English is the official language of Ghana. The West African nation is surrounded by French-speaking countries, with its borders brushing up against Côte d’Ivoire, Burkina Faso, and Togo, which has prompted the Ghanaian government to work toward growing the influence of French in the country. But the heart of Ghana is rooted in the nation’s 80+ indigenous languages, which constitute the mother tongues of most of the population. By far the most influential indigenous language in Ghana is Akan, which roughly 80% of the country speaks. Akan is split into two key dialects, Twi and Fante, and both are important in the country.
Today, we’re looking at Fante. As the native language of about 2.8 million people in Ghana, Fante commands considerable influence in its speaker area and stands as one of Ghana’s 11 regional government-sponsored languages. Indeed, a few million people have learned Fante as a second language, roughly doubling the number of speakers. But the prominence and prestige of Fante is generally limited to the confines of West Africa, receiving little attention from the international community—including from international translation agencies. Here at TranslationServices.com, we want to make a difference, and that’s why we’re proudly presenting our Fante translation team today.
How about a free quote for our Fante translation services? Just ask, and we’d be happy to provide one.
Taking a look at what makes Fante special
With more than 6 million speakers across Ghana, particularly in the country’s central and southern regions, Fante is an influential language in Ghana. Actually, it extends beyond the Ghanaian border, with Fante-speaking communities in parts of Côte d’Ivoire, Liberia, the Gambia, and even Angola. Fante partners with fellow dialect Twi, which with it enjoys mutual intelligibility, to make up the Akan language, though speakers identify proudly with their specific dialect.
If we trace Fante’s roots back beyond Akan, we discover that it’s a Niger–Congo language from the Kwa branch. Niger–Congo languages account for most of the hundreds of distinct tongues that span West Africa, with the Kwa languages concentrated in southern Ghana, Côte d’Ivoire, and Togo. Akan constitutes the biggest and most influential language in the subfamily, though other important languages in Ghana, such as Ga or Dangme, are also members of the Kwa branch. In terms of grammar, Fante can present challenges for English speakers, such as in the formation of plural nouns—there are multiple strategies for constructing the plural, and it’s not necessarily easy to know which one applies to a given noun.
Our promise: high-quality translation to and from Fante
With Fante serving as one of the biggest, most important, and most influential languages in Ghana, Fante speakers are proud of their native tongue, and our translators draw on this pride to drive unrelenting quality in their Fante translations. They hail from all over Ghana and Côte d’Ivoire, and we’ve even sourced Fante translators from Liberia, the Gambia, and Angola to bring you the most flexible Fante translation team possible. Whether you need translation services to or from Fante, we’re ready to accommodate your specific translation needs.
Do you want to open a new branch of your organization in central or southern Ghana? If so, we can help you translate internal business documents as well as marketing collateral into smooth, natural-sounding Fante. We offer the same services to Fante-speaking business owners looking to take their companies abroad. In terms of academia, our translators can help local Fante scholars disseminate their valuable findings across the international community with clear, concise English, and we can assist foreign researchers in their interactions with Fante speakers to bolster their research efforts. Fante creatives are invited to work with us to translate books, poems, and more to distribute to other countries, and foreign content creators can rely on our team to tailor their games, apps, or websites for a Fante-speaking audience. Truly, whatever your Fante translation needs are, our team can help.
Let us know what your Fante translation project is today, and let’s get started breaking down the language barrier!