If you’re from a country with a clear dominant language, such as the US, the UK, or most countries in Europe, it’s hard to imagine the sheer level of linguistic diversity in a country like Nigeria. With more than 520 indigenous languages spanning the West African country, it’s the third-most linguistically diverse country in the world, and many of its languages are in good standing, spoken vigorously by their respective communities. Of course, people learn lingua francas—both national and regional—to communicate with those outside their ethnic group, but still, minority languages like Esan define Nigeria.
With around one million native speakers according to Ethnologue as of 2022, Esan is a major minority language in Nigeria. However, a 2012 University of California, Berkeley study estimated an ethnic population of around six million, and Esan is the primary language of the Esan people, so the number of speakers could be higher. The language is regionally important and is taught in schools throughout Esanland, with TV and radio shows in the Esan language also prevalent, but nonetheless, English poses a significant threat to the language. It’s important to serve minority languages like Esan with translation services, and that’s precisely what we at TranslationServices.com are doing with our new Esan translation team.
Why not reach out today and request a free quote for our Esan translation services?
Esan: A proud indigenous language of southern Nigeria
Esan hails from the remarkably linguistically diverse southern region of Nigeria, where nearly the majority of languages belong to the vast Niger–Congo family (as opposed to northern Nigeria, where Afroasiatic and Nilo–Saharan languages are common). Even Esan itself is incredibly linguistically diverse, comprising numerous dialects, including Ogwa, Ẹkpoma (Ekuma), Ebhossa (Ewossa), Ewohimi, Ewu, Ewatto, Ebelle, Igueben, Irrua, Ohordua, Uromi, Uzea, Ubiaja, and Ugboha. Esan speakers primarily live in the state of Edo, dominated by the Edo ethnolinguistic group to which Esan is related.
Grammatically, Esan is a complex language that permits three different word orders: subject-verb-object (like English), object-subject-verb, and object-verb-subject. However, like most other Niger–Congo languages, subject-verb-object is the most common. All Esan nouns begin with a vowel, with the exception of loanwords (particularly from European languages), and the plural is expressed by changing the initial vowel to a different vowel. Some nouns don’t have a plural form, in which case h is added as a suffix in writing, with no change in pronunciation. It’s not easy to translate between Esan and English, which is why we only work with native-speaking Esan translators.
Our diverse translation offering for the Esan language
We’re committed to quality and flexibility in our Esan translation offering, which is why we’ve cast such a wide net in our recruitment efforts for our translation team. Our Esan translators come from all over Edo State, speaking all sorts of different dialects of the Esan language. What they have in common, though, is a love for their native language and a passion for breaking down language barriers. We work with translation projects both to and from Esan, allowing a diverse array of clients to access the Esan translation services they need.
If you’re looking for more specialized translation services for Esan, we have you covered. Our academic translators assist researchers, scholars, and educators from all fields translate research surveys, lesson materials, and more, while our business translators proudly help business leaders, marketing professionals, and others expand their brand’s presence through translations of business plans, white papers, press releases, and other business documents. We also have a team of literary translators passionate about translating books, poems, short stories, and other literary works to or from Esan, meticulously preserving the subtle nuances and personal tone of the original. We also cater to clients whose projects contain technical language—simply request a translator with expertise in your area!
We’re ready to work on your Esan translation project! If you’d like to get started, simply contact us now!
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