Canada is more multilingual than you think. No, we don’t mean the federal-level bilingualism in English and French, nor are we referring to the hundreds of languages from around the world that immigrants bring to the North American nation. No, we’re talking about the dozens of indigenous languages once spoken widely across modern-day Canadian territory, many of which are kept alive by ethnic speaker communities today. Many of these languages are found in the northwest of the country, which is where Dogrib hails from.
Dogrib, also called Tlicho or Tłı̨chǫ Yatıì, has 1,735 native speakers, according to the 2016 Canadian census. It’s spoken by the Tlicho, who may also be called the Dogrib people, as “dog rib” is a direct English translation of the word tłı̨chǫ. While the language doesn’t have a large number of speakers, roughly 90% of the ethnic population is estimated to speak the language, giving it stronger footing than many other endangered languages in Canada. As one of the official languages of Canada’s Northwest Territories, Dogrib receives government support that further fosters its continued survival—and we at TranslationServices.com are proud to do our part by offering dedicated Dogrib translation services.
Contact us today for a free quote for our Dogrib translation services!
Dogrib: a proud indigenous language from Canada’s north
Dogrib is spoken in the Northwest Territories, situated in the center of Canada’s three northern territories. Speakers are spread out across four primary communities in the center of the territory: Gamèti (formerly Rae Lakes), Behchokǫ̀ (formerly Rae-Edzo), Wekweètì (formerly Snare Lakes), and Whatì (formerly Lac La Martre). Some more Dogrib speakers can also be found in Yellowknife, the capital of the Northwest Territories, with most speaking the Wıı̀lıı̀deh Yatıı̀ dialect, which incorporates some Chipewyan vocabulary and grammar.
Like many other indigenous languages in the Northwest Territories, Dogrib is a member of the Na–Dene language family, which—believe it or not—makes it related to Navajo, spoken in the southwestern US. Dogrib is a remarkably complex language, with substantial inflection resulting in long and complicated words. Dogrib makes heavy use of prefixes rather than suffixes, which is unusual for languages with a subject-object-verb word order. The Dene language also contains a feature similar to Spanish or Portuguese: different words for “to be” depending on the permanence of the state. It’s for nuances like these that it’s so important to work with native-speaking Dogrib translators like ours.
Customizing our Dogrib translation services to meet your needs
Whether you’re from the Northwest Territories, somewhere else in Canada, or even a different country, we’re here to help you access the Dogrib translation services you need. We’ve sourced skilled and passionate native-speaking Dogrib translators from the different Tlicho communities in NWT, giving us broad coverage of the language’s dialectical diversity. Our translators are happy to help you translate both into and from Dogrib, for any type of project about any type of subject matter.
Let’s say you’re looking for academically geared Dogrib translation services. We are, of course, limited by the small number of speakers, but we’ll always try our best to match you with a translator who understands your field, whether you want to translate a research questionnaire or educational content for children. Or you may represent a business that wants to establish a connection with Tlicho speakers by publishing materials in the Dogrib language. Our translators are here for organizations of all kinds. And we’re always eager to help with literary works as well, translating traditional Dogrib stories so others can appreciate Tlicho culture or translating media such as books, poems, apps, and games into Dogrib to broaden the body of work available in the language and ensure speakers and learners have lots of material to delve into.
Our Dogrib translators are excited to help—no matter what your project is. So why not reach out and place an order today?