Survey: Less Than 50% of Mobile Apps are in Users' Native Language

WASHINGTON, February 24, 2015 /PRNewswire/ --

Only 49.7% of apps on people's mobile devices are in their native language. This, according to a survey conducted by OHT-Mobile, the mobile division of One Hour Translation, the world's largest online translation agency.

The survey, conducted in February, 2015, was jointly carried out with Google Consumer Surveys based on a representative sample of 800 respondents - 100 each from the US, the UK, Australia, Canada, Italy, Germany, the Netherlands and Japan.

An average of 49.7% of respondents answered that all apps on their mobile device were in their native language but with large differentiation between countries. In the USA, 78% of respondents answered that all apps on their mobile device were in their native language; the UK was close behind on 71% and in Canada and Australia the figures were 66% and 65% respectively. However, there was then a significant drop when considering non-English speaking counties. In Japan, only 37% of respondents answered that all their apps were in their native language with similar levels in Italy (34%) and Germany (33%).

In the Netherlands, only 14% of respondents answered that all their apps were in their native language. Furthermore, in the Netherlands, 16% answered that "none" or "only a few" of their apps are in their native language.

"The results of our new survey are extremely clear: apps should be more effectively targeted to each specific market," said Ofer Shoshan, CEO of One Hour Translation. "People clearly prefer apps in their native tongue. With new tools on the market making it quick and easy to localize applications with little effort, app developers should be taking full advantage and reaching new audiences. It's a very simple and effective way to increase their user base."

The survey results follow the results of a One Hour Translation survey completed in Q4 of 2014 with 2,000 participants from Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Japan and French-speaking Canadians. According to that survey, 83% of Italians prefer to buy goods and services online in their native language, compared with 80% of Germans, 65% of the Dutch, 74% of French-speaking Canadians, and no less than 90% of Japanese people.

OHT-Mobile will be showcasing its new app translation tool, Lingui, at Mobile World Congress in Barcelona from the 2^nd-5^th March 2015. To arrange a demonstration before or at the conference, contact [email protected].

About One Hour Translation 

One Hour Translation is the world's largest online translation agency, offering professional translation services to thousands of business customers worldwide, 24/7/365 - thanks to a community of over 15,000 certified translators. One Hour Translation provides translation services for 75 languages - supported by robust technology to assure top quality and speed. One Hour Translation also provides email translation services, professional human translation API, CMS translation plug-ins, e-commerce, Website Translation (WeST) and more.

http://www.onehourtranslation.com/

Media Contact:
Aaron Kliner
[email protected]
+1-516-595-1843

SOURCE One Hour Translation

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