Between North Africa’s Mediterranean coast and Sub-Saharan Africa lies the vast and sparsely populated Saharan Desert, which has historically been (and is still today) inhabited largely by the Berber peoples. There are many sub-ethnic groups within the larger Berber classification, and one of the largest is the Tuareg peoples, who speak a collection of closely related Tuareg languages. Unfortunately, the Tuareg languages are endangered, since Arabic is a much more widely spoken and more prestigious language in the countries where Tuareg speakers reside.
If we at TranslationServices.com were like most translation firms, we’d simply offer Arabic translation services and call it a day. But we’re not like most translation firms. Where others ignore important minority languages like the Tuareg languages, we step in with our carefully selected team of professional Tuareg translators and proudly offer Tuareg translation services. After all, just because Arabic is spoken by more people doesn’t mean it’s more important than Tuareg. We see the value of every language.
Get in touch today with a request for a free quote for our Tuareg translation services!
Discovering the native language of the Sahara: Tuareg
Tuareg is a collection of closely related languages hailing from the Berber language family, which is more broadly categorized in the Afroasiatic language family. The Tuareg-speaking territory stretches across several countries in the Sahara, with the Kel Adrar people in Mali speaking Tamasheq, the Iwellemmeden people in Mali and Niger speaking Tawellemet, the Kel Ayer people in Niger speaking Air Tamajaq, and the Kel Ahaggar and Kel Ajjer peoples in Algeria, Libya, and Niger speaking Tamahaq, sometimes called Tahaggart.
Tuareg languages were traditionally written in the native Berber script Tifinagh, but the Arabic script is more widely used by some groups, while the Latin alphabet has been made official in Mali and Niger. The default word order is verb-subject-object, but Tuareg’s topic–comment structure allows for alterations by placing the emphasized element at the beginning. The languages lack conventional adjective forms, instead using a special type of verb for adjectival concepts. Like Arabic, Tuareg verbs are based on a three-consonant root, to which patterns are applied to mark tense, person, and other information.
Tuareg may sound complicated, and indeed it is, both to learn and to translate. But our Tuareg translation team has the skills and expertise to translate any of the Tuareg languages professionally.
Explore the possibilities of Tuareg translation services.
Tuareg languages are still spoken by around 1,750,000 people spread across the vast Sahara Desert, and there’s a multitude of reasons to translate material to and from these languages. Considering the historical importance of Tuareg in the region, historians can make good use of our translation services to more deeply explore or share historical Tuareg documents. Those interested may also wish to have Tuareg literature translated and shared with the world. If you’re a scholar studying the Tuareg peoples, you may like to translate a survey into a local Tuareg language, and if you’re a business in the region, content in Tuareg could improve your reputation in the community. If you’re a content creator or a language activist, consider translating creative content like books, websites, games, or apps into Tuareg, which is a powerful way to help endangered languages cement themselves in the modern, digital world.
Getting started with Tuareg translation services is as easy as messaging us and telling us what you’re looking for.