With more than 99% of Colombians speaking Spanish, it’s easy to overlook the many other languages found in the South American nation—but in fact, Colombia is home to more than 70 languages that span a diverse range of Amerindian language families. While the indigenous population of Colombia has, in many ways, assimilated to the broader Colombian culture and adopted the Spanish language, more than 850,000 people in the country still speak an indigenous tongue—and one of the biggest ones is Páez, sometimes called Nasa.
Roughly 60,000 people in Colombia today speak Páez as their native language, which accounts for a large portion of the Páez ethnic population. In fact, Páez is one of the biggest indigenous languages in the country—but the widespread use and prestige of Spanish nonetheless poses a threat to this proud language. Revitalization efforts, including offering education in Páez to native Páez children, are helping the language maintain a strong footing, but it can still be difficult to find translation services. Here at TranslationServices.com, we’re pleased to present our new Páez translation services to support the community.
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Páez: one of Colombia’s biggest indigenous languages
Tucked away in the southwestern highlands of Colombia are the Páez people, who primarily inhabit the departments of Cauca and Caquetá, with smaller populations in Huila, Tolima, and Valle del Cauca. They live closely alongside the Misak, or Gaumbiano, people, which has resulted in the Páez and Guambiano languages strongly influencing each other, even though they hail from entirely different language families. Páez was originally believed to belong to the Chibchan family, but linguists later revised the classification and now believe it to constitute its own language family called Paezan. Páez consists of three major dialects: Nasayuwä, Okoshkokyéwa, and Paniquita.
In terms of grammar, Páez can be complicated. The language demonstrates a basic word order of subject-object-verb and uses nominal suffixes to mark six cases. Verbs similarly use suffixes to mark tense, aspect, and mood, and verbs in the second person also contain a gender suffix. Certain prefixes can alter the intensity of a verb. Páez pronouns are gendered only in the first and second person, not the third person, and the plural forms of the first- and second-person pronouns are always derived from the feminine forms. Of course, these features can make Páez tricky to translate, but if you work with pros, like our Páez translators, you have nothing to worry about.
Páez translation services for any occasion
If you’re looking for Páez translation services—for any project, toward any goal, about any topic—we’re determined to help you. Our translators are native speakers of this precious South American indigenous language, representing the various dialects of the language. They hail from Cauca, Caquetá, and elsewhere in Colombia, so our team members cover the full diversity of the Páez-speaking world. What they have in common is a love for their language and the experience and skills necessary to provide high-quality translation services both to and from Páez.
To ensure we can provide the precise Páez translation services you need, we’ve carefully selected translators who specialize in different areas of translation. For example, we have academic translators who can help researchers translate surveys into Páez or interview transcripts from Páez. We have business translators who can translate internal company documents like business proposals and financial reports, as well as marketing materials like ad copy and press releases, to or from Páez to support your company. We have literary translators who can carefully transmit the subtle nuances of stories to and from Páez, helping spread Páez culture worldwide or bringing quality stories to the Páez language for the benefit of speakers and learners. No matter what you need, our Páez translators are here.
Why not get started with your first Páez translation order today?