Multilingualism and Language Choice in Sub-Saharan Africa: Implications for the Localization Industry


Track: Global Business | GB4 |
Thursday, October 15, 2015, 4:30pm – 5:15pm
Held in: Mission City Ballroom 5
Presenter:
Manuela Noske - CLEAR Global
Host: Allison McDougall

Many companies are planning to extend their product portfolios to emerging markets around the globe in the hope of gaining an early foothold and beating the competition to the punch. In this presentation, we will focus on multilingual practices in emerging markets and the implications for the translation and localization industries. For markets in which multilingualism is the norm and not the exception, we will discuss how diverse language communities can be defined, how to make sense of the fluidity of language use, and most importantly, how to incorporate this knowledge into language planning efforts. Examples will be drawn primarily from sub-Saharan Africa.

Takeaways: Attendees will understand the factors that motivate language choice in emerging markets and the implications for language planning; gain clearer understanding of the practices of multilingualism; develop a deeper appreciation of the challenges of translating and localizing products, services and content for sub-Saharan Africa.