We thought it might be interesting to check out the longest word in the world – and although you won’t be using a long word in your product listings, especially if they’re hard to pronounce for the average Amazon customer, keep in mind that a long word impacts listings especially if you want to translate your listing over to other languages. As you know, Amazon listings have a character count. We’ve seen it time and time again – beautifully written listings adhere to the character count in product listings, infographics, and A+, but once translated over to German, Japanese, Arabic, and the like, the character count increases. Sometimes, listings have to be rewritten from scratch in order to make space for the extra letters.
But there’s no denying it; in the intricate tapestry of language, words are the thread that weave together meaning and understanding. When it comes to the complexities of translations in the global marketplace, particularly in eCommerce platforms like Amazon, it’s important to keep word count and translations in consideration. Otherwise you might be in for a nasty surprise when you publish your listing in different languages only to find you’ve gone over the word count – or that your graphics are a mess because the new words are just so much longer.
Let’s take a fun peek at the longest word in English, German, French, Maori, Filipino, and others, and keep in mind that YLT Translations does in fact know which words will wind up much longer when translated!
Disclaimer: if you have hippopotomonstrosesquippedaliophobia, or the fear of long words (what sadist coined that term?), skip this blog!
His Royal Highness the King Long Word
Let’s start our blog off on a light foot, and check out a fun list of the longest word in the English dictionary – and more.
- Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis (English, 45 Letters)
- This mammoth term, the longest in the English language, is a medical term that refers to a lung disease from inhaling very fine silica dust. It’s a testament to the creativity and complexity of medical terminology. It’s often considered synonymous in silicosis, which is the more commonly used and accepted term.
- Methionylthreonylthreonylglutaminylalanyl…isoleucine (189,819 Letters)
- Holding the Guinness World Record, this extensive word names a human protein, titin. Its extraordinary length arises from the convention of naming proteins by stringing together the names of their constituent amino acids. Did you know it takes approximately 3 and a half hours to pronounce this word in its entirety? What a mouthful!
- Nirantarāndhakāritā … lokān (Sanskrit, 195 Characters)
- This Sanskrit compound, comprising 195 characters, paints a picture of the natural beauty found at Tamil Nadu. It stands as a record in literature for its length and descriptive power.
- Additional Examples Across Languages
- Rindfleischetikettierungsüberwachungsaufgabenübertragungsgesetz (63 Letters) is from the German language and means “beef labeling supervision duties delegation law.” It refers to a law regarding the delegation of certain monitoring responsibilities in beef labeling.
- Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu (85 Letters) comes from the Maori language. It is the name of a hill in New Zealand. Translates to “The peak where Tamatea, the man with the big knees, the climber of mountains, the land-swallower who travelled about, played his nose flute to his loved one.”
- Lentokonesuihkuturbiinimoottoriapumekaanikkoaliupseerioppilas (61 Letters) is a Finnish word meaning “Airplane jet turbine engine auxiliary mechanic non-commissioned officer student.” It’s a term used in the Finnish Air Force.
- Pinakanakakapagngitngitngitngitangpagsisinungasinungalingan (60 Letters) comes from the Filipino language and means “The act of lying that causes the most extreme anger.” It’s a compound word expressing an intense emotional state.
- Electroencefalografista (23 Letters) means “Electroencephalographist” in Spanish, which refers to a specialist who performs and analyzes EEG tests to study brain activity.\
- Anticonstitutionnellement (25 Letters) is French for “Unconstitutionally.” It’s often cited as one of the longest words in the French language.
- أفاستسقيناكموهميئة (19 Letters) means “I gave them water to drink it.” It exemplifies Arabic’s ability to form complex words through concatenation.
- Превысокомногорассмотрительствующий (35 Letters) is Russian for: “The one who looks through everything highly or supremely.” It’s a descriptive adjective, though not commonly used in everyday speech.
- विश्वविद्यालयपरिसर (21 Letters) means “University Campus.” It’s a compound word combining “world,” “knowledge,” and “assembly area.”
- Pneumoultramicroscopicossilicovulcanoconiótico (46 Letters) is the Portuguese equivalent of “pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis,” a lung disease caused by inhaling very fine ash and sand dust.
- 竜巻風下側境界出流 (16 Characters) is Japanese for to “Tornado lower boundary outflow.” It refers to a meteorological phenomenon related to tornadoes.
Looks like you have content for your next board game night. Whoever can’t say Taumatawhakatangihangakoauauotamateaturipukakapikimaungahoronukupokaiwhenuakitanatahu has to take a shot!
Jokes aside, this brings up an important point. Other languages tend to bunch smaller words together to create a new word. We’ll get into SEO and keywords a little later in the blog, but understand that these compound words have an impact on your optimization. What you may think is a valid keyword may be a completely different word – and a really long word! – in another language because it involves the combination of several smaller words to create a bigger one.
Before we continue, have you ever heard of Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Uncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorffwelchevoralternwarengewissenhaftschaferswessenschafewarenwohlgepflegeundsorgfaltigkeitbeschutzenvorangreifendurchihrraubgierigfeindewelchevoralternzwolfhunderttausendjahresvorandieerscheinenvonderersteerdemenschderraumschiffgenachtmittungsteinundsiebeniridiumelektrischmotorsgebrauchlichtalsseinursprungvonkraftgestartseinlangefahrthinzwischensternartigraumaufdersuchennachbarschaftdersternwelchegehabtbewohnbarplanetenkreisedrehensichundwohinderneuerassevonverstandigmenschlichkeitkonntefortpflanzenundsicherfreuenanlebenslanglichfreudeundruhemitnichteinfurchtvorangreifenvorandererintelligentgeschopfsvonhinzwischensternartigraum Sr., or Adolph Blaine Charles David Earl Frederick Gerald Hubert Irvin John Kenneth Lloyd Martin Nero Oliver Paul Quincy Randolph Sherman Thomas Uncas Victor William Xerxes Yancy Zeus Wolfeschlegelsteinhausenbergerdorffwelchevoralternwarengewissenhaftschaferswessenschafewarenwohlgepflegeundsorgfaltigkeitbeschutzenvonangreifendurchihrraubgierigfeindewelchevoralternzwolftausendjahresvorandieerscheinenvanderersteerdemenschderraumschiffgebrauchlichtalsseinursprungvonkraftgestartseinlangefahrthinzwischensternartigraumaufdersuchenachdiesternwelchegehabtbewohnbarplanetenkreisedrehensichundwohinderneurassevonverstandigmenschlichkeitkonntefortpflanzenundsicherfreuenanlebenslanglichfreudeundruhemitnichteinfurchtvorangreifenvonandererintelligentgeschopfsvonhinzwischensternartigraum as he’s known in the Guinness Book of World Records? He was a German native that emigrated to Philadelphia in the early 20th Century, and is known as the person with the longest name in the world! He was only allowed to pronounce his family name by age 3!
Using a Long Word in Listings? Amazon Isn’t the Place for Pneumonoultramicroscopicsilicovolcanoconiosis!
You’ve got two trains of thought. On one hand, many people believe that images convert the customer, and words are there for SEO only. Others believe that images can take second priority, and words are more important for conversion.
Let’s settle this debate once and for all – it depends on the customer and the product. But a good rule of thumb is to have a good balance of both.
- Visual Appeal: Photos often have a more immediate impact on shoppers. They provide a quick and easily understandable view of the product. High-quality images can create a strong first impression, often essential in capturing the interest of potential buyers.
- Detailed Information: Words are crucial for providing detailed information about a product. This includes specifications, features, and benefits that might not be immediately apparent from a picture. For complex products or services, detailed descriptions are essential for informed purchasing decisions.
- Combination of Both: The most effective eCommerce strategies usually involve a combination of both high-quality images and informative text. Photos attract and engage shoppers, while the text provides the necessary details that can persuade them to make a purchase.
- Product Type Dependency: The reliance on images versus text can depend heavily on the product type. For example, fashion and lifestyle products benefit significantly from high-quality imagery, while technical products may require more detailed descriptions and specifications.
- Consumer Behavior: Different target audiences may respond differently. Some consumers prefer to see what they are buying, while others look for detailed information and reviews to make an informed decision.
- Brand Identity: The balance between images and text can also reflect a brand’s identity. Luxury brands, for instance, might focus more on high-quality visuals to convey a sense of exclusivity, while educational products might emphasize informative descriptions.
- SEO and Online Visibility: From an online marketing perspective, text content is crucial for search engine optimization (SEO). Well-written product descriptions and keywords help in ranking the product higher in search engine results, leading to better visibility.
This is why your words of 22 letters and more should be kept to white papers and the like. So, German isn’t the easiest language in the world to finagle when trying to keep character counts low, as are Finnish, Hungarian, Slavic languages, Arabic, Spanish, and Portuguese (though to a lesser extent). But you should be able to keep monstrous words at a minimum if you stick to conversational language when doing your copywriting. Rule of thumb, any word that takes more than three hours to say should stay out of your listing!
How a Long Word Will Affect Word Count and SEO in Your Listings
The delicate balance of word count and keyword placement is crucial for effective SEO on Amazon. A listing must be descriptive yet concise, using language that resonates with customers and enhances discoverability. Our team at YLT Translations understands the nuances of keyword optimization in multiple languages, ensuring that your products reach the right audience.
That’s not just hearsay, either. YLT’s translators are native speakers themselves, so whereas it might be tempting to insert the longest non-technical word here and there to enforce trust in your product, we’re likely to advise against this. eCommerce listings should be written in the way that your customers communicate. The copywriting is meant to enforce a relationship with your customer. If you sound like a know-it-all, in any language, you’ll lose your audience. We’ll find other ways to create trust and dependability, trust us.
Besides, the choice of words has an impact on your SEO. We imagine there isn’t much search volume relating to anything over 12 letters. Also, it’ll be difficult to translate complex words into languages that use long compound words – which are often found in keyword research.
SEO reflects how customers shop, and how they call products they’re searching for. So, don’t go using high falutin words, because there’s a big chance that your customers don’t key those into the search bars of Amazon and Google!
A Long Word and Translation Challenges
Consider a product with a complex name – translating it into multiple languages can be a herculean task. YLT Translations has navigated such challenges, ensuring that every translated listing maintains the product’s integrity. Our strategies involve not only translation but also localization, adapting content to suit cultural nuances and consumer behaviors in different regions.
We actually encourage our clients to come up with country-neutral terminology and marketing practices, so the content is easier to adapt across regions. We’ve seen cases where country-specific marketing and content inadvertently offends customers in other regions because of cultural nuances that weren’t considered during brand planning, so that’s a bit tough when it comes to localization work. In fact, brands enter into country-specific marketing completely innocuously, only to realize the content doesn’t localize well. For example, Intel’s “sponsors of tomorrow” slogan didn’t translate well into Portuguese, where the slogan implied that Intel wouldn’t deliver on its promises immediately. The slogan was adapted to “Intel: In Love with the Future.”
That’s transcreation for you – the slogan and branding may change in wording, coloring, etc., so the brand messaging continues to resonate with customers across the globe. Yes, YLT can also help with transcreation, as well as your localization and translation needs.
Just don’t include any words that are 45 letters long in your listings and content or we may not guarantee quality!
Conclusion: Avoid a Long Word In Your Listings!
The exploration of the world’s longest words is more than a linguistic curiosity; it’s a window into the intricate world of language and its impact on global eCommerce. At YLT Translations, we embrace these challenges, offering expert services to navigate linguistic complexities for successful international sales. We encourage continuous learning and exploration in the world of language and eCommerce.
To summarize, we highly recommend country-neutral marketing messages, expressed in easy-to-understand terminology, so your customer base gets what you’re trying to say. It’ll be easier that way to localize your content to different regions without interfering with the SEO and character count too much.
Are you ready to expand your product’s reach on Amazon with impeccable translations? Consider the impact of language and translation on your listings. Partner with YLT Translations for optimizing your Amazon listings in a multitude of languages, ensuring that your products resonate with customers worldwide. Contact us today to start your journey into the global marketplace; we’ll be sure to tell you if this or that word is too long for Amazon!