LinkedIn launches in Hindi to support 600 million Hindi language speakers globally

Microsoft’s LinkedIn today announced the launch of Hindi, “with the goal to support 600 million Hindi language speakers globally.”

Starting today, as part of the Phase 1 roll-out of LinkedIn in Hindi, members will be able to access their feed, profile, jobs, messaging, and create content in Hindi on desktop, and on their Android and iOS phones.

As a next step, LinkedIn said it will work to expand existing job opportunities for Hindi-speaking professionals in more industries, including banking and government work.

The platform will also continue to add more Indian publishers and creators in the coming weeks to increase member engagement and Hindi conversations.

iPhone and Android users can now select Hindi as their preferred device language under phone settings to view the LinkedIn mobile app in Hindi. Members who are already using Hindi as their preferred language on their mobile devices, the LinkedIn experience will automatically be available in Hindi. 

To view LinkedIn in Hindi on desktop, members can click on the ‘Me’ icon at the top of their LinkedIn homepage and select ‘Settings and Privacy’. Members then need to click on ‘Account Preferences’ on the left, select ‘Site Preferences’, click ‘Change’ next to ‘Language’, and select ‘Hindi’ from the drop down list.

India is LinkedIn’s second largest market after the United States, with 82 million members as part of a global community of 800 million members. The company states that India’s member base has grown by more than 20 million over the past three years, up 15% year-over-year.

“We have witnessed high engagement and member growth in the last year, and it is at this exciting inflection point that we are strengthening our vision to create economic opportunity for ‘every’ member of the workforce, and taking down language barriers for Hindi speakers across the world,” said Ashutosh Gupta, India Country Manager, LinkedIn.

In mid-October, Linkedin announced that it is shutting down the version of its professional networking site that operates in China, marking the last major U.S. social network to pull out of the country.