The linguistic layout of the world isn’t quite as simple as Europe might make it seem. In Europe, countries tend to be divided by language, with each nation primarily home to a single ethnolinguistic group and one language that constitutes the majority mother tongue. But in many parts of the world, that’s simply not the case. Take Central and South Asia, for example, where a plethora of disparate ethnic groups speak entirely different languages and rely on a national lingua franca to communicate with compatriots. Some of these languages are even transnational, with a sizable presence in multiple countries. This is what brings us to Pamir.
Pamir is better classified as a group of closely related languages rather than a single language. Despite being spoken in several countries in Central and South Asia, the Pamir languages are endangered, as they form a minority in each of the countries they have a presence in, and the Pamiri people face pressure to adhere to the dominant culture and language of their respective nations. The total number of Pamir language speakers is difficult to pin down, but estimates put the figure at around 125,000—concerning for the future vitality of the languages.
Here at TranslationServices.com, we care about the continued prosperity of the Pamir languages. So, we worked hard to put together a robust Pamir translation team to help anyone seeking Pamir translation services. Contact us today for a free quote!
Shedding some light on the Pamir languages
Pamir speakers are found in various countries in Central and South Asia, most notably Tajikistan (Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region) and Afghanistan (Badakhshan Province), as well as Pakistan (Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Gilgit Baltistan) and China (Xinjiang). The Pamir language group is broken down into eight primary languages: Shughni, Wakhi, Sarikoli, Yazghulami, Munji, Yidgha, Sanglechi, and Ishkashimi. Shughni is by far the largest Pamir language, with Wakhi and Sarikoli following.
The Pamir languages belong to the Iranian branch of the Indo–European language family, constituting the easternmost languages in the grouping. More specifically, they’re classified as Southeastern Iranian languages, with their only living relative in the branch being Pashto. The Pamir languages typically demonstrate a subject-object-verb word order, with a masculine–feminine grammatical gender system. The languages are unique—the Shughni dialect of Rushani is even noted for its unusual use of a “double oblique” construction, though only in the past tense. Rushani has even been considered a separate language by some linguists due to its divergent nature.
Bringing you the best in Pamir translation services
If you want high-quality translation services for Pamir languages—whether that’s Shughni, Wakhi, Sarikoli, or one of the other Pamir languages—you’ve come to the right place. We pride ourselves on providing accurate translations for the Pamir languages, even as most translation companies overlook the grouping. Our search for the top Pamir translation talent has taken us across Tajikistan, Afghanistan, Pakistan, and China, and we’re proud to say that we boast wide coverage of numerous Pamir languages on our team, hiring proud native speakers of each tongue to translate to and form their languages.
We understand that you may have very specific translation needs—such as business translation, academic translation, literary translation, or localization. Don’t worry—we’ve made sure to hire specialists in all these domains and more, so no matter what kind of translation you need, our Pamir translation team is ready to help. We’ve also done our best to find Pamir translators who are experts in other fields, which enables us to navigate complicated material with esoteric language. When working with minority languages with low speaker numbers, it’s not always possible to fit the exact niche a client is looking for, but the incredible flexibility of our Pamir translation team allows us to seamlessly accommodate most Pamir translation needs.
Our Pamir translators can’t wait to start working on your project—so why not send us a message now and put them to work?