There’s no shortage of languages in Kenya. In fact, the country boasts a whopping 65+ established languages, with large communities of speakers ensuring vibrancy and vigor in many of them. Of course, a country needs a unified language at the national level, so Swahili and English are commonly used as lingua francas in the East African nation. But for many Kenyans, Swahili and English aren’t their first language. Rather, they speak languages like Gusii as their native tongue.
How many people speak Gusii? Roughly 2.2 million people in Kenya, most of whom belong to the Abagusii ethnic group, speak the language as their mother tongue, with an additional 500,000 or so people learning Gusii as a second language. While Gusii enjoys vigorous use in its locale, it’s easily overshadowed by the bigger languages of Kenya, particularly Swahili and English—which leaves Gusii underserved. It’s rare for a translation company to offer specialized Gusii translation services, but we at TranslationServices.com are proud to step in with our very own Gusii translation team.
A free quote for our Gusii translation services? We’d be delighted to offer one.
Diving into the identity of the Gusii language
Gusii—or Ekegusii, as it may also be called—is native to southwestern Kenya, specifically the counties of Kisii and Nyamira in the province of Nyanza. While the nexus of the Gusii-speaking world is Kisii Town, you can also find some speakers in parts of Southern Rift Valley, Kericho County, and Bomet County. The 2.2-odd speakers are split between two dialects—Maate and Rogoro—with the latter constituting the standard dialect of the language. Most differences between the dialects manifest at the lexical level.
If we take a look at the structural makeup of Gusii, we find a unique and grammatically complex language. Gusii is classified as a Bantu language, like most languages in central and southern Africa. But it’s noted for its distinct differences from most of its cousin languages, leading to debate among linguists as to whether it should even be included in the Bantu subfamily. Nonetheless, Gusii does feature the quintessential Bantu noun class system, with nine distinct classes, each with their own separate plural form. The Gusii numerical system is also unique, as it lacks native words for 6, 7, and 8, instead resorting to “5+1,” “5+2,” and “5+3.” It’s not easy to translate to and from Gusii, but for trained experts like our native-speaking Gusii translators, it’s not a problem.
Gusii translation services, customized to your specific needs
Our team is dedicated to bringing you the best possible Gusii translation services. That means that whether you’re looking for translation to or from Gusii, whether for the Maate or Rogoro dialect, we aim to accommodate your specific translation needs. Our Gusii translators are native speakers who grew up in Kisii, Nyamira, and elsewhere in southwestern Kenya, and they’re passionate about translating to and from Gusii to help connect their community with the broader world.
Would you like Gusii translation services for academic purposes? Or perhaps corporate dealings? Or maybe literary works? Whatever your needs, our team of specialized Gusii translators would be delighted to help you. Our academic translation specialists can help you translate everything from theses and conference papers to interview transcripts and research surveys, while our business translation experts can offer pinpoint translation to and from Gusii for business reports, employment contracts, white papers, advertisement copy, and more. Our literary translators are ready to help Gusii writers make a name for themselves abroad or assist foreign writers with translating their works into Gusii to capture an audience in southwestern Kenya. We even translate content that uses technical language—if you need a Gusii translator with expertise in a particular field, let us know, and we’ll match you with the appropriate expert.
Our Gusii translators are ready to get to work on your project—so why not place an order today?