Before the French and British colonized Canada, the land was inhabited by hundreds of diverse ethnolinguistic groups, who had called the territory home for millennia. Nowhere in Canada is more linguistically diverse in terms of indigenous languages than British Columbia, the westernmost province, although unfortunately, most of these languages are under serious threat of extinction. Languages like Tsilhqot’in continue their struggle for survival in the 21st century.
Tsilhqot’in, which may also be called Chilcotin, has only around 800 native speakers remaining and is classified as “definitely endangered” by UNESCO, meaning that children are no longer learning the language. Therefore, it is now a critical time to work toward revitalizing the language and preserving it for future generations of Tsilhqot’in. However, due to the language’s general lack of speakers and status as endangered, professional translation services for Tsilhqot’in are severely limited. That’s where we proudly step in: TranslationServices.com is proud to announce our dedicated team of Tsilhqot’in translators.
For a price estimate for Tsilhqot’in translation services, message us today. Quotes are entirely free!
Who are the Tsilhqot’in and what is their language like?
The Tsilhqot’in are an ethnic group native to southwestern British Columbia, north of Vancouver. Prior to colonization, the Tsilhqot’in were part of a strong warrior nation, but after the arrival of Europeans, the nation faced fatal disease outbreaks and several decades of Canada’s brutal residential school system. Nonetheless, Tsilhqot’in remains stronger and more widely spoken than most other indigenous languages in British Columbia. The Tsilhqot’in are passionate about revitalizing their language and ensuring it continues to be passed down through the generations.
Tsilhqot’in is an Athabaskan language, a language family spoken mostly in Alaska and northwestern Canada—although, curiously, the most widely spoken Athabaskan language, Navajo, is spoken in Arizona and New Mexico. Tsilhqot’in has the largest consonant inventory of all Athabaskan languages and a complicated grammatical structure, exhibiting the polysynthetic nature that North American indigenous languages are known for. Tsilhqot’in makes heavy use of verbal prefixes to mark grammatical information, including multiple sets of person markers. Tsilhqot’in uses different demonstratives depending on the animacy of the noun indicated, and these demonstratives can double as topic markers.
Tsilhqot’in is not a simple language—indeed, North American indigenous languages are not known for their simplicity. But our Tsilhqot’in translators have mastered the language and are eager to translate it for you.
We’re here to translate anything you want to and from Tsilhqot’in.
Do you want Tsilhqot’in translation services? Our team is here to provide translation services both to and from Tsilhqot’in for whatever content you like. Perhaps you’d like to translate a historical document or a traditional tale from Tsilhqot’in—this can help grow people’s awareness of Tsilhqot’in culture and may spark their interest in learning the language. On the other hand, maybe you’d prefer to translate a survey for the Tsilhqot’in people into their native language, or perhaps you want to translate entertainment content like books, games, poems, and websites into Tsilhqot’in so that speakers have more opportunities to use the language and learners can more easily immerse themselves in learning content.
Whatever your reason for requiring Tsilhqot’in translation services, our team is ready to oblige. Contact us whenever you’re ready to get started.