Across Nigeria, there are more than 520 distinct languages spoken, making this West African juggernaut the third-most linguistically diverse country in the world. The biggest indigenous languages in the country are Hausa, Yoruba, and Igbo, with Nigerian Pidgin English serving as a major lingua franca learned by people all over the country. But hundreds of other linguistic communities thrive all across Nigeria, some spoken by millions of people. That doesn’t mean, however, that they aren’t endangered.
With around 2.4 million native speakers as of 2020, Izon is one of the biggest languages in Nigeria, but it’s classified as “at risk” because parents are increasingly opting to teach their children Nigerian Pidgin English rather than Izon. The local state government is undertaking considerable measures to preserve the language, introducing the language in local schools and publishing Izon-language books. Izon also generally lacks reliable translation services, which are another important way to support endangered languages. That’s why we at TranslationServices.com decided to put together our own Izon translation team.
Want to check out our rates for Izon translation services? Simply send us a message and ask!
Let’s explore the Izon language a bit further.
Izon, written Ịzọn by native speakers, is primarily spoken in Nigeria’s southern Bayelsa state, as well as the neighboring states of Rivers, Delta, Ondo, and Edo. There are many names for the language, including Ijo, Ijaw, Izo, and Uzo, although it should be noted that Ijaw is also the name of the language family to which Izon belongs. Izon is characterized by numerous mutually intelligible dialects, some of the most prominent being Gbanran, Ekpetiama, and Kolokuma, which is the language of Izon education. Izon is by far the biggest Ijaw language, with Kalabari, sporting some 570,000 native speakers, trailing behind in second place.
Izon is unique among Niger–Congo languages, the macrofamily to which the Ijaw languages belong, in that it uses a subject-object-verb word order, whereas the vast majority of languages in the family employ a subject-verb-object word order. Also unlike the expansive Bantu subfamily, Izon places adjectives, demonstratives (words like “this” or “that), and numerals before the noun, like English. But it gets more complicated: Izon adds person markers to prepositions, meaning it has specific words for phrases like “at you,” “at me,” etc. It also attaches person markers to nouns to show possession. Izon can be a tricky language to translate to and from, given all its differences from English—so it’s always worth it to work with a native-speaking expert.
High diversity in our Izon translation services
We’ve worked hard to build a diverse team of Izon translators who represent the language’s 30-odd different dialects, allowing us to customize our Izon translation services to fit each client’s unique needs. Hailing from all areas of Bayelsa, Rivers, Delta, Ondo, and Edo, our Izon translators are native speakers who are passionate about preserving their native language and helping others break down the language barrier that exists between it and English. We translate in both directions—both to and from Izon—so don’t hesitate to come to us when you need Izon translation services.
For anyone who requires more specialized Izon translation services, such as for a research questionnaire, ad copy for a business, a novel manuscript, or web copy, we have you covered. Simply reach out and tell us about your translation project, and we’ll find the right translator on our team for your needs. We have Izon translators who specialize in academic translation, others who excel in business translation, and yet others whose specialization is literary translation, and to top it all off, we also have localization experts on our team. Our translators cover a wide range of knowledge fields, too, so don’t worry about jargon.
Ready to take advantage of our Izon translation skills? Reach out today to place your first order!