Samoa is one of the bigger and better-known Pacific Island countries, with the independent country of Samoa sitting to the west of the international date line and the unincorporated U.S. territory of American Samoa lying to the east. Both territories are largely inhabited by ethnic Samoans, most of whom speak the language indigenous to the islands, Samoan, which is one of the most widely spoken Pacific Island languages.
In American Samoa, most people are bilingual in Samoan and English, but even in Samoa, English is an official language alongside the native Samoan. Nonetheless, Samoan enjoys vigorous use in the Samoa Islands. Samoan is estimated to be the native language of around 260,000 people in Samoa and American Samoa, but many Samoans have also migrated abroad and taken their language with them, pushing the estimated number of speakers up to 510,000. Despite Samoan’s prominence in the Pacific Island region, however, finding translation services for the language can be a challenge. At TranslationServices.com, we pride ourselves on providing comprehensive translation services for as many languages as possible, so we’re pleased to announce our Samoan translation services.
Reach out today to discover our rates for Samoan translation by requesting a free quote.
Teaching you about Samoan
Samoan is a Polynesian language that resembles other languages in the region, such as Hawaiian, Tahitian, or Māori. Like these languages, it’s written in the Latin alphabet, with special attention given to the apostrophe, which represents a glottal stop and is integral in differentiating word meanings (e.g., lou [your] vs. lo’u [my]). Language preservation groups and the Samoan government is making efforts to ensure publications make use of these diacritics, which have traditionally often been omitted.
Samoan grammar is complicated for English speakers, who must contend with various new grammatical concepts. For example, Samoan has not only singular and plural pronouns but also dual pronouns for groups of two people. The first-person pronouns also come in different forms depending on whether the listener is included. Samoan also doesn’t use articles in the same way English does. Instead of denoting definiteness (i.e., whether the listener knows which referent the speaker is talking about), Samoan articles indicate specificity (i.e., whether the speaker has a particular referent in mind). Thus, the Samoan specific article may be used in cases where the English indefinite article would be used, leading to confusion for learners.
High-quality Samoan translation services are our mission.
Since our translators are native speakers of Samoan, the language’s vast differences from English can’t trip them up. They’re passionate about their unique language and helping clients who need Samoan translation services, whether into Samoan or out of Samoan. Our translation services from Samoan to English incorporates all sorts of translation domains, including historical documents, traditional and contemporary literature, business materials, academic content, and more. Similarly, our translation services from English to Samoan cover business documents, academic works, and all sorts of creative content, including books, games, websites, apps, poems, and more. Also, all our translations into Samoan come with the appropriate use of the apostrophe and diacritic markings, of course.
We’re excited to help you with your Samoan translation needs. Reach out today to tell us what kind of translation you’re looking for.