Category: Afrikaans Translator

Anyone who wishes to get a transcript translated from English to Afrikaans needs to know a little about its history. As compared to the rest of the common foreign languages, Afrikaans is relative, a new language.

You can trace its roots to the 17th and 18th century Dutch. This is one of the prominent languages spoken in Namibia and South Africa and some parts of Botswana. The language began to evolve independently from Dutch in the late 18th century. Nowadays, you can get a direct plane ride to connect you to the southern tip of the African continent with Europe. But several hundred years ago, sailing from Europe to South Africa was an exceptionally long and dangerous journey. If you are someone knowing Dutch, you are likely to understand Afrikaans swifter than others.

The linguistic and cultural separation from the Dutch mother language lately, led to the creation of “Cape Dutch” and then the Afrikaans language. While being strongly Dutch-based, Afrikaans has included words from the “clicking” Khoisan languages, Narrow Bantu languages, Malay, and Portuguese. After reading this, there might be a confusion of various language-based items in your mind.

Folks who speak Afrikaans as a first language, or even as a second or third language, can generally understand Dutch. However, it is essential to remember that the two languages have diverged significantly over time.

So, if you are moving to South Africa of any Afrikaans speaking region of the African continent for study, job, or other purposes. You might necessarily need an Afrikaans Translator to transcribe your transcripts from English.

Afrikaans and English are the only Indo-European languages among the many official languages of South Africa. Approx 10 million people are native speakers of the language, which is sometimes referred to as Cape Dutch.

Make sure that you hire a professional service and get an Afrikaans translator. You must stress the need for an agency due to the following reasons:

Experienced Translators: Agencies have teams that have experienced members in a specific language. Afrikaans has been a lesser spoken language in most parts of the world needs more attention. The translation team needs to be certified and tested to make sure their skills are of the required level. The quality of services they offer will determine many essential events for clients. The documents need Afrikaans translator and get the translated transcripts reviewed by another fellow translator. The document requiring transcription may include academic documents, professional documents, curriculum vitae, etc.

Precision in Translation: The translation process should not merely revolve around words but also analyze the context and cultural nuances. Generally, machine translations are considered for commonly used languages, but there are a few languages that require precision and human excellence. Translation agencies are the best place to find qualified and certified Afrikaans translators and get certified business translations that exhibit quality and professionalism.

Avoid mistakes and errors: Excellency, accuracy, and value for your money and quality should draw you towards hiring an agency. There is a lesser scope of mistakes that can have a negative impression on you to outsiders. Agencies are responsible and duly cover your needs without any potential errors.

Faster service: A translation agency can get you the best results at an affordable price in a short time.

People often think that if you are familiar with two languages, then translating should just be a piece of cake. But practically it’s not true. And if you rely on a machine translation, then you’re in for an even bigger surprise, especially if that language is Afrikaans.

Although a range of translation software is available, unfortunately, these programs are totally useless when it comes to professional Afrikaans translation. Translation like is an art that requires an experienced native translator who truly has knowledge and understanding of the context & unique expressions used in Afrikaans. This is the reason using the services of professional Afrikaans Translator is important. Let’s find out why you should use professional translators when it comes to translating in Afrikaans.

The Direct Translation of Afrikaans Idioms & Expressions Doesn’t Really Work

Afrikaans is rich with idioms & expressions that can only be understood by the native speakers. That’s why a word-to-word translation can often be downright hilarious. For instance, a phrase might be translated as “don’t shake the chicken,” which basically means “don’t overdo it.” And there is an expression- ja-nee (yes-no)- what does it mean- Is it yes, is it no, or is it maybe? This expression simply means you agree. So, the point is when a language which is filled with such idioms & expressions then direct translation just doesn’t work for them.

This is where a professional Afrikaans translator can understand the meaning and translate these idioms, phrases and expressions accurately.

Afrikaans Is a Young & A Vibrant Language

Afrikaans as a language is a relatively young and ever-evolving with its roots firmly planted in the Dutch language. It has a sprinkling of influence from the other European languages and has taken a large number of words & idioms from the indigenous African languages for extra spice.

With new words being added to Afrikaans almost daily, it takes a professional Afrikaans translator who lives this language to deliver a smooth, natural-sounding Afrikaans translation. This is something that a machine or an inexperienced translator can’t do.

The Various Dialects of Afrikaans Often Leave In a Quandary

Afrikaans as a language contains at least ten dialects-The standard dialects is used mainly in the interior parts of the country, but if you go further south you’ll encounter a number of dialects that, on the face of them, bear very little resemblance to the Afrikaans. There is Cape Malay Afrikaans that is peppered with words borrowed from Arabic & Malay. Then there is colourful Western Cape dialect, which contains more of English words & a big dose of humour.

With so many dialects, it can be quite challenging for a non-professional person to translate them. Thus, you need a really skilled Afrikaans translator who can professionally translate from these dialects.

Conclusion

Therefore, by hiring the services of highly experienced & proficient Afrikaans translators, you’ll be able to overcome all these challenges, and they will help you to communicate professionally with your global audience.