There was a time when almost everything on the internet was in English. And that was a long time ago.

In the early online years, some argued that the internet would increase, or even cement, the dominance of English as a lingua franca.

Many of the world’s major Internet players, such as Facebook and Twitter, started out in English only. But as their popularity gained, their next move was to create versions in other languages.

We posted earlier this year about how minority languages are harnessing the power of internet in order to survive. A recent article on Huffington Post, written by translation expert Nataly Kelly, supports the idea that the internet has become a Tower of Babel rather than an “English-only” club.

“The internet gives people access to information in all three of the forms they prefer (audio, video, and text), making it the only communication platform capable of reaching people in all of the languages they speak, “explains Kelly in her article How Translation is Changing the World. “Before the internet, conquering Babel was simply a dream -- now, it's an attainable goal.”

Indeed, as speakers of lesser-used languages communicate through the Web and as companies reach out to them, we can see that the idea of an “English-speaking” internet has gone by the wayside.

Betty Carlson

See Also

• Language Translation, Inc.
  A leading language translation and interpretation service provider for more than 20 years.