Translate your app into Deutsch
German · ~95M native, ~175M total worldwide
German-speaking Europe (the DACH region — Deutschland, Austria, Confoederatio Helvetica) is one of the richest consumer blocs in the world, with a combined GDP approaching $5 trillion and among the highest per-capita SaaS and e-commerce spending anywhere. German users also hold localization to a noticeably higher bar — a half-done German translation hurts more than no German at all.
German around the world
German is spoken by ~95m native, ~175m total worldwide. It is used as an official or working language across 7+ countries and territories.
- Germany
- Austria
- Switzerland
- Liechtenstein
- Luxembourg
- Belgium
- Italy (South Tyrol)
What you gain from a German locale
DACH consistently ranks at the top of per-user SaaS spend in Europe.
German enterprise buyers disproportionately shortlist vendors whose product and docs are fully localized.
A fluent German UI signals care about GDPR, data residency and the region — all table stakes for enterprise deals.
Shipping German on Localize.to
Standard de covers Germany, Austria and most of Switzerland for UI copy. Split only if you have a real audience reason (Swiss number formats, Austrian banking terms).
German words run 30–40% longer than English on average. Audit buttons, table headers and fixed-width components before you ship the locale.
German speakers are famously critical of imperfect translations. Use a professional translator or a careful native review; raw machine output rarely survives contact with users.
Pick Sie (formal) or du (informal) up front and apply it consistently. Most B2B products use Sie; consumer apps and younger audiences often use du.
Common questions
B2B and any formal audience: Sie. Consumer apps, social products, Gen-Z audiences: du is now standard. Whichever you pick, be consistent across the whole product.
Usually no — standard de serves all three countries for UI text. Split only for locale-specific content like tax labels, bank identifiers, or date/number formatting.
No. English proficiency is high, but German users strongly prefer to transact, read T&Cs, and contact support in German. Localization meaningfully lifts conversion.
Ready to reach Deutsch speakers?
Create a project, add German as a target language, and ship your first localized build today.