IndieWeb Carnival: multilingualism in a global Web

This is my first entry to an IndieWeb Carnival, and the topic this time is especially interesting: multilingualism in a global Web.

As you may or may not know, I’m from Germany. My native language is German – it’s the language I grew up speaking, thinking, and communicating in. Most of my daily life is conducted in German, except at work, where I speak English as part of an international team.

This blog, however, is written in both German and English. Some posts, like my monthly reviews, I write in both languages. Since I use my own blogging engine, I’ve even implemented functionality that allows me to link between the two versions.

Other posts are only in one language. So how do I decide which language to write in? In the past, I based my decision on whether I could express myself well enough in English. If I felt I couldn’t capture the meaning I wanted, or if the topic was specific to Germany or involved German politics or local media, I would write in German. For everything else, especially if it had a more global appeal, I would write in English.

As I’ve become more comfortable with English, thanks to using it every day at work, I now find myself posting mostly in English. It allows me to connect with a much larger audience since the German-speaking world is relatively small in comparison.

On the other hand, it’s a bit sad that so much of the international communication on the Internet happens primarily in English. With tools like DeepL or Google Translator, it’s easier than ever to understand content in hundreds of languages, yet English still dominates. Maybe people would feel more comfortable and accurate expressing themselves in their native language, where they can communicate their thoughts more precisely? It makes me wonder – will we ever move toward a more multilingual web with technology like this?

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