Understanding the ethnolinguistic makeup of West Africa is a tricky endeavor. The region is one of the most diverse in the world, with many hundreds of ethnic groups calling the area home and speaking just as many distinct languages. Many West African countries have no one single dominant ethnic group, and similarly, many West African ethnic groups span multiple countries—such is only natural when you consider that the national borders we know today in Africa were drawn up with little to no consideration of the indigenous peoples. One of the many peoples native to West Africa is the Bariba people, who speak a language of the same name.
Bariba claims around 560,000 native speakers in West Africa, so while it’s not the biggest language in the region, it’s still a sizable language with a considerable influence. The language is spoken in the historical region of Borgu, today split fairly cleanly between Benin and Nigeria, with the majority of Bariba speakers calling Benin home. Bariba is known under many names, including Baatonum, Baatombu, Baatonu, Barba, Baruba, and Berba, which is partially due to the different names for the language from nearby ethnic groups. Unfortunately, most translation companies prefer to translate these bigger languages, such as Hausa and Yoruba, and overlook Bariba—but not us.
We’re proud to present our Bariba translation team, ready to help you navigate your Bariba translation journey. If you want a free quote, all you have to do is ask!
Finding out more about the Bariba language
Around 70% of Bariba speakers live in Benin, specifically the state of Borgu, with many clustered around the traditional Bariba capital of Nikki. Bariba speakers may also be found in Benin’s Alibori, Donga, and Atakora states, however. In Nigeria, Bariba speakers inhabit the states of Niger and Kwara. Smaller numbers of Bariba speakers have also branched out to other countries, including Togo (Savanes Region) and Burkina Faso (Kompienga Province).
Linguists disagree on the classification of Bariba—it’s either on the Savanna or Gur branch of the Niger–Congo language family. Like many other Niger–Congo languages, Bariba features a complicated system of noun classes, clocking in at seven total classes—much fewer than in the distantly related Bantu languages. In terms of verbal grammar, Bariba features seven aspects, allowing speakers to specify the manner in which an action is completed—continually, habitually, or consecutively, for example. Thus, Bariba sentences can contain a great deal of nuance.
High-quality Bariba translation services you can trust
There aren’t a lot of professional Bariba translation services out there, but we don’t just want to be any old Bariba translation service—we want to provide you with the absolute best Bariba translations we can. That means translating from English to Bariba and from Bariba to English, thanks to our diverse team of experienced, native-speaking Bariba translators. Since we’ve sourced our translators from all across the Bariba-speaking world, including different areas of Benin, Nigeria, Togo, and Burkina Faso, we have a wide coverage of different Bariba dialects, making it easy to accommodate the needs of a wide array of clients.
And that’s not all—we’ve also made sure to hire Bariba translators with experience in different areas of translation, including business, academia, and literature. If you’re eying translation into Bariba, we can help you set up your organization in the Borgu region and connect with locals, disseminate Bariba-language questionnaires for your academic study, produce educational materials in Bariba to help children gain literacy and an education in their native language, and translate interesting entertainment content into Bariba for the enjoyment of the people. In terms of translation from Bariba, we can help you expand your business to the wider world or share traditional Bariba tales with a curious foreign audience. Whatever you need in terms of Bariba translation services, we’re ready to help.
Would you like to get started with Bariba translation services? Send us a message today!