If you live in British Columbia, Canada, chances are you speak English—most likely as a native language. Foreign languages are common in the western province, with speakers of Punjabi, Mandarin, Cantonese, Tagalog, and other languages numerous particularly in the Vancouver area, but those aren’t the only non-English languages you’ll discover in British Columbia. If you look a little closer, you’ll discover the original languages of the land, the indigenous languages that are still spoken today—such as Thompson.
Thompson—or, as it’s known natively, Nlaka'pamuctsin—is spoken today by around 130 native speakers, making it a severely endangered language, as per UNESCO. When you realize that there are more than 3,000 documented Nlaka'pamux people alive today, the precarious situation of the Thompson language becomes clear. Members of the nation are exploring ways to revitalize their culture and language, so there’s still hope—and we at TranslationServices.com would love to help in the way we can. That’s why we’ve set up our own translation team for Thompson.
A free quote for our Thompson translation services? Just send us a message!
Would you like to know a bit more about the Thompson language?
British Columbia is home to many of the indigenous languages that abound across Canada, and Thompson, or Nlaka'pamuctsin, is one of them. It’s spoken in the Fraser Canyon, Thompson Canyon, and Nicola Country, located in the mountainous interior regions of southern British Columbia, dipping down into Washington State. A distinctive dialect of Thompson is also spoken in the Nicola Valley, where it’s known as Scw'exmx. Thompson belongs to one of the most prominent—and most notoriously complicated—indigenous language families in the Northwest Pacific: Salishan.
Like other Salishan languages, Thompson is a consonant-heavy language, and its morphology is equally complex. It’s a verb-initial language, with both the verb-subject-object and verb-object-subject word orders used commonly. Thompson lacks grammatical gender, and its numeral classifiers are optional, which can make it feel easier to a learner—but the language is jam-packed with lexical suffixes that can transform the meaning of the noun they’re attached to. As opposed to conventional affixes, which typically provide grammatical information, alter the nuance, or change the class of a word (e.g., from a noun to a verb), Thompson’s lexical affixes are more like “suffixicized” versions of regular nouns, sometimes bearing little resemblance to the independent noun. These suffixes can be attached to other words to form new words or even entire sentences. Of course, such a complex feature is difficult to translate—but don’t worry, that’s what our Thompson translators are here for.
Let us help you with your Thompson translation needs!
At TranslationServices.com, we’re passionate about translating endangered minority languages like Thompson, even when most other translation agencies gloss over such languages. We’ve done our best to put together a high-quality team of Thompson translators, proud native speakers and advanced learners who understand the intricacies of this precious tongue. We offer translation services both to and from Thompson, customizable to fit your specific needs—just let us know what you’re looking for!
Of course, with only around 130 native speakers of Thompson, we’re severely limited in what we can offer, but we nonetheless strive to provide flexible translation services that adapt to your needs. If you have any special requests, all you have to do is let us know, and we’ll select the best Thompson translator on our team to work with you. Educational materials for local children? Marketing materials for organizations to connect with Thompson speakers? Literary translation services to help share important Nlaka'pamuctsin stories or broaden the body of literature available in the language? Whatever you need, our passionate Thompson translators are eager to help.
What kind of Thompson translation project do you have? Reach out today with the details, and let’s get started!