There are approximately 350[1] languages spoken in the United States.
Among these, only 167[2] of those languages are indigenous to the United States.
Having so many languages makes the U.S. a culturally rich and linguistically diverse place, but it also creates a growing need for skilled translators for these languages, especially the rare ones. Ensuring access to quality legal representation and medical care is essential for equity and inclusion.
Each of these rare languages below has its own distinct linguistic features and tells us something about the people who speak it. Let’s take a look at some of these languages, see what makes them unique, and why they can present a challenge for legal and medical translations.
Language Facts 101
Karen
Terminology Gaps: The Karen language lacks terminology for many modern concepts and technologies. For instance, there are no established words for car parts as they do not drive motorized vehicles in the mountains where many Karen speakers live. Instead, they will often use gestures and describe a car part as a “thing” with a classifier such as “long,” “flat,” “round,” etc. This can complicate legal and medical translations where precise terminology is crucial.
Kekchi/Q’eqchi
Concrete Thinking: The Kekchi/Q’eqchi’ speakers are concrete thinkers preferring to answer straight-forward and detail-oriented questions rather than deal with abstract or hypothetical situations. For example, a general question asking, “What would you do when shopping at the market?” would prompt them to seek clarification because “shopping at the market” is a vague phrase. This presents challenges when translating legal hypotheticals or complex medical instructions.
Amharic
Different Calendar System: Ethiopia uses a different calendar and, therefore, Amharic (Ethiopia’s official language) speakers may have a different concept of time. The Ethiopian calendar contains 13 months! They celebrate the New Year in September and, due to differing beliefs about the birth of Jesus, in Ethiopia it is currently the year 2017, not 2025. This can lead to misunderstandings in legal and medical documents that reference calendar dates.
Kru/Bassa
Lacking Verbs: Kru and Bassa are two of many dialects of Liberia. All the dialects are interrelated so a speaker of one of them can speak/understand the others. They are derived from English but have ample differences, such as the lack of verb use. So instead of asking in English “Where are you going?” in Kru/Bassa it would be “Where you goin eh?” This can create challenges in translating legal and medical documents that require precise language. It may also lead English speakers to mistakenly associate the simplified structure with a lack of education or literacy, when in fact it’s a feature of the language itself.
Ganda
Cultural References: The province of Baganda lies on the shores of Lake Victoria and, historically, the people living there depended on fishing for their livelihood. This historical connection is still reflectedtoday through every greeting. It is common to hear in Luganda “Eladde” and its response “Eladde Mirembe.” Translated into English it means “Is the lake calm?” and its response means “The lake is calm and peaceful.” These cultural nuances can be difficult to translate accurately in legal and medical contexts where literal clarity is essential.
Igbo
Pronoun Misapplication: It is very common for Igbo speakers to misapply the male/female English pronouns (he/she) in everyday communication. This happens because Igbo has essentially one pronoun that is used for male, female, neuter, as well as for inanimate objects. This can lead to confusion in legal and medical documents where gender-specific language is important.
Cebuano
Concept of Distance: Cebuano speakers have a common practice of lip pointing (using lips to point to something or somewhere) when giving directions. This reflects a cultural approach to distance that’s more relative than exact such as feet or meters. Therefore, it is very hard to determine accurate measurements in terms of distance, often requiring supplemental explanations in English.
K’iche’/Kaqchikel
Linguistic Incorporation: The K’iche’ and Kaqchikel languages not only reflect native Mayan cultures but also incorporate linguistics from the dominant Spanish culture. While some of the incorporated Spanish words may have the same meanings in both languages, others don’t. For example, razón does not mean reason but information (news), pregunta does not mean question but comment, and corte does not mean court but indicates a traditional skirt. Such false cognates can lead to serious mistranslations, particularly in legal or medical contexts where word accuracy matters greatly.
Can you find the right translator?
At Legal Interpreters LLC we understand the importance of ensuring justice, protecting individuals’ rights, and delivering accurate healthcare to everyone, regardless of a person’s language background. That’s why we provide expert interpreters and translators for rare languages. Those languages include Karen, Kekchi/Q’eqchi, Amharic, Kru/Bassa, Ganda, Igbo, Cebuano, K’iche’/Kaqchikel and more!
For a complete list of languages, visit our website at:
https://legal-interpreters.com/index.php/languages/
Sources:
- https://www.usa.gov/official-language-of-us#:~:text=their%20official%20language.-,Languages%20spoken%20in%20the%20U.S.,spoken%20in%20the%20United%20States.
- https://www.worldatlas.com/articles/endangered-languages-of-the-united-states.html#:~:text=In%20the%20US%2C%20native%20languages,languages%20will%20remain%20by%202050.
Written by Alicja Zyzdryn and Valentina Rodriguez