Ralph Translate 4 Africa author (t4a)

Could Malagasy Be Africa’s Most Interesting Language?

Not many people actually know what Malagasy is, so it helps to start with the basics. Malagasy is the native language of Madagascar, spoken by around 18 million people in that beautiful island country located in the Indian Ocean in the Southeast coast of Africa. Interestingly, the people of Madagascar are also called Malagasy, little wonder the language is spoken throughout the country.

Even of more peculiar interest is that Madagascar is not a Malagasy word but a corrupted version of Madagasikara, which is the indigenous name of the country. However, Madagascar is more known, thanks to its popularization by the Europeans after it was first recorded by 15^th century explorer Marco Polo.

Malagasy remains a rich language that unites all the people of Madagascar and makes communication and interdependence easy even in its capital city Antananarivo. This is why Malagasy shares the status of official national language with French, the lingua franca of Madagascar’s former colonisers from whom independence was attained in 1960.

The origin and distinctness of Malagasy

Malagasy originates from Indonesia but also borrows from Arabic and Bantu languages and more recently from French and English. What continues to pique the curiosity of linguists is how that language has passed the test of time by remaining the only language spoken in this large island country with diverse ecosystems separated from one another by forests, deserts, mountains and rivers, yet there are over 60 languages spoken in Uganda alone.

Malagasy has managed to stay strong and popular, thanks in large part, to the artistic and oratorical way it has been passed down from one generation to another. Madagascar’s oral tradition is rich and distinct; poetry, public discourses and proverbs have kept the language intact because of the country’s strong oral history.

The overreliance on oral history to commemorate the country’s past key events whilst preserving their language and traditional beliefs only began to change with the introduction of the written form. However, Malagasy remains the language of instruction in all public schools, which explains why written Malagasy is far different from spoken Malagasy.

The language of love?

Islands are often associated with romance – places where newlywed couples and lovers with hearts pounding with the chemistry of love go to unwind. Madagascar being an island nation is no exception. Most people take their honeymoons there, but to maximize your stay it helps if you know and speak Malagasy. Luckily, in 1818 the London Missionary Society sent some missionaries to Madagascar; they evangelized the nation and translated the Bible into the Malagasy language, so you can pick a few Malagasy words by reading the Malagasy Bible.

Certainly there are also some Malagasy dictionaries that you can buy online from Amazon to teach yourself Malagasy—a language whose alphabet is the same as the English alphabet but with only letters C, Q, U, W, and X missing. Malagasy diplomats are spreading their language to France, Belgium and Washington, D.C., where it is growing in popularity, which is why the Malagasy translation services are now much sought-after. Here are some of other language translation services you may happen to need;

Somali translation services

Tigrinya translation services

Yoruba translation Services

Africa Conference Interpreters

Africa Financial Translation

Africa Legal Translation

Ghana Translation Services

Somalia translation services

Why Translators Are Indispensable

The work of translators is so underrated yet it is one of the most important and painstaking works in the world. This is because knowledge is power and it is knowledge written down and preserved for posterity that latter generations have relied on to do incredible things from building skyscrapers, making advances in technology and even travelling to the moon. What people forget is that in the background is a team of very hardworking translators who burn the midnight oil for years, translating this useful knowledge into various indigenous languages so that it can benefit people in most corners of the world.

Consider the Bible, for instance. This is the most important piece of literature in the world because the message it transmits has such resonating potency with the citizens of planet earth that it is unsurpassed in sales and is the most translated book of all time. As of 2017, according to Wikipedia, the full Bible (both Old and New Testaments) has been translated in 670 different languages whereas the New Testament alone is available in a whopping 1,521 languages.

Why? Because of the sheer universal value of its message. In fact, it has been established by researchers that people who read and believe in the message of the Bible are less prone to depression and suicides, and live longer, happier lives than those who don’t believe in the message of hope and eternal bliss conveyed in the Holy Book. Here is the question? Do you think people in all parts of the world would have benefited from the values and ideals espoused in the Bible had it not been translated from original Greek and Hebrew into other languages? I bet your answer is a resounding no!

Take a look at some of the language translation services done;

Tigrinya translation services

Somali translation services

Malagasy translation services

Yoruba translation Services

Oromo translation services

Ndebele translation services

Wolof translation services and so many others.

The Work of a Translator is Tough

Yet you wonder why the work of the translator is often a thankless one. The ability to have a deep grasp and appreciation of a language to the point of decoding it coherently and artistically for didactic purposes into indigenous languages is not an easy ability. That is why the translators all around the world are still few, unappreciated and underpaid.

For the uninitiated, translating a piece of literature is a complex process that involves initial research and consultation about all the people and the distinct places in that piece of literature. To produce a concise version of the original book in another language in no mean feat. It’s often an onerous task involving a lot of experts who have to decode little things; analyze grammar, have an eye for small details and keep cross-checking to stay on the right track. Martin Luther the reformist was a very bright theology professor who was the first to translate the Bible into German and confessed that during the process of translation, one quest for an expression would sometimes take a month. That is how tough the business of translation can be.

It is my prayer that governments globally may recognize the thankless job of translators and reward them accordingly. It is a good sign that institutes of languages are becoming key entities in most universities around the world. I hope they continue to churn out better language experts and translators because more and more are needed and their work is indispensable in the transmission of knowledge important for building stronger societies.

Arsenal-Rwanda Deal Good for Local Language Translators

Rwanda is headlining in the global press for striking a mega partnership with popular English football club Arsenal, in which for three years, the words “Visit Rwanda” will feature on the left sleeves of Arsenal jerseys. Arsenal has worldwide appeal; its jersey is seen 35 million times a day worldwide, and it is these masses that Rwanda is trying to tap to boost its tourism industry.

This is where it gets palatable for all people offering local language translation services. Rwanda being formerly a Francophone nation, still has major strides to make since 2009 when it ditched French and switched to English as the official national language after joining the Commonwealth. This essentially means that many Rwandese still speak French and Kinyarwanda at the expense of English although the latter is now taught in all of Rwandan schools after it was made the national language just nine years ago.

Need for Translation Services

So as Rwanda’s economy continues to grow (it’s the second fastest growing economy in Africa) and as the nation becomes a top tourist destination thanks to its eye-candies like Mountain Gorillas, endless bird species and volcanic mountains, it will urgently need the services of local language translators to ease communication between investors and tourists that will be flocking to this land of a thousand rolling, grassy hills.

As part of the deal, Arsenal’s players for its men and women’s teams as well as coaches will occasionally visit Rwanda and help the country’s young talent through coaching camps. Obviously some of these players and coaches who don’t speak French later alone Kinyarwanda will need the services of these translators. Likewise, Rwanda’s talented young boys who don’t speak English will as well need translators during the training to help them understand what Arsenal’s maestro coaches will be teaching them.

What’s more, the sports literature that Arsenal players will be bringing to Rwanda will be in English and will need to be translated into Kinyarwanda so that it can be accessed even by those boys in the far-flung parts of the country who may not necessarily be part of the sports academies but are interested in sport. It is also important to note that there are other language translation services that can be provided within the country like;

Kirundi translation services

Yoruba translation Services

Somali translation services

Tigrinya translation services

Malagasy translation services

Wolof translation services, among many others.

Kinyarwanda as a Unifying Factor

Some of the tourists that the Arsenal-Rwanda deal will attract may also want to live and work in Rwanda longer. These people will have to learn the local language to be able to interact with the locals and experience a sense of belonging. They will want to enjoy Rwanda’s local music and poetry and to be able to do that they will need the services of local language translators.

Clearly, not only is Rwanda’s tourism industry going to benefit from the Arsenal-Rwanda deal but local language specialists will benefit immensely too because Kinyarwanda is so deeply entrenched in the spoken culture of Rwandese that inability to communicate in that language is a deal breaker for most foreigners doing business in this tiny central African nation. It is only Kinyarwanda language translators that will help bridge the great language divide through offering translation services that will unite the tourists, the investors and the natives whether Hutu or Tutsi.

Why It’s Important to Translate the National Anthem Into Local Languages

Patriotism has become a common theme in President Yoweri K. Museveni’s speeches during national celebrations such as Independence Day. He always talks about how we need to promote patriotism and become a people that put the interests of the country above self; in the words of John F. Kennedy, a people that don’t ask what their country can do for them but rather what they can do for their country.

President Museveni has tried to walk his talk of promoting patriotism through awarding national medals to citizens from various disciplines that he feels have played their parts well in building the nation. His government has also launched campaigns such as “Buy Uganda Build Uganda” which are all commendable. But in order to really build and entrench the spirit of patriotism among Ugandans we need to go back to the basics.

Translate the National Anthem into several local languages

Certainly the most important thing to be done to promote patriotism is to translate the National Anthem into our diverse local languages. This anthem is the embodiment of our cultural and national heritage considering how much is it sung and the feeling and intensity with which it is sung. It makes you wonder how much more it would unite and galvanize the whole nation if it was promoted among the sections of Ugandans who have no formal education.

Every Independence Day local television stations telecast clips of random Ugandans ‘murdering’ the National Anthem firstly by getting the lyrics wrong and singing it out of tune. The first words of the first stanza that go, “Oh Uganda may God uphold thee, we lay our future in thy hand…” is often sung as “Oh Uganda may God appozzi, we lay Africa in zza hand…”

To make matters worse, these clips are posted on YouTube where they generate many hits from all over the world. The first time I watched these clips of our national anthem being ‘massacred’ like that by ignorant Ugandans, I was revolted, and wanted to launch a sit-down strike outside the offices of the Minister of Education as well as the Minister of Gender, Labour and Social Development that should be responsible for ensuring that all Ugandans memorize and understand the national anthem as a microcosm of national culture and pride.

Come to think of it, you cannot blame uneducated Ugandan for failing to grasp the words of the beloved national anthem since they are in a foreign language. Which is why time is ripe for government to raise resources that will go into translating the national anthem into all the local languages as well as teaching it to all Ugandans both the educated and the uneducated. Yes, even the elite shouldn’t be left behind because most of them only know the first stanza but are clueless about the last two stanzas. Other possible language translation services done in different countries include;

Somali translation services

Tigrinya translation services

Yoruba translation Services

Malagasy translation services

Borrow a page from other countries

By translating the national anthem into local languages, Uganda would be borrowing a page from other countries who have theirs in local languages. Rwanda’s national anthem is in Kinyarwanda while Tanzania’s is also composed in Kiswahili and so is the East African anthem. Even Kenya has a Kiswahili version of its national anthem (Ee Mungu Nguvu Yetu). So why shouldn’t our beautiful anthem be translated into Luganda and the Bantu languages which are popular around the nation?

After all, even the churches are realizing the importance of local languages by translating the popular classic hymns into mother tongues. Pop into any church on Sunday and you will be amazed how the all popular Christian songs both old-school and contemporary, have local language versions. In fact, this trend of ‘localizing’ foreign songs is not new since in secondary schools we used to translate blockbuster tracks into local languages and perform them at socials.

Imagine then what a uniting factor it would be if all Ugandans were able to sing our national anthem correctly and in all our languages. That would mean there would be no more fumbling at social or national events and at international events that Uganda participates in, where it is sung, we would all join in heartily like true patriots sing their anthems, and the man who composed it 56 years ago, Prof. George Wilberforce Kakoma, would smile in his grave.

Need for Financial Translation Services

Has it ever struck you that Ugandan banks could be alienating potential customers by not considering financial translation services and having their transactions done in the English language? Every Ugandan bank you go to has its receipts written in English. In fact even most of the tellers and other staff in these banks speak only the official national language – English.

It’s ironic that banks that are at the forefront of preaching the gospel of developing a savings culture are the ones doing all their official business in the English language yet they know that most Ugandans are not well educated and even some of those who have attained formal education up to university level are still not fluent with the Queen’s language and prefer communicating in the local languages.

This situation in Uganda’s financial sector justifies the urgent need for financial translation services. In the capital city, Kampala, the local newspaper Bukkedde sells more copies everyday than Daily Monitor and New Vision. Even in western Uganda, Orumuri newspaper which is written in Runyankole-Rukiga sells like hotcakes because people generally prefer reading something written in their mother tongues.

This also explains why the glut of radio and television stations that saturate our country since the liberalisation of media in early 1990s are popular for broadcasting in local languages. Radio stations like Sanyu Fm, Radio One, and Capital Fm (to mention only three) which broadcast exclusively in the English language are only popular among the urban elite who are the minority compared to stations like CBS in Buganda or Radio West in Mbarara who have more listeners but broadcast in the local languages.

Need for a paradigm shift

It goes without saying that we need a paradigm shift in Uganda’s financial sector as far as communications is concerned. Those who cannot speak English language fluently don’t deserve to miss out on messages of financial and economic empowerment. Thus the time is now for banks and other financial businesses to hire financial language translators to always translate their documents into local languages for accessibility of those not articulate in the English language. Other translation services offered in various languages include;

Oromo translation services

Kinyarwanda translation services

Malagasy translation services

Somali translation services

Kirundi translation services

Chewa translation services

Tigrinya translation services among many others.

The other day a lady from one of the big insurance companies in Kampala came to persuade me to sign up for one of their educational insurance packages. She was Ugandan with a Ugandan name but she was speaking fast like a rapper and in a foreign accent that made it hard for me to grasp what she was saying. I asked her to speak in Luganda but she said she was not fluent in it though she was born and raised in Buganda. In the end I never signed up for the package she was selling because I just could not keep up with her foreign accent and fast speech.

This is another example of how the language barrier is costing business owners and financial corporations many potential customers. The proletariat who are the majority would rather keep their money in piggy banks or stash it under their mattresses than save it with banks because the banks and other companies are not speaking the language these ordinary folks understand. If they did, many banks would be booming because many people would be saving with them and we would have a robust economy. As a common saying goes, a word for the wise is enough!

Why Legal Translations Are Necessary

It’s a well-known expression that knowledge is power. In fact Africa continues to limp simply because its people are not equipped intellectually and lack support to translate the available knowledge into tangible benefits. So instead of the governments in Africa investing more in building libraries and supporting the creative process, they invest more in building more prisons and buying guns and teargas to suppress dissent.

Now consider the developed world; people there know their rights and demand better services short of which the leaders are impeached or voted out without fear. It goes without saying that Uganda and most countries in sub-Saharan Africa can never attain the long-cherished dream of middle-income status without equipping its people to know and stand for their rights.

The need to translate the constitution

The first step in equipping Ugandans to know their rights and play their role as responsible citizens is give them the constitution. It is the mandate of the government to make the constitution accessible in both print and audio versions and in all languages that cover this multi-ethnic nation so that everyone can read it and understand it, while those who cannot read can access it in audio format in their mother tongues. If the government can do that, then people will know their rights; they will know that they pay taxes so that the government can deliver services and when the latter fails as it has often, then people can rise up and demand accountability from the rulers. Thus the need to translate not only the constitution but also the penal code and other legislative and executive literature is paramount. Thus legal translations are quintessential and essential if Uganda is to achieve Vision 2030.

Translation services can also be provided in number of languages within different African countries such as;

Tigrinya translation services

Somali Translation services

Malagasy Translation services

Yoruba Translation services

Chewa Translation services

Wolof Translation services

Kinyarwanda translation services.

All the above may also apply to a specific genre of work or expertise and this could be Financial translations, Court Interpreting and conference interpreting, Educational translations, Immigration translations etc.

Why the English Language Should Not Eclipse Uganda’s Local Languages

Has it ever occurred to you that the fact that we have different complexions and speak different languages is a testament to God’s love and appreciation of diversity? It is amazing that there are an estimated 6000 languages spoken around the world, but what’s alarming is that 40% of these languages face the threat of extinction unless everything is done to protect and preserve them.

For that matter, UNESCO should always be lauded and applauded for coming up with the International Mother Language Day which has been observed annually since 2000 to promote multilingualism and protect all mother languages worldwide.

One East African language?

Here in Uganda, it’s a shame that some schools still punish students who are caught speaking their mother tongues. This is because such schools insist on English language being the language of expression. What they forget is that although English is recognized as the official national language, it can never take the place of the mother tongue especially in a multi-ethnic nation where over forty (40) indigenous languages are spoken.

At a time like this when the trumpet of the East African Federation is sounding, it is better to ditch English and make Luganda and Swahili the national and East African official languages respectively since the two languages are popular and would push for the cause of the East Africa integration as well as give us regional identity.

Need for a national language policy

Otherwise a language policy needs to be passed by the national assembly whereby local languages become the medium of instruction as was the case back then, at least up to upper primary schools. For creative artists, the better language to write in and generally express themselves in is their mother tongue. That is why musicians like Paulo Kafeero, Elly Wamala and the Afrigo Band are legendary because of the mastery of their first language—Luganda in which they sung about things that their listeners could relate to.

According to UNESCO, “Languages are the most powerful instruments of preserving and developing our tangible and intangible heritage. All moves to promote the dissemination of mother tongues will serve not only to encourage linguistic diversity and multilingual education but also to develop fuller awareness of linguistic and cultural traditions throughout the world and to inspire solidarity based on understanding, tolerance and dialogue.”

Let us therefore continue to promote our mother tongues by writing in them, speaking them, and translating our popular books into local languages. Thus we need more African legal language translators, African Financial translations, African conference interpreters and translation services from Somalia to Ghana translation services to keep the dream of African languages alive.

Time to Translate Uganda’s Popular Books

If there’s any man who has contributed to Ugandan literature and to the appreciation of our indigenous languages more than any, it is Okot p’Bitek. Though long gone, his epic poem, Song of Lawino remains the finest and most known piece of literature to be hatched out of Uganda. First published in 1966, this lengthy poem has been taught in schools and universities in and outside Uganda and continues to intrigue and excite literary analysts, thanks to its resonance and the sheer beauty with which p’Bitek constructed it. It really was a trailblazer that earned Ugandan authors credibility on the global stage especially in the 1960s, an era that was rightly labelled the golden age of Ugandan literature.

Why the Need for Book Translations

What many however don’t know is that p’Bitek actually wrote his lengthy poem in his native language, Acholi, before translating it himself into English. He released the English version before releasing the Acholi version three days later. Although the latter version didn’t command literally acclaim like its English counterpart, it was p’Bitek’s desire and dream that his book become accessible in as many languages as possible. p’Bitek’s wish has since been granted since Song of Lawino has been translated into more than 30 languages including; German, French, Spanish, and Indonesian, among others. And just as recently as two years ago, Song of Lawino was as well translated into Luganda as Omulanga gwa Lawino by Prof. Abasi Kiyimba of Makerere University.

Imagine then how nice it would be to translate all our popular books of fiction and non-fiction into our local languages. That would be a sure way of inculcating a reading culture into Ugandans since they would now have no excuse of the Queen’s language being more complicated. If books like Tropical Fish by Doreen Bangaina and Kintu by Jennifer Makumbi which are currently the most popular Ugandan fictional works were translated into local languages too, they would be sure to provide the spark for Ugandan writers to use local languages as their languages of expression just like famous writers like Ngugi wa Thiongo now writes in his indigenous language, Kikuyu.

Some of other language translations include:

Kinyarwanda translations

Kirundi translations

Oromo translations

Yoruba translations

Somali translations

Tigrinya translations

Language is culture and the best way we can appreciate and evolve along with cultures is to express ourselves through our mother tongues. As Ngugi wa Thiongo said, “Language has a dual character: it is both a means of communication and a carrier of culture.”

Zimbabwe, the Guinness World Record Holder

Once known as the ‘Jewel of Africa’ for its prosperity, Zimbabwe is a country with the most official languages in Africa. This comes as a result of having 16 official languages legally codified by Zimbabwe’s new constitution after breaking their cordial neighbor’s record, South Africa who had only 11.

Zimbabwe’s Official Languages

The distinctive definition of official languages that is to say by an organization for economic corporation and development, is a language that has legal status in a particular legally constituted political entity and that serves as a language of administration’, for the country as a whole. However, a country might be having many languages but not all considered to be official. For example, India’s overall official language recognized in the constitution is Hindi, though other languages are considered official languages of certain areas like Kashimir in Kashimir and many others.

Here are Zimbabwe’s 16 official languages approved by parliament on 9 May 2013

Chewa
Chibarwe
English
Kalanga
Koisan
Nambya
Ndau
Ndebele
Shangani
Shona
Sotho
Tonga
Tswana
Venda
Xhosa
Sign language

How to effectively communicate in Zimbabwe

With English as the main language used in the education and judiciary systems but less so in the rural areas, 70% of the natives speak Shona and 20% speak Sindebele language.

Now ask oneself, with such a number of official languages how can communication be effectively done in such a country? Well, the idea of seeking professional translation services have got to kick in to save the situation. Let’s take a look at some of the professional translation services that can possibly be done in Zimbabwe to ease communication and smoothen in the business world;

Other African language translation services that exist include Malagasy translation services, Tigrinya, Oromo among others.

However, no matter the area of specialization one deals in, professional translation services are always the answer be it Medical, Education, Legal, and Financial.

Why Language Translation is Very Important for Africa

Due to businesses and services growing internationally and people globe-trotting with many checking out the African continent, there is the need to communicate which is not always easy as different regions speak different languages. Good thing is a solution in form of language translation services exists and all one needs is to find a professional service provider.

Reasons for Language translation services in Africa

First and foremost have you looked at the number of languages that the African continent alone has? It is estimated that Africa alone has an estimation of 1000-1500 indigenous languages if we do not consider the ones introduced by foreigners in form of missionaries, explorers and slave traders like Arabic, Spanish, Portuguese, French, German and English. Among the 1000-1500 are Hausa, Yoruba, Ganda, Kinyarwanda, Zulu, chewa, Xhosa, Amharic, Somali, Tigrinya etc. African countries with the most languages include; The Democratic Republic of Congo with 242 languages, Cameroon with of 230, Tanzania with 246, South Sudan with 114 and Nigeria with over 500 languages alone. With all these languages communication would almost be impossible unless there was a common language which may not be the case thus language translation services being some sort of savior.

If one has a desire to expand a business or service to the African continent, then language translation services would come in handy for purposes of effective communication. The point is driven home faster and more satisfactorily if it comes in a language best understood by the intended audience. Therefore, it rewards in the long run when the packaging of a product is labeled in an indigenous language best understood by a potential buyer. The product or service translated into various languages gets to more people than that whose labels or directions is left in a foreign language. That is why we see advertisements of famous brands like OMO, Colgate, Coke and many more making rounds in indigenous languages on various media platforms in Africa. One might wonder why not leave or make the advertisements in English to the English speaking nations or in French to the French speaking nations of Africa? The answer is because when translated into an indigenous language with the context and culture of the people in mind, it drives the point further than it would have.

At the end of the day, it is professional language translations that really bring about effective communication regardless of the field of translation for example; Medical translations, Academic translations etc.