There are a lot more languages spoken in South America than you probably think. Yes, nine of the twelve countries on the continent predominantly speak Spanish, with Brazil, Guyana, and Suriname speaking Portuguese, English, and Dutch, respectively. But that doesn’t mean there aren’t hundreds of minority languages spoken in these countries. All across South America, you’ll find indigenous languages still spoken by tens of thousands of people, like Shipibo.
Shipibo has about 26,000 native speakers, giving the indigenous South American language a sizable community to thrive in. The majority of the ethnic Shipibo population speaks the language, and they maintain many of their traditions and customs, which helps keep their Shipibo identity strong despite the encroachment of Spanish and Portuguese. It’s rare to find a company that offers Shipibo translation services, however, which is why we at TranslationServices.com are so proud to present our own Shipibo translation team.
Send us a message with a request for a free quote for our Shipibo translation services today!
Discovering Shipibo, an indigenous language of the Amazon
Shipibo is one of the many languages indigenous to the Amazon rainforest that has maintained a relatively strong speaker base to this day. Native to areas of both Peru and Brazil, although primarily the Ucayali Department of Peru, Shipibo speakers have to face the pressures of both Spanish and Portuguese. Peru does officially recognize Shipibo as an indigenous language, however. Dialectical diversity within Shipibo is limited, with the historical dialects of Shipibo and Konibo having merged into one and the Kapanawa dialect fading away.
Shipibo comes from the Panoan language family, which encompasses 18 languages spoken in parts of Peru, Brazil, and Bolivia. Shipibo and other Panoan languages have derived influence from the many other families indigenous to the Amazon, including Araucanian, Arawakan, and Tucanoan. Shipibo contains various grammatical features that starkly differentiate it from English, with one notable feature of Shipibo and other Panoan languages being their body-part prefixes. For example, you might use the “mouth” prefix when talking about activities like eating or speaking. Shipibo features upwards of 30 body-part prefixes, which allows for a great deal of nuance. These prefixes can be difficult to translate, but when you hire native Shipibo speakers like our team members, it’s not a problem.
Providing you with Shipibo translation services that can accommodate your needs
We set off to build the best Shipibo translation team we can, hiring native Shipibo speakers from across the department of Ucayali and across the border in the Brazilian state of Acre. This way, we can cover as much variety within the language as possible. Our translators are passionate about their language, so they love helping clients from Peru, Brazil, and elsewhere translate both to and from Shipibo, regardless of the content or the type of project. They draw on their experience both as translators and native Shipibo speakers to deliver the best quality they can.
What sort of translation services are you seeking for your Shipibo project? Our translators represent various specializations, so we’re able to accommodate a wide range of client needs. Perhaps you’re a researcher looking to work with the Shipibo people for linguistic or anthropological research—our academic translators can help you translate your survey into Shipibo. Or maybe you work for an organization that wants to connect with Shipibo speakers in Peru and Brazil—our business translators can handle both internal company documents and external promotional materials. Or maybe you want to take advantage of our literary translation services, available both for translating native Shipibo stories into English to spread appreciation of the culture and for translating English-language books, poems, stories, apps, games, and other media into Shipibo to help support the language and community. Regardless of the subject matter, we’re eager to help.
Send us your files today, and our team will get started on your Shipibo translation project!