English and French aren’t the only native languages of Canada—far from it. Prior to European colonization, the land was alive with the diverse languages of different ethnolinguistic groups, but unfortunately, these languages all face endangerment today, due to the widespread use and prestige of English coupled with the brutal history indigenous peoples have faced at the hands of European settlers. These languages still are very much alive, however, with communities passionate about their continued survival. One such language—one of the biggest ones—is Chipewyan.
Chipewyan, or Dënësųłinë́, as speakers call it, is spoken by nearly 12,000 people, making it one of the largest indigenous languages in Canada (other major indigenous languages include Inuktitut, Cree, Ojibwe, and Mi’kmaq). Around 41% of the ethnic Chipewyan population speaks the language, although the community is making efforts to increase that number through language revitalization programs, especially by teaching the language to children. Unfortunately, since Chipewyan is endangered, there aren’t a lot of translation agencies that offer translation services for the language, but at TranslationServices.com, we’re proud to serve endangered languages like Chipewyan. Our Chipewyan translators are eager to help you with your Chipewyan translation needs.
Looking for a quote for our Chipewyan translation services? Contact us today and request one for free.
Chipewyan, Canada’s biggest Na–Dené language
Chipewyan is spoken in northwestern Canada, specifically in northern Saskatchewan, Alberta, and Manitoba and southern Northwest Territories and Nunavut. It’s an official language in Northwest Territories alongside eight other indigenous languages. It’s written in a modified version of the Latin alphabet that incorporates numerous special characters, as exemplified by the language’s native name, Dënësųłinë́. Like many other languages spoken in northwestern Canada and Alaska, Chipewyan comes from the Na–Dené family, more specifically the Northern Athabaskan subfamily, and it’s the biggest Na–Dené language in Canada.
Chipewyan, like its other Na–Dené cousins, is a grammatically complex language characterized by a large number of prefixes and inflection. Certain nouns, such as body parts and kinship terms, are classified as inalienable, which means they must always appear with a possessive prefix—even if the possessor is unknown or general, Chipewyan employs a possessive prefix that corresponds to “one’s.” Verbs are always marked for person, both the subject and the object, as well as various aspects, moods, and adverbial functions—Chipewyan allows for a huge amount of nuance in its verbs.
Flexible Chipewyan translation services for any translation project.
Chipewyan may be a complicated language, but our Chipewyan translators are proud native speakers of this Na–Dené language and are eager to help clients with their diverse translation projects. Our services include both Chipewyan-to-English translation and English-to-Chipewyan translation, providing accurate and natural-sounding translations in both directions. Say, for example, you have a historical document in Chipewyan that you’d like to translate, or you’re looking to share traditional Chipewyan tales with a wider audience to increase appreciation for Chipewyan culture. We can translate these seamlessly into English. Or, maybe you’re looking to translate educational materials into Chipewyan so Chipewyan children can learn in their ancestral language, or maybe you want to translate interesting content like books, games, apps, websites, and poems into Chipewyan, which can increase a native speaker’s usage of the language and help learners acquire it. We can help with that, too.
If you want to get started with Chipewyan translation, send us a message with the details today!