We all know Mexico is a Spanish-speaking country—in fact, it’s the biggest Spanish-speaking country in the world. But that doesn’t mean that Spanish is the only language Mexicans speak. All throughout the country, particularly in the south, you’ll find hundreds of indigenous languages still spoken today by vibrant communities, with more than 470,000 people in the state of Oaxaca monolingual in languages other than Spanish. And one of Oaxaca’s many indigenous languages is Chinantec.
Chinantec is better classified as a group of closely related languages rather than a single language. Ethnologue has identified 14 Chinantec languages based on a standard of at least 80% mutual intelligibility, which in practice means that speakers of different Chinantec languages can’t always understand each other. Collectively, the Chinantec languages boast around 140,000 native speakers, positioning the group as one of the bigger indigenous vernaculars of Mexico. At TranslationServices.com, we proudly support the Chinantec languages with our new Chinantec translation services.
How about requesting a free quote for our Chinantec translation services today?
Chinantec: a proud and vibrant cluster of indigenous Mexican languages
Chinantec speakers generally hail from the remarkably ethnically diverse Mexican state of Oaxaca and, to a much smaller degree, the neighboring state of Veracruz. A Chinantec-speaking community also exists in New York’s Staten Island. The Chinantec languages fall into the Oto–Manguean language family, as do many other indigenous languages in Oaxaca. The 14 identified Chinantec languages are as follows:
· Chinantec of Ojitlán (22,000 speakers)
· Chinantec of Palantla (12,000 speakers)
· Chinantec of Lalana (10,500 speakers)
· Chinantec of Usila (9,000 speakers)
· Chinantec of Quiotepec (8,000 speakers)
· Chinantec of Tepinapa (8,000 speakers)
· Chinantec of Sochiapan (5,800 speakers)
· Chinantec of Ozumacín (5,000 speakers)
· Chinantec of Chiltepec (4,000 speakers)
· Chinantec of Comaltepec (2,000 speakers)
· Chinantec of Lealao (2,000 speakers)
· Chinantec of Tepetotutla (2,000 speakers)
· Chinantec of Tlacoatzintepec (2,000 speakers)
· Chinantec of Valle Nacional (1,000 speakers)
The Chinantec languages exhibit a unique grammatical structure, with a basic word order of verb-subject-object. Some variants, such as Chinantec of Sochiapan, demonstrate a verb-object-subject order in certain types of clauses. The languages heavily favor prefixes, with suffixes nearly nonexistent, and a variety of honorific pronouns for the first and second person allow Chinantec speakers to express their attitude toward themselves and their interlocuter. It’s important to hire native-speaking Chinantec translators if you want a high-quality translation—and that’s precisely who we hire.
The best Chinantec translation team for your project
We aim to be your one-stop shop for all your Chinantec translation needs. Given the relatively low mutual intelligibility among the varieties, which may be comparable to the distance between Spanish and Portuguese, we’ve made sure to scout out Chinantec translators from all across Oaxaca and Veracruz, finding representation for each of the Chinantec languages. Once you choose a Chinantec variety, you can also choose whether you want to translate to or from the language, as we work in both directions. What remains consistent amidst the vast diversity of our Chinantec translation team is the passion our translators harbor for their languages.
If you want specialty translation services for a Chinantec language, we’ll do our best to help you with that, too. We’re limited by the number of Chinantec speakers available, with some variants much bigger than others, but our team is nonetheless decked out with specialists in academic translation, business translation, literary translation, and more. So, if you’re looking for an expert in a particular type of translation, just let us know, and we’ll do our best to set you up with the right Chinantec translator. The same applies if you require a translator who has knowledge in a particular field.
Let us take care of your Chinantec translation needs. Reach out now to place your first order!