In Luxembourg, the question comes up with every website and every post: which language should you write in? There is no single answer, but there is a simple way to decide.
One country, several languages
Luxembourgish is the national language. French, German and Luxembourgish are the country’s three administrative languages. Added to these are English, widely used in international companies, and Portuguese, spoken by a large community.
A significant share of residents do not hold Luxembourg nationality, and many cross-border workers come in every day from France, Belgium and Germany. So your customers do not all speak the same language.
Start from your customers, not your preferences
The right language is your customers’ language. Three questions help you decide:
- Who buys from you? Residents, cross-border workers, international companies?
- Which language do they write to you in? Look at your emails, your messages and your reviews.
- Which language do they search in? A customer who types “coiffeur Esch” and another who types “hairdresser Luxembourg” will not see the same pages.
A few pointers by situation
- Local shop, tradesperson, restaurant: French is understood by the greatest number. A word in Luxembourgish (“Moien”, “Merci”) creates a sense of closeness.
- Business services: French and English cover most of the people you deal with.
- German-speaking customers or the north of the country: German or Luxembourgish may be the obvious choice.
- Recruitment: write the advert in the working language of the position.
On the website: one language done well before three done badly
A website in a single language, complete and well written, is better than a website in three languages that is half translated. If you add a language, translate everything: the pages, the menus, the forms, the legal notice.
Each language must have its own pages, with its own address. That is what allows Google to offer the right version to each visitor. We take this into account in our web design work.