More than half of the entire population of Indonesia—the fourth-most populous country in the world—lives on a single island: Java. You might think that the native language of people in Java is Indonesian, but for the most part, you’d be wrong. While most people in Indonesia speak Indonesian, they learn it as a second language, speaking other languages as their first. In Java, the biggest native languages are Javanese and Sundanese, but they aren’t the only ones—and in the westernmost reaches of the island, you’ll also find Bantenese.
Bantenese is the native language of about 3.3 million people, with some 1.3 million additional second-language speakers pushing the total figure up to around 4.6 million speakers. It’s sometimes classified as a dialect of Sundanese and sometimes recognized as a distinct language—but either way, it’s culturally important, and the government of Banten is taking active steps to preserve and promote the language. Bantenese being overshadowed by Indonesian and Sundanese does make it more difficult to find translation services—but we at TranslationServices.com are endeavoring to solve that problem with our new Bantenese translation team.
If you reach out and ask about a quote for our Bantenese translation services, we’ll provide one—for free!
Bantenese: the language of western Java
Bantenese is primarily spoken in two provinces in western Java: West Java and the even further west Banten. It’s spoken widely all over Banten, used as the majority language in most regencies of the province, with smaller numbers of speakers in parts of West Java. Bantenese usage is particularly vibrant in southern Banten, in the regencies of Lebak and Pandeglang, although it’s also the majority language in the northern Tangerang Regency. Of course, most people also speak Indonesian, but in daily life, Bantenese is generally the preferred language.
Like Sundanese, Javanese, Indonesian, and the majority of other indigenous languages in Indonesia, Bantenese belongs to the Austronesian language family. It’s either a dialect of Sundanese or a closely related language, with its structure and grammar mostly the same. However, vocabulary differences abound, with Bantenese often using completely different words from Sundanese for the same concepts. Compare Sundanese manéh to Bantenese dia (“you”) or Sundanese maranéhna to Bantenese dararia (“they”)—even the pronouns are unrecognizably distinct. Thus, if you want Bantenese translation services, you can’t just work with a Sundanese translator—you need an expert who truly understands Bantenese. That’s precisely what we’re proud to offer.
Catering to your special requests with our Bantenese translation services
We’ve made our Bantenese translation team big, diverse, and well-rounded to ensure that we can accommodate as many client needs as possible. If you’re looking for a translator from a particular region—such as Lebak Regency, Pandeglang Regency, Tangerang Regency, or elsewhere in Banten or West Java—just ask. Our translation services work in both directions, so whether you’re looking to translate an English-language document into Bantenese or a Bantenese-language text into English, our passionate team is ready to help.
Part of our team’s diversity is in the various skillsets they possess. Our Bantenese translators have experience in various types of translation, running the gamut from academic and business translation to literary translation and localization. So, if you’re a researcher, academic, or student in need of Bantenese translation services—no matter your discipline—just reach out. If you’re a business owner, CEO, or entrepreneur, our business translation team would love to help. And if you’re a content creator, writing novels or poems or designing games or websites, our literary translators and localization experts are here to help you expand your audience to or beyond western Java. Whatever kind of Bantenese translation services you want, just ask!
Why not send our team a message today to discuss your Bantenese translation needs? We’re ready to help!