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Official websites serve as crucial representations of companies, conveying their brand image and supporting promotional activities. Language choices and the virtual linguistic landscapes of websites are shaped by multiple factors. On the basis of Spolsky's theory of language policy and data from the Fortune Global 500 list (5 August 2024), this study investigates the official global websites of these companies, focusing on their virtual linguistic landscapes and language choices. Special attention is given to the composition of languages and the use of interface languages. The analysis reveals that corporate language choices are shaped by economic, cultural, and geopolitical factors. Nevertheless, language services remain significantly inadequate, and most companies need more comprehensive management of their virtual linguistic landscapes.
Hu et al. (Sun,) studied this question.