Capture demand from foreign residents by making your website and social media posts multilingual
Posted: Tue Dec 03, 2024 5:55 am
table of contents
How many foreigners are in Japan as of 2023?
Three reasons why disseminating information in multiple languages is important
In what industries would it be particularly effective to provide information in multiple languages to foreign residents?
Combining website and SNS is effective for multilingual communication
Alive multilingualization case study
summary
The number of foreign visitors to Japan has increased sharply since the beginning of 2023, exceeding 10 million in the first half of the year alone.
As a result, we often see news about the travel and tourism industries booming.
On the other hand, did you know that as of the end of 2022, the number of foreign residents in Japan reached a record high, exceeding 3 million for the first time?
The trend of increasing the number of foreign residents is expected to accelerate, with the Japanese government beginning to consider issuing digital nomad visas to attract talent and capital from overseas.
In the future, the key to somalia business email list business success will be how to capture the demand from foreign residents.
So, in this article, we will focus on the topic of "multilingualization of websites and social media posts."
Latest status of foreign residents
The background behind the importance of disseminating information in multiple languages
Industries where disseminating information in multiple languages is particularly effective
Key points for disseminating information in multiple languages
We will explain in detail about the following:
By reading to the end, you will be able to get the idea out of the gates of taking concrete steps to expand your services to foreign residents in Japan.
Please take a look.
How many foreigners are in Japan as of 2023?
The total number of foreign visitors to Japan from January to June 2023 was 10,712,000, exceeding 10 million in the first half of the year alone. Most of these were short-term tourists.
Looking at residents, the number of foreigners living in Japan will be 3,075,213 as of the end of 2022, a new record high and exceeding 3 million for the first time in history.
Also, looking at the prefectures, Aichi Prefecture, where Alive's headquarters are located, ranks second in the nation.
Top 5 prefectures with the highest number of foreign residents (as of the end of 2022)
Three reasons why disseminating information in multiple languages is important
As mentioned earlier, the number of foreign residents in Japan is on the rise, but why is disseminating information in multiple languages becoming increasingly important now?
We will explain these three points in detail below.
1. The Japanese government is aiming to create a society where people from other countries can coexist together
As mentioned at the beginning, given current social trends, Japan's working population continues to decline, and in order to make up for this labor shortage, the Japanese government has begun to focus on attracting foreign talent in specialized and technical fields.
In addition, according to JICA research materials, the future demand for foreign workers to reach the target GDP is estimated to be 4.19 million in 2030 and 6.74 million in 2040.
As the number of foreigners with purchasing power in Japan continues to increase, it is becoming increasingly important to have multilingual websites and to provide service explanations and information in multiple languages.
2. Japanese businesses are slow to provide information in multiple languages
While the number of foreigners living in Japan is increasing, I feel that there is still a lack of multilingualization in information disseminated on Japanese websites and social media, as well as in-store service explanations.
This tendency is especially pronounced in rural areas.
Regardless of foreigners who are fluent in Japanese, foreigners who have just arrived in Japan have no choice but to rely on the limited number of information sources available in their native language.
From a business perspective, if you can provide multilingual information even a little faster than your competitors, it will be easier to gain market share among foreign residents.
3. Japanese people living abroad also rely on Japanese-language information media.
ALIVE also has a base in Vietnam, so we are well aware of the lifestyles of Japanese people living in Vietnam.
The reality is that Japanese people living in Vietnam mainly rely on Japanese-language online media and free papers as their information sources.
In Vietnam, there are media outlets such as VIET-JO and POSTE that distribute information about Vietnam in Japanese, and Japanese restaurants have free papers aimed at Japanese people such as Weekly Vetter and Vietnam Sketch .
We Japanese use these media to get information on delicious restaurants in Vietnam, how to find a room, spas, entertainment, and other entertainment, enriching our daily lives.
Naturally, stores and corporate websites and other media are more likely to be used if they are available in Japanese.
Just as Japanese people living abroad appreciate being able to gather information in Japanese, it is only natural that foreigners living in Japan would also be happy to be able to gather information in a language that they can easily understand.
Given these three factors, it is clear that Japan is overflowing with need for the dissemination of information in multiple languages.
In what industries would it be particularly effective to provide information in multiple languages to foreign residents?
Industries that deal with products and services that are closely related to everyday life especially should immediately start supporting multiple languages.
If foreigners live in Japan, they will naturally go to the supermarket to buy food and daily necessities, and they may also look for an apartment to move into. Some people also want to buy a house.
On weekends, we go out to eat with family and friends, go to the beauty salon, enjoy our hobbies, and even travel domestically. If we get sick, we need to go to the hospital.
For example, the following industries are likely to see particularly high demand:
Medical industry (general hospitals and clinics)
Beauty industry (spa/beauty salons)
Real estate business (both rental and sales)
Retail (all genres)
Food & Beverage Industry
Lessons, Schools, and Educational Corporations
Accommodation
While some major companies have their websites available in multiple languages, many small and medium-sized companies still only have websites available in Japanese.
If your rival companies in the same business area have not yet made their websites multilingual, now is your chance. By simply making your website multilingual, you will be able to quickly meet the needs of foreigners who have difficulty gathering information.
Combining website and SNS is effective for multilingual communication
When disseminating information in multiple languages, it is effective to combine a website and social media.
Websites can combine visuals and long texts to communicate detailed, systematic, and easy-to-understand information.
Social media is beneficial for spreading awareness of this information, and by regularly posting the latest information and information that is useful for the lives of foreigners, it is also possible to increase brand loyalty.
Although it takes some effort, we recommend that you also separate your SNS accounts according to the language you are posting in. This is because mixing information in Japanese and other languages, which are targeted at different recipients, on one account will result in a fragmented user base, weakening your appeal.
How many foreigners are in Japan as of 2023?
Three reasons why disseminating information in multiple languages is important
In what industries would it be particularly effective to provide information in multiple languages to foreign residents?
Combining website and SNS is effective for multilingual communication
Alive multilingualization case study
summary
The number of foreign visitors to Japan has increased sharply since the beginning of 2023, exceeding 10 million in the first half of the year alone.
As a result, we often see news about the travel and tourism industries booming.
On the other hand, did you know that as of the end of 2022, the number of foreign residents in Japan reached a record high, exceeding 3 million for the first time?
The trend of increasing the number of foreign residents is expected to accelerate, with the Japanese government beginning to consider issuing digital nomad visas to attract talent and capital from overseas.
In the future, the key to somalia business email list business success will be how to capture the demand from foreign residents.
So, in this article, we will focus on the topic of "multilingualization of websites and social media posts."
Latest status of foreign residents
The background behind the importance of disseminating information in multiple languages
Industries where disseminating information in multiple languages is particularly effective
Key points for disseminating information in multiple languages
We will explain in detail about the following:
By reading to the end, you will be able to get the idea out of the gates of taking concrete steps to expand your services to foreign residents in Japan.
Please take a look.
How many foreigners are in Japan as of 2023?
The total number of foreign visitors to Japan from January to June 2023 was 10,712,000, exceeding 10 million in the first half of the year alone. Most of these were short-term tourists.
Looking at residents, the number of foreigners living in Japan will be 3,075,213 as of the end of 2022, a new record high and exceeding 3 million for the first time in history.
Also, looking at the prefectures, Aichi Prefecture, where Alive's headquarters are located, ranks second in the nation.
Top 5 prefectures with the highest number of foreign residents (as of the end of 2022)
Three reasons why disseminating information in multiple languages is important
As mentioned earlier, the number of foreign residents in Japan is on the rise, but why is disseminating information in multiple languages becoming increasingly important now?
We will explain these three points in detail below.
1. The Japanese government is aiming to create a society where people from other countries can coexist together
As mentioned at the beginning, given current social trends, Japan's working population continues to decline, and in order to make up for this labor shortage, the Japanese government has begun to focus on attracting foreign talent in specialized and technical fields.
In addition, according to JICA research materials, the future demand for foreign workers to reach the target GDP is estimated to be 4.19 million in 2030 and 6.74 million in 2040.
As the number of foreigners with purchasing power in Japan continues to increase, it is becoming increasingly important to have multilingual websites and to provide service explanations and information in multiple languages.
2. Japanese businesses are slow to provide information in multiple languages
While the number of foreigners living in Japan is increasing, I feel that there is still a lack of multilingualization in information disseminated on Japanese websites and social media, as well as in-store service explanations.
This tendency is especially pronounced in rural areas.
Regardless of foreigners who are fluent in Japanese, foreigners who have just arrived in Japan have no choice but to rely on the limited number of information sources available in their native language.
From a business perspective, if you can provide multilingual information even a little faster than your competitors, it will be easier to gain market share among foreign residents.
3. Japanese people living abroad also rely on Japanese-language information media.
ALIVE also has a base in Vietnam, so we are well aware of the lifestyles of Japanese people living in Vietnam.
The reality is that Japanese people living in Vietnam mainly rely on Japanese-language online media and free papers as their information sources.
In Vietnam, there are media outlets such as VIET-JO and POSTE that distribute information about Vietnam in Japanese, and Japanese restaurants have free papers aimed at Japanese people such as Weekly Vetter and Vietnam Sketch .
We Japanese use these media to get information on delicious restaurants in Vietnam, how to find a room, spas, entertainment, and other entertainment, enriching our daily lives.
Naturally, stores and corporate websites and other media are more likely to be used if they are available in Japanese.
Just as Japanese people living abroad appreciate being able to gather information in Japanese, it is only natural that foreigners living in Japan would also be happy to be able to gather information in a language that they can easily understand.
Given these three factors, it is clear that Japan is overflowing with need for the dissemination of information in multiple languages.
In what industries would it be particularly effective to provide information in multiple languages to foreign residents?
Industries that deal with products and services that are closely related to everyday life especially should immediately start supporting multiple languages.
If foreigners live in Japan, they will naturally go to the supermarket to buy food and daily necessities, and they may also look for an apartment to move into. Some people also want to buy a house.
On weekends, we go out to eat with family and friends, go to the beauty salon, enjoy our hobbies, and even travel domestically. If we get sick, we need to go to the hospital.
For example, the following industries are likely to see particularly high demand:
Medical industry (general hospitals and clinics)
Beauty industry (spa/beauty salons)
Real estate business (both rental and sales)
Retail (all genres)
Food & Beverage Industry
Lessons, Schools, and Educational Corporations
Accommodation
While some major companies have their websites available in multiple languages, many small and medium-sized companies still only have websites available in Japanese.
If your rival companies in the same business area have not yet made their websites multilingual, now is your chance. By simply making your website multilingual, you will be able to quickly meet the needs of foreigners who have difficulty gathering information.
Combining website and SNS is effective for multilingual communication
When disseminating information in multiple languages, it is effective to combine a website and social media.
Websites can combine visuals and long texts to communicate detailed, systematic, and easy-to-understand information.
Social media is beneficial for spreading awareness of this information, and by regularly posting the latest information and information that is useful for the lives of foreigners, it is also possible to increase brand loyalty.
Although it takes some effort, we recommend that you also separate your SNS accounts according to the language you are posting in. This is because mixing information in Japanese and other languages, which are targeted at different recipients, on one account will result in a fragmented user base, weakening your appeal.