SDL, the leading provider of Global Information Management (GIM) solutions today released the SDL 2007 World Language League Table – cataloguing the languages most commonly translated through its systems.

The company translates over a billion words into over 150 languages every year through a combination of automated technology and a team of linguists. Two of the most significant findings in the League Table were the increase of translation into Chinese and Russian, and the significant uptake of localization in Eastern Europe.

“We have observed a strong increase in European language translations – particularly from the Eastern regions as the EU expands,” commented Chris Boorman, chief marketing officer at SDL. “While Canadian French, Spanish, European French and German have held on to the top four spots since 2006, movements further down the list are strong indicators of international business change”.

Translations into Chinese have become more frequent, jumping from eighth to sixth place in the global chart of the top ten most translated languages, and Russian makes its first ever appearance in the league at number ten. Japanese and Dutch have moved down the league to seventh and eighth places respectively.

“The changes in the translation league table are indicative – and can often even predict – changes in the international markets,” explained Boorman. “The rise of Chinese translation is particularly significant, indicating China’s economic expansion in the IT and telecoms sectors.  The increasing role of Europe in the global economy and the expansion into Eastern Europe are represented well in the overall league table.  In particular, the rise of Russian and Eastern European languages are important, reflecting the growing power of ‘nearshoring’ in these regions.

“Translations into foreign languages are becoming more and more necessary for global branding,” he added. “But our over-reliance on the English language still causes problems.”

“Contenders for the future could also include Greece, Nordics and the Baltic states, as there is already a growing demand for translation into these languages,” he concluded. “So we could be in for more surprises in next year’s list.”

SDL world language league table 2007

1. Canadian French
2. Spanish
3. French
4. German
5. Italian
6. Chinese
7. Japanese
8. Dutch
9. English
10. Russian

In addition to providing a language league table, SDL has also published a table of the top 10 languages by growth rate:

SDL Language league table 2007 (growth percentages)