Myanmar is a remarkably diverse nation in a particularly diverse part of the world: northwestern Southeast Asia. The primary language of Myanmar is Burmese, spoken by the ethnic Bamar people, who make up some 60% of the country’s population. But there are approximately 100 other indigenous languages spoken throughout Myanmar’s vast area, some of which are quite sizable. For example, Karenni is one of the most notable minority languages in Myanmar.
The exact number of Karenni native speakers is unknown but could range anywhere between 185,000 to 500,000. The figure is difficult to ascertain because Karenni dialects are highly distinct, to the degree that they may be considered separate languages, and Karenni may also be conflated with other, similar languages. Regardless, Karenni remains an important language in the region and functions as a local lingua franca, but this doesn’t mean Karenni translation services are readily accessible. That’s why we at TranslationServices.com have decided to launch our own Karenni translation services.
If you’re interested in a free quote for our Karenni translation services, why not message us now?
The complex minority language of Karenni
Karenni is also known as Red Karen and, in Burmese, Kayah, a name invented specifically to distinguish Karenni from other Karen languages. The language is widely spoken across Myanmar’s eastern Karenni State, as well as regions of Shan State and even some communities in Thailand. Karenni comes in many varieties, and its dialects aren’t always mutually intelligible. The primary dialects of Karenni are Eastern Kayah, Western Kayah, Yintale, and Kawyaw, with the Eastern and Western varieties split further into subdialects. Speakers of Eastern and Western Kayah may have a hard time understanding each other.
Karenni uses several different writing systems, depending on the dialect. Eastern and Western Kayah often use Kayah Li, a native script designed for the Karenni language. However, speakers of Western Kayah, as well as the Kawyaw dialect, may also use the Latin alphabet or the Burmese script. Grammatically, Karenni is a Sino–Tibetan language, related to Mandarin, Tibetan, and Burmese, albeit distantly. Its default word order is subject-verb-object, and it exhibits minimal inflection, both of which are features common in Southeast Asia. Unlike many other languages in the region, Karenni also lacks politeness distinctions in its pronouns. Karenni is also worlds apart from English, making it tricky to translate, and that’s why it’s important to work with native-speaking translators like ours.
We’ll adjust our Karenni translation services to fit your needs.
Given the high dialectical diversity of Karenni, it’s important that a Karenni translation team be large and diverse, equipped to handle requests for the various dialects of the language. That’s precisely the sort of team we’ve aimed to build, recruiting Karenni translators from different parts of Kayah State and Shan State, as well as areas in Thailand. We cover translation services in Eastern Kayah, Western Kayah, Yintale, Kawyaw, and numerous subdialects, with our team translating texts both into and from Karenni.
Do you have any specifications for your Karenni translation project? For example, if you’re a researcher who needs a questionnaire translated into Karenni, you may want to request an academic translator who’s familiar with your field. Or maybe you run a business and you want a business translator with knowledge in your industry to translate your white paper and press releases. Perhaps you produce creative content—books, poems, short stories, websites, apps, games—and you want a translator who can carefully transmit all the same nuances and hidden meanings while staying true to your unique writing style and tone. No matter what kind of translation you’re looking for, we always aim to accommodate our clients’ needs—so don’t hesitate to ask!
Our Karenni translators are waiting for your order. Send us a message now to place your first Karenni translation order!