Living in a digitalized world: why is it important to invest into Italian translations?

living in a digitalized world why important invest into italian

Living in a digitalized world: why is it important to invest into Italian translations?


Here’s the audio version of this blog post, enjoy listening!

 

How are digitalization, globalization and italian translations connected?


Nowadays, as a result of the global population becoming much more digitally connected, more and more companies are investing in digital services, seeking to maximize their consumer engagement by adjusting their marketing strategies accordingly. However, this may not be sufficient and a proper localization strategy should be put in place as well. Let’s see why the Italian market should be your choice and how Italian translations can help you generate more revenues.

The present (and the future) is hyperconnected

 

Think about this: digital technologies have permeated our daily routines, and we have become so accustomed to this new way of living that sometimes we are scarcely aware of it. They make our lives easier and more efficient and are no more limited to computers or smartphone but also involve home automation, just to make an example.

We like to be always connected and we can do everything online, from general purchases to grocery shopping, from conferences to home entertainment. There are currently more devices connected to the Internet than humans, and, according to Statista, the total of Internet of Things (IoT) connected devices worldwide is projected to amount to 30.9 billion units by 2025.

Surveys have been conducted to better understand how the Information and Communication Technologies (ICT) usage in households and by individuals are transforming our world, focusing on production and access, uptake and usage, and impact on the economy and labor market.

According to ITU’s report Measuring digital development: Facts and figures 2021, latest figures show that an estimated 4.9 billion people were using the Internet in 2021 (63% of the world’s population). This is an increase of almost 17% since 2019 and is surely also related to the impact that COVID-19 pandemic has had and is still having on our lives. 71% of the world’s population aged 15-24 is using the Internet, compared to 57% of all other age groups.

 

The Italian scenario

 

The Italian market is perfectly aligned with these findings. Comparing data from the first semester 2021 vs the first semester 2020, we can see a 3% increase in the time spent online (3 hours a day, on average), with mobile accesses representing 82% of the total accesses. The digital population in Italy was estimated to be 74%, with an increase of 4 percentage points compared to March 2020.

Categories affected by such changes range from news and entertainment to retail, from social networking to health. Here you have some examples and figures:

  • IO app (7.9 million unique visitors – this is an open source application developed by the Italian government)
  • Google Classroom (+235%)
  • Vinted (2.2 million unique visitors)
  • Too Good To Go (+114%)
  • Microsoft teams (+161%)
  • YouTube Music (+133%)

All well and good so far. But what challenges are involved?
Why providing Italian translations is imperative if you want to be successful?

Being one of the largest economy in the Eurozone and the 8th largest in the world, the Italian domestic market surely offers several business opportunities. But there’s a problem: Italians don’t speak English. According to the EF English Proficiency Index (EF EPI) survey, Italians rank 35th in English language proficiency and virtually anyone relies on the presence of Italian translations when they want (or need) to use a digital service or make a purchase online.

TRANSLATION ROI

The oldest population has never studied English in school and gets easily frustrated when they have to interact  with pages, call to actions and commands written in a language they cannot understand. Younger people are surely more familiar with English, but are not as immersed in a multilingual environment as their peers in other European countries, where, for instance, films and TV series are broadcasted in the original language, which is often English. In Italy, they are always dubbed instead. We may be assisting to a new phenomenon where more and more content is now made available in English, but only a limited number of users are taking benefit from this opportunity and, generally speaking, they still have a basic school level of grammar and vocabulary.

That being the case, if you want to expand your audience and establish a solid way in the Italian market, you should consider localizing your content. Investing in Italian translations will allow you to speak your customers’ language, which offers all sorts of advantages. Just to mention a few, you will able to:

  • Ensure customer satisfaction
  • Build customer trust
  • Offering tailor-made experiences for the local market
  • Increase brand loyalty
  • Gain a competitive edge

So, do not miss this opportunity. If you are interested in the topic and want to investigate further, make sure to read also our blog post Why the Italian market should be one of your best bets for localization.


Cristina Siragusa
c.siragusa@stats.dpsonline.it

Traduttrice e revisore: Lettrice accanita, ama gli animali e adora viaggiare per scoprire nuovi luoghi e culture. Non aspetta altro che arrivi l’estate, ma ha un debole per la cioccolata calda.



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