There’s a lot more to the linguistic layout of Mexico than Spanish. “Sure,” you might be thinking, “There’s Mayan, right? And Nahuatl?” Indeed, Nahuatl is the biggest indigenous language in Mexico, and several Mayan languages, including Yucatec Maya, are spoken vigorously in the diverse nation’s south. But Mexico’s linguistic landscape goes even deeper than that. Mexico is one of the most linguistically diverse countries on the planet, with numerous languages primarily from the Mayan, Oto–Manguean, and Mixe–Zoque language families spoken widely in its southern regions. It’s the Mixe languages that we’re looking at today.
Mixe isn’t a single language—it’s a cluster of several closely related languages indigenous to the south of Mexico. As of 2020, the Mixe languages collectively boast around 140,000 native speakers, with some varieties significantly larger than others. Most Mixe speakers live in the Sierra Mixe region of eastern Oaxaca, a southern Mexico state known for its remarkably high proportion of indigenous inhabitants, many of whom still speak their indigenous languages—some even monolingually. But, unfortunately, the Mixe languages are threatened by Spanish, which dominates most of life across Mexico. That’s why so few translation firms have Mixe translation teams—but we at TranslationServices.com are different.
We understand the value of Mixe, which is why we’re so proud to present our professional Mixe translation team. For a free quote, simply send us a message!
Digging deeper into the identity of Mixe
The Mixe languages are unique in that they make up one major branch of the small Mixe–Zoque language family, in contrast to most other languages in Mexico, which generally hail from the Mayan, Oto–Manguean, or Uto–Aztecan families. The Mixe–Zoque family is believed to have historically been more widespread, before other languages moved in. Today, six primary Mixe languages are spoken: Totontepec (North Highland Mixe), Tlahuitoltepec (South Highland Mixe), Midland Mixe, Lowland Mixe, Oluta Popoluca (Olutec Mixe), and Sayula Popoluca (Sayultec Mixe). The latter two are spoken in Veracruz and are more distantly related to the four in Oaxaca, which speakers call Ayöök, Ayuujk, Ayüük, or Ayuhk.
Mixe languages are grammatically complex, featuring a basic subject-object-verb word order. The lack of nominal inflection, other than plural forms for human nouns, may make the language feel simple, but the complicated nature of Mixe verbs compensates for this simplicity. Mixe verbs conjugate for a wide range of categories, allowing for a rich variety of grammatical expression, and because Mixe is an ergative language, verbs inflect to agree with the object, rather than the subject, as in English.
We’re eager to help you with your Mixe translation needs.
The unfortunate reality is that most translation services gloss over endangered indigenous languages like Mixe—even though the Mixe languages are still spoken by more than 140,000 people. At TranslationServices.com, we couldn’t accept that—so we set out to build our own, professional Mixe translation team, consisting of native speakers of Totontepec, Tlahuitoltepec, Midland Mixe, Lowland Mixe, Oluta Popoluca, and Sayula Popoluca alike. With passionate Mixe translators from both Oaxaca and Veracruz, we’re here to cater to all your Mixe translation needs.
Whether you need translation services from Mixe to English or from English to Mixe, we’re here. Whether you’re looking for business translation services, academic translation services, literary translation services, or localization services, we’re ready to help. We’ve taken great care to ensure our team consists of a well-rounded, diverse roster of Mixe translators, allowing us to seamlessly accommodate the various Mixe translation needs that clients from across Mexico and beyond may have. In fact, we can even help if your document contains technical jargon—just tell us what field it is, and we’ll do our best to find a suitable Mixe translator with knowledge in your area.
We’d love to help you break down the language barrier between Mixe and English. If you’re ready to get started, just send us a message!