What the KPMG/Google India Study Means for Multimedia Localization

KPMG India and Google recently released a report detailing online language use in India. It has a few interesting insights into internet engagement and adoption in English and Indian native languages, with major implications for audio & video localization. Anyone looking to translate, localize or transcreate for India will be elated by this report – and challenged as well.

This post will list the report’s three main takeaways for multimedia localization.

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The rise of Indian-language internet use

The report came out in April and is titled Indian Languages – Defining India’s Internet. KPMG is a professional services company and a large multinational auditor. Google, its co-author, needs no introduction. The report divides online activity in India into English-language usage, and usage in one of eight major native languages – Hindi, Bengali, Telugu, Marathi, Tamil, Gujarati, Kannada and Malayalam – which they call “Indian-language usage.”

Two trends emerge from their research.

First, Indian-language internet usage is now greater than English-language usage. It wasn’t always so – in 2011, there were 68 million English-language (EL) users, compared to 42 million Indian-language (IL) ones. By 2016, the numbers shifted – 234 million IL users, to 175 million EL. The authors project 536 million IL (18% compounded annual growth rate) users, and 199 million EL (3%), by 2021. That means that 90% of new internet users in the next five years will be IL speakers clamoring for original content and multimedia translation.

Second, many factors favor expansion into IL over EL. The next generations of users will be primarily IL speakers just because of demographics – only 125 million people in India are primarily English-speakers, after all. The Indian government has also taken steps to increase language accessibility, by mandating that mobiles sold in the country support and enable IL’s, and by increasing multilingual online services.

Even the challenges to user adoption point to an increase in IL usage. Per the report, 60% of IL users said that not having content available in their language was the greatest barrier for adoption. Providing IL content should lead to a surge in adoption rates, which will lead to more content, which means more adoption – you get the idea.

What does it mean for multimedia localization?

Don’t cancel your English voice-over sessions for India quite yet. After all, 12% of the population still speaks the language, and it’s a kind of lingua franca in some sectors. That said, translation & localization professionals need to consider the following.

1. The window of opportunity is wide open.

Any localization or transcreation effort for India needs to start right now, when 88% of IL users are more likely to respond to online marketing if it’s in their native tongue but the internet isn’t saturated with IL content. Even a cost-effective entry like subtitling can start to establish an audience.

2. Don’t just look at language size – look at engagement & adoption rates.

Some of the IL online engagement statistics in the report are surprising. For example, rural users have higher online engagement across the board, from social media to online retailing and government services. Additionally, adoption rates vary across languages – Tamil has a higher rate than Hindi (though there are still many more Hindi speakers overall, and Hindi voice-over & dubbing are de rigueur). Finally, the propensity to respond to native-language ads varies from one language to another, meaning some IL speakers are more OK with EL content overall.

3. Adoption rates won’t stay consistent.

The rates will differentiate more in 2021, with some languages snowballing (Tamil & Kannada, 74%), while others slow down slightly (Marathi & Gujarati, 43%). Localization needs to take these rates into consideration. In 5-10 years, online ROIs on some of these languages may start looking similar to the ones for Brazilian Portuguese voice-over, for example.

Build audience loyalty now

Create a localization strategy for online content in Indian languages. Research your local markets, and don’t just go for languages with the most speakers. Develop a real campaign for each language. And do it now – if you wait a couple of years, the number of new Indian-language users may make entry less cost-effective. Companies that go in early will be part of what drops the barrier to entry for many users, and will have the best chance to nurture a dedicated and loyal audience.