When businesses say they want to "expand reach," people frequently think of enormous marketing budgets, fancy ad tech, or endorsements from famous people. But the truth is, sometimes the best thing to do is much easier. For example? English to Tamil translation. Sounds small. Yet for many top brands, it changed how they connect with millions of customers. 

Why Tamil even matters

Let’s pause for a second. Tamil is spoken by more than 80 million people and is also claimed to be the National Language of India by many. That’s not a niche. It’s bigger than the entire population of some countries. Tamil Nadu’s culture runs deep, and its people take great pride in their language. Yes, they understand Hindi and English too, but when it comes to trust, shopping online, banking, and reading instructions, most prefer Tamil. A Google-KPMG report even showed that 9 out of 10 new internet users in India lean toward local languages, not English.

So, think about it. If a company continues blasting ads in English, but the customer on the other end is more comfortable in Tamil, the brand is already missing half the conversation.

What happened when brands tried

A few years ago, e-commerce apps began testing Tamil product descriptions. Shoes, groceries, smartphones, all written out in Tamil instead of English. The outcome? People clicked more. They stayed longer. Tier-2 towns in Tamil Nadu showed higher cart conversions just because buyers understood what they were looking at.

Banks followed the same trail. Once mobile apps added Tamil navigation, people who were hesitant to transact online suddenly felt confident. One financial services company noticed digital adoption increased by double digits, simply because instructions were finally clear in Tamil.

And the feedback wasn’t just about usability. Customers said they felt the brand “spoke their language,” literally. That emotional factor made a difference.

Not as easy as copy-paste

Now, it might sound simple, just translate and be done. But Tamil’s script and grammar aren’t always a one-to-one fit with English. For example, festival-related terms, say Rath Yatra, don’t always carry the same cultural weight when directly translated. Top brands had to use both machine translation systems and people to check them. AI is fast, but native speakers are more accurate. That balance kept people from making humiliating blunders and helped them build trust.

Proof in numbers

Numbers don’t lie. An FMCG company saw 22% growth in sales in Tamil Nadu after rolling out Tamil-first campaigns. A telecom leader cut customer queries drastically because help guides in Tamil reduced confusion. Even YouTube ads in Tamil got higher completion rates than English ones in the same region.

Interesting, right? These aren’t small side effects. They’re proof that local language content builds measurable business outcomes.

It’s not just strategy, it’s personal

It's important to realize that translation isn't only about making profits. It makes people feel different. A Tamil farmer feels appreciated when they check the weather. A mother feels protected when she reads health information in her native language. These times make connections that money can't always purchase.

That's why English to Tamil Translation is more than just a box to tick for localization. It's a door. When brands open, they join a community instead of just a marketplace.

What comes next

Tamil Nadu’s digital scene is growing fast, with cheap smartphones, affordable data, and wider internet coverage. The demand for Tamil content will only go up. Brands that wait might lose ground to competitors who already sound familiar to local users. Those who continue refining Tamil communication, on the other hand, will keep that advantage.

Because here’s the secret: people rarely remember the fanciest campaign, but they never forget when someone speaks their language.

SOURCE: https://devnagrii.blogspot.com/2025/09/how-top-brands-increased-reach-using.html