Southeast Asia is the most linguistically diverse area of the planet, with Papua New Guinea and Indonesia particularly shining in terms of the number of indigenous languages spoken within their borders. But Mainland Southeast Asia also exhibits considerable linguistic diversity, with Myanmar standing as a particular hotspot in the region. According to estimates, there are more than 100 languages spoken indigenous in Myanmar, representing six different language families, meaning the individual languages within the country are often entirely unrelated—unlike in Indonesia, where nearly all languages are from the same family.
One of the many languages spoken in Myanmar is Rakhine, also commonly known as Arakanese. Since Rakhine is closely related to Burmese, the sole official language and lingua franca of Myanmar, it tends to be overshadowed, receiving almost no recognition at the global level. It is worth noting, however, that Rakhine is recognized within Myanmar as a regional language, and with the Rakhine people having their own state, Rakhine State, the language exerts more influence than most minority languages in Myanmar. Still, it’s hard to find a translation agency that works with Rakhine—most just translate Burmese and call it a day. But at TranslationServices.com, we’re seriously dedicated to providing high-quality translation services for a maximum number of languages. That’s why we’ve proudly created a Rakhine translation team.
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So, what kind of language is Rakhine, anyway?
Rakhine is closely related to Burmese, to the extent that the languages share a roughly 75% mutual intelligibility rate. This has lead Rakhine to often be classified as a Burmese dialect, negatively impacting the number of resources available for Rakhine. As a member of the Sino–Tibetan language family, Rakhine is also related to the Chinese languages, albeit distantly. Naturally, the language is native to Rakhine State, which straddles much of Myanmar’s northern coastline, though native Rakhine speakers are also found in parts of Bangladesh and India.
Rakhine is written in the Burmese script, a syllable-based writing system developed from another script in southern India. In terms of grammar, Rakhine features an elaborate case system that relies on suffixes to communicate grammatical information. Interestingly, the language lacks adjectives as we know them in English, instead expressing adjectival information through verbs that express the state of being, for example, happy or big or red. Rakhine is also rife with honorifics, which are crucial to get right, lest you risk offending a Rakhine speaker.
We make Rakhine translation easy.
Rakhine is certainly not an easy language—but don’t worry, our Rakhine translators have learned the language since birth. They’re well versed in the complicated honorifics system and work hard to faithfully translate all the subtle nuances found in the language. Armed with a deep love for their language, our Rakhine translators pour their heart into their work, whether they’re translating to Rakhine or from Rakhine—we have translators who specialize in both.
Why are you looking for Rakhine translation services? Thanks to our highly diverse translation team, we’re proud to accommodate the Rakhine translation needs of a plethora of clients. That includes businesspeople setting up shop in Rakhine State, as well as Rakhine natives eying outward expansion for their local companies. It includes Rakhine-speaking scholars with ground-breaking scientific discoveries they want to share with the international community, as well as foreign-national researchers who want to interview Rakhine speakers for their study. It also includes Rakhine authors and poets with rich stories of their homeland to share with those from other cultures, as well as content creators from around the world who want to cater their work to the people of Myanmar’s Rakhine State. Whatever you need in terms of Rakhine translation services, we’re here to help.
We love translating to and from Rakhine. Put our passionate Rakhine translators to work by messaging us about your project today!