Canada is famous for its two official languages: English and French. Despite popular belief outside of the country, most Canadians are monolingual, especially in Anglophone Canada. But there are dozens of other languages indigenous to the vast territory of Canada that tend to be overlooked. Indeed, many of the original languages of the land are still spoken today, despite the difficulties posed by the ubiquity and prestige of English. Naskapi is one such language.
With around 1,200 native speakers, Naskapi certainly isn’t the biggest indigenous language in Canada—but it is part of a dialect continuum that encompasses the country’s largest indigenous language, Cree. Despite its low number of speakers, the language is in relatively good standing, since most of the ethnic population speaks it, including youth. The language is also widely written among the ethnic Naskapi population. English and French do still pose a threat to Naskapi, however. We at TranslationServices.com want to do what we can to support the community, so we put together our own Naskapi translation team.
We’d love to provide a free quote for our Naskapi translation services—request one now!
Naskapi: a vibrant indigenous language of Canada
The Naskapi people mostly live in northern Quebec and Labrador, primarily concentrated in the First Nations reserve of Kawawachikamach. More than 95% of Kawawachikamach speak Naskapi as their first language, with other Naskapi speakers found in nearby towns. The Naskapi people have held onto many traditions and customs and proudly speak their language, which is often classified as a divergent dialect of Cree. Naskapi is closely related to Montagnais (Innu-aimun), but these two tongues are notably distinct from other varieties of Cree.
Ultimately, Naskapi traces its heritage back to the Algonquian language family, which features major Amerindian languages like Cree, Ojibwe, and Mi’kmaq. Inflection is rampant in the grammatically complex language, with word order generally free because all the inflection clearly indicates the grammatical relationships between words. Like other Algonquian languages, Naskapi draws a strict grammatical distinction between animate and inanimate nouns, with the two types taking different markers for plurality, possession, location, and more. Verbs are marked for tense, mood, subject, object, and more. The vast differences from English make Naskapi difficult to translate, but when you work with native-speaking translators like ours, you don’t have anything to worry about.
Flexible Naskapi translation services that cater to your needs
With such a small pool of native speakers, it can be hard to find great translation services for Naskapi—but that hasn’t stopped us from building a top-notch team with the best translators across Kawawachikamach and nearby towns in Quebec and Labrador. We incorporate different dialects of Naskapi, offering translation services both from English to Naskapi as well as from Naskapi to English. Our translators are experienced in various areas of translation and are passionate about using their translation skills to prop up their native language and culture.
Our Naskapi translation team is diverse enough to accommodate a variety of translation needs across various specializations. One possibility is translating learning materials into Naskapi to broaden the educational opportunities of Naskapi children. Another service we can provide is translating marketing materials into Naskapi so your organization can establish a better connection with the people of Kawawachikamach. We also love translating stories and literary materials, so if you want to share traditional Naskapi tales with people from other cultures, we’d be happy to help. In a similar vein, we can also translate media like books, poems, stories, games, apps, and more into Naskapi, increasing the body of work available in the language and helping it thrive well into the future. If you require a translator with expertise in a given subject, let us know, and we’ll match you with the most suitable person on our team.
Contact us today to get started with your Naskapi translation project!