If current trends continue, the world will be adding approximately 1 billion new Internet users every four years, and the vast majority will be from non-English speaking countries. In fact, according to a recent study by Smartling, 90 percent of all Web users currently live in traditionally non-English speaking areas, while just 13 percent of the total ’Net population lives in North America. In 2000, by contrast, English was the most widely used language by a 26-percent margin, but by 2011 that margin had slipped to just 3 percent. Still, 56 percent of all online content is English-only, but smart businesses had better start preparing to adapt to a new Web dynamic in the coming years.

Read more 'Net Briefs from the May 2012 issue of Website Magazine: - New and Improved iPad - Mobile App Watch - Twitter Ads on the Go - Startups to Watch - Lost in Translation - Bing's Organic Phase  - Acquisitions and Milestones  - It's About Time(line)  - OpenStack Opens Up - A Patented Conflict - Mind Games  - Girl Power - The Hacker Way