Languages don’t exist in a vacuum. They’re living relics of human culture and experience, evolving over time in accordance with both cultural changes and random phonological and grammatical shifts. After enough time, these evolved dialects develop into fully fledged, mutually unintelligible languages—this is how English is related to Hindi. Linguists classify languages into families by tracing their origins, but there are some that appear to have no relation to other languages—these are categorized as language isolates. Language isolates are rare, precious, and unique—and South America’s Waorani is one of them.
Waorani is spoken by an estimated 2,000 people in Ecuador and Peru, although it may also be spoken by some uncontacted tribes in Peru, which would push the number of speakers up a bit. The unique Amerindian tongue is known under several names, including Huaorani, Sabela, Wao, Huao, Auishiri, Aushiri, Ssabela, and its native name, Wao Terero. It used to be called Auka or Auca, but this name is considered pejorative today. With only 2,000 speakers, many of whom are increasingly turning to Spanish or Quechua, Waorani faces the threat of endangerment, and hardly any translation firms work with the language. At TranslationServices.com, however, we’re proud to provide Waorani translation services.
We can provide a quote for our Waorani translation services for free—contact us today if you’d like one for your project!
A brief overview of the wonderfully unique language of Waorani
The Waorani people are one of several indigenous tribes that call the expansive Amazon Rainforest their home. They’re found in Ecuador’s Oriente region, specifically between the Napo and Curaray Rivers. Despite the small number of speakers, the language features three different dialects: Tiguacuna (Tiwakuna), Tuei (Tiwi Tuei, Tiwi), and Shiripuno. However, not a lot of data exists on the dialects of this small South American language isolate.
Prominent linguist Terrence Kaufman included Waorani in his proposed Yawan family, and other linguists have noted similarities in vocabulary with Yaruro, but all familial links remain unverified. Waorani’s grammar presents a stark contrast to most of the inflection-heavy indigenous languages of South America, with Waorani demonstrating far less markings on nouns and verbs. Waorani sentences are formed in a default subject-object-verb word order, the most common word order among the world’s languages. Waorani also features markers for evidentiality, also found in nearby languages like Quechua, but Waorani only encodes indirect evidentiality (i.e., inference or hearsay), whereas Quechua also marks for direct evidentiality (i.e., direct experience).
We have the necessary skills to deliver high-quality Waorani translation services.
It’s not easy to find translation services for Waorani, and those that you do find will generally be geared toward Spanish, not English. We at TranslationServices.com wanted to make translation services for the unique and precious language of Waorani more accessible to clients from around the world, which is why we’re working with the best Waorani translators in Ecuador and Peru to translate a diverse array of projects. To the best of our ability, we accommodate all Waorani dialects—Tiguacuna, Tuei, and Shiripuno—and regardless of dialect, all our translators are driven by their passion for their language. Whether it’s translating into Waorani or out of Waorani, our translators are eager to help.
While flexibility is a key feature in most of our translation teams, when it comes to endangered minority languages like Waorani that have only a few thousand speakers, it can be difficult or even impossible to cater to all niches. Regardless, we try to work with translators who have experience in different domains, including business, academia, literature, and beyond. So, whatever kind of Waorani translation project you may have, we may have a specialist in your area. Translations in niche subjects or that contain esoteric language could be tricky, but we’ll always do our best to accommodate your individual needs and deliver the highest-quality, most precise Waorani translation we can.
You can start translating into or out of Waorani today! Begin your translation journey with this unique language isolate by sending us a message!