Guangdong Brands Embrace English: Is it Enough for Global Reach?

Out of the 147 Guangdong famous brands, 84% (123 brands) have official websites that support English. For 107 of these brands, English is the only foreign language option available.

According to De Swaan's theory, English is a 'hyper-central' language that serves as an international lingua franca for business and transnational communication. This explains why many brands choose to use English on their corporate websites, as it can reach a broad audience.

However, if English is the only language option available, it may imply a lack of concern for non-English speaking markets. Research has shown that people prefer websites in their native language or a language they understand, highlighting the need for export brands to offer multilingual websites.