How and why to become a digital Catalan speaker

BarcelonaWhen you open your phone every morning or turn on your computer to work, what language do you see on the screen? If you are a Catalan speaker and the answer isn't "Catalan," you are part of a majority that, without realizing it, is limiting the language's presence in the digital realm. The data indicates this: only one in five Internet users in Catalan-speaking states browse with their device configured in Catalan. This has important implications for the digital future of Catalan.

The aforementioned figure is the result of an analysis conducted by Accent Obert on the traffic of dozens of relevant websites in Catalan-speaking territories, which total tens of millions of monthly sessions. The study shows that only 20% of visits are made with a browser configured with Catalan as the preferred language. Even among users who exclusively consult content and services in Catalan, the proportion of browsers configured in this language does not exceed 40%. That is to say: many Catalan speakers consume content in their own language from devices configured in other languages.

Also according to estimates by Accent Obert, based on data from state and regional statistical agencies, the number of connected devices (computers, smartphones and bedside tables) in homes in Catalonia, the Valencian Community, and the Canary Islands is between 20 and 24 million devices. Adding those for corporate use, the total ranges between 25 and 30 million. This means that only about five million are configured in Catalan; 80% of the devices operate in other languages: perhaps they belong to Catalan speakers, but their language settings don't reflect this.

This reality has motivated the launch of the Configura.cat campaign, promoted by Accent Obert, Òmnium Cultural, Plataforma por la Lengua, and Softcatalà and presented this Monday, October 27. The initiative was born from an empirical observation: many user complaints about the lack of results in Catalan on Google were not due to a deficiency in the search engine, but rather to the configuration of their devices, which did not allow the algorithm to infer that they preferred content in Catalan.

Why does language settings matter?

Language settings aren't just a matter of personal preference: they have broader implications. First, search engines—and now also AI chatbots– they use it to personalize results. Without this setting, the algorithm may interpret that the user is not particularly interested in their Catalan content. This can lead to a downward spiral: less visibility of results in Catalan can lead to less consumption of that content—including ads—which in turn can discourage its creation.

It also affects the development of artificial intelligence (AI) technologies. Chatbots, digital housekeepers, voice recognition systems, and translators learn from real-world usage data. Greater use of devices in Catalan provides more data to improve accuracy and functionality. It also gives companies clues about the demand for services in Catalan, influencing their investment decisions in localization and feature development.

A multifactorial ecosystem

The visibility of Catalan on the internet is the result of a combination of factors. It depends not only on users, but also on how digital platforms operate and the criteria they apply.

To begin with, the availability of useful, high-quality web content in Catalan is good, even above what would be expected given the population size. However, some of this content is not immediately visible because website administrators have not labeled them properly. Alliance entities such as the Catalan SEO Association are already working with various institutions and companies to improve this aspect.

On the other hand, the criteria and algorithms of digital companies, which are private companies with their own commercial interests, are decisive. Their decisions about what they offer us respond to multiple variables: volume of content, consumption patterns, interaction data, and relevance criteria. Not all of these variables are transparent.

The sponsoring entities, within the framework of the Alliance for the Digital Presence of Catalan, have been practicing digital diplomacy with these platforms for months: ensuring they have reliable data on Catalan and alerting them to glaring incidents of lack of visibility. However, their capacity for influence is limited. Companies have their own objectives that often don't coincide with the needs of minority languages. That's why it's so important to act in areas that users can control.

This is where Catalan speakers can intervene: device configuration, content creation, consumption, and interaction. The digital ecosystem feeds back: more configurations in Catalan generate greater visible demand, which can incentivize more content and better language detection. This positive feedback can only occur with a critical mass of users.

A website to facilitate change

The campaign website aims to make the setup process more accessible in Catalan. The step-by-step instructions consider that the device can initially be in Spanish, French, Italian or English, recognizing the diversity of users' starting situations.

The featured content, in the form of videos, covers the four main operating systems: Android and iOS for mobile phones and tablets, and Windows and macOS for computers. There is also a section dedicated to setting up the Google account, which is decisive in interpreting language preferences when offering search results. Finally, the website also contains setup guides in Catalan for the web browsers Firefox, Safari and Edge, as well as for profiles on social networks such as X and Facebook, where the user often sees the application in Catalan, but has the profile in another language.

Collective challenge

The campaign poses a challenge for linguistic presence in the digital age. Each device configured in Catalan contributes to raising awareness of the demand for our language and triggers the delivery of the Catalan version by websites that have more than one language. The objective is to highlight the real demand for digital Catalan.

The sponsoring entities recognize that this is a long-term objective that requires the involvement of several actors: users, companies, institutions, educational centers, and the media. The campaign aims to be a starting point for collective awareness of the importance of digital habits.

The first step is simple: establish Catalan as the preferred language for personal and company devices. The aim is to ensure that the habitual language is also the language of the screens we consult every day. Because being a Catalan speaker in the 21st century also means being one in the digital environment.