Russia is the biggest country in the world in terms of area. One might think that most of the population is ethnically Russian, from the western border with Ukraine to the eastern border with North Korea. But in fact, the territory of Russia encapsulates nearly 200 distinct ethnic groups, many with their own language. The Northern Caucasus region is particularly ethnolinguistically diverse, home to many peoples and remarkably diverse languages. One of these languages is Kabardian, sometimes combined with Adyghe and called Circassian.
Kabardian is spoken by the largest Circassian tribe, the Kabardians, with around 1.6 million speakers. However, without a sovereign Kabardian nation of its own, the Kabardian language is threatened by the dominant languages of the respective regions the speakers live in, primarily Russian, Turkish, and Arabic. Since the language is endangered, many translation agencies don’t offer translation services for it—they judge the language as unprofitable. But at TranslationServices.com, we care about more than numbers. We know Kabardian holds immense cultural value, which is why we’re determined to provide high-quality Kabardian translation services.
If you message us now, you can request a free quote for our Kabardian translation services.
Introducing the biggest Circassian language: Kabardian
Hailing from one of the most linguistically diverse regions of the world, Kabardian is a Northwest Caucasian, or Circassian, language. It’s primarily spoken in the Russian republics of Kabardino-Balkaria and Karachay-Cherkessia, although there are also many speakers in Turkey, as well as small communities in Jordan and Syria. In Kabardino-Balkaria, it’s usually called Kabardian, but in Karachay-Cherkessia, it’s often known as Cherkess. The language is written in the Cyrillic script.
Kabardian grammar isn’t exactly simple. Most notably is the ergative–absolutive alignment, which means the subject of an intransitive sentence (e.g., “I walk”) is marked the same as the object of a transitive sentence (e.g., “I see it”). Kabardian has four cases—ergative, absolutive, instrumental, and adverbial—and unlike many ergative languages, specifically marks the absolutive rather than leaving it unmarked. Kabardian marks person and number on verbs, prompting speakers to often omit pronouns. There are also 10 different verb tenses, allowing for lots of nuance when expressing actions.
Kabardian is complex—there’s no denying that. But our Kabardian translators are passionate about the language and enjoy working to provide high-quality Kabardian translations.
Reasons to order Kabardian translation services
Our Kabardian translators are dedicated to producing great translations both to and from Kabardian for just about any type of content. In terms of translating from Kabardian, common use cases include the translation of historical documents or traditional literature, which allows Kabardians to spread knowledge of their culture abroad. Regarding translation into Kabardian, businesses may like to translate promotional materials into the language to cater to their customer base. Content creators and language revitalizationalists also like to translate entertainment like books, websites, apps, games, and more into Kabardian to increase the domains of use and help Kabardian flourish into the future.
Why not get started with your Kabardian translation project today? Send us a message now, and we can discuss what you need for your Kabardian translation project to succeed.