobile
Ruby
CRM
Innovation
Cloud
Other
Skills & Management
Productivity
Entrepreneurship
Public Speaking
Leadership
Coaching
Other
Industries
SaaS
E-commerce
Education
Real Estate
Restaurant & Retail
Marketplaces
Nonprofit
Other
Dashboard
Browse Search
Answers
Calls
Inbox
Sign Up Log In

Loading...

Share Answer

Menu
Mobile applications: Creating social networking application for iOS, which languages should it support?
JP
JP
Joseph Peterson, Names, Domains, Sentences and Strategies answered:

If your target market is North America, then there's negligible motivation for going beyond Spanish and French as secondary languages.

French would only apply to a relatively small part of Canada; but it might spill over across the Atlantic, thereby giving your app an entrance into other parts of the world through social sharing.

Spanish is much more important -- not only because Spanish is used worldwide by a staggering number of people but also because Spanish is fast becoming a crucial second language here in the USA. Witness these statistics:

35 million Americans speak Spanish at home (2009)
76% of hispanic Americans speak Spanish at home (2009)
50.5 million hispanic Americans in 2010
16.3% of Americans in 2010 are hispanic
132.8 million hispanic Americans by 2050
30% of Americans by 2050 will be hispanic

Although few people listen to me, I always advocate for more attention to be paid to the Latino / Hispanic U.S. market. That's reflected in some of my own initiatives behind the scenes as well.

I don't necessarily recommend focusing on multilingual marketing right away. As others have advised, stick to the English-speaking audience initially. You'll have challenges enough early on without complicating matters by injecting translations and extra marketing channels into the agenda. English is your proof of concept, your test case. From there, expand.

That said, you should pay special attention now to how your brand name may facilitate or limit expansion into other language markets. All future possibilities should be taken into consideration at the moment of naming. That includes potential overseas marketing, the addition of new service / product offerings, and the very real possibility that you'll pivot and redefine yourself as something else -- foreseeable or unforeseen.

As a professional namer / domain investor, I'm not a localization consultant per se. But language factors into my daily routine. Last week, for instance, I wrote emails in Arabic and Spanish and had to fumble through a smattering of French, Italian, and Portuguese in my inbox. So maybe I can offer a useful perspective on your branding and marketing.

Talk to Joseph Upvote • Share
•••
Share Report

Answer URL

Share Question

  • Share on Twitter
  • Share on LinkedIn
  • Share on Facebook
  • Share on Google+
  • Share by email
About
  • How it Works
  • Success Stories
Experts
  • Become an Expert
  • Find an Expert
Answers
  • Ask a Question
  • Recent Answers
Support
  • Help
  • Terms of Service
Follow

the startups.com platform

Startups Education
Startup Planning
Access Mentors
Secure Funding
Reach Customers
Virtual Assistants

Copyright © 2025 Startups.com. All rights reserved.