All over Africa, countries have designated European languages like English, French, Portuguese, and Spanish as their official languages. But this paints a misleading picture for those unfamiliar with the linguistic landscape of this vast continent. Most Africans only speak these “official” languages as second languages, if at all, instead speaking a local indigenous language as their first. Those who do speak these European languages may speak a local creole language rather than a standard variety, and these creole languages—like Cameroonian Pidgin English—are so distinct that they’re classified linguistically as separate languages.
As of 2017, Cameroonian Pidgin English, also called Cameroonian Creole or Kamtok, is spoken by some 12 million people. Far fewer are native speakers—only an estimated 5% of the Cameroonian population speaks Cameroonian Pidgin English as their first language. But roughly half of all Cameroonians do speak the language in some form, as it’s a major lingua franca for the highly multilingual country, which plays host to more than 250 distinct languages. However, few translation companies offer services for Kamtok, and that’s where we at TranslationServices.com come in—we’re proud to introduce our new translation services for Cameroonian Pidgin English.
Free quotes for our Cameroonian Pidgin English translation services available—just request a free quote!
How does Cameroonian Pidgin English differ from Standard English?
In addition to its hundreds of indigenous languages, Cameroon considers itself officially bilingual, with both English and French as its official languages. However, few Cameroonians are literate in both official languages—most only speak one, and in the case of English, it’s often Cameroonian Pidgin English rather than Standard English. Kamtok is primarily spoken in the Cameroon’s North West and South West regions, which border fellow Anglophone country Nigeria. The language is further divided into five varieties: Grafi Kamtok, Limbe Kamtok, Bororo Kamtok, Liturgical Kamtok, and Francophone Kamtok.
As an English-based creole language, Cameroonian Pidgin English naturally derives the bulk of its vocabulary and basic grammar from English, but it deviates substantially from Standard English. In many ways, the grammar has been simplified, losing the distinction between “I” and “me,” for example (both are mi). Similarly, verbs don’t conjugate to show tense—instead, Cameroonian Pidgin English has invented new auxiliary verbs, such as go (future tense) or bin (past tense), to communicate the time of an action. In the same vein, plural nouns are not marked with “-s” as in English but rather by placing the particle dem after the noun. Despite its name, Cameroonian Pidgin English is a far cry from English—so it takes experts to provide a high-quality translation.
Our Cameroonian Pidgin English team is here to assist with your translation projects.
Given the importance of Kamtok in Cameroon, we’re dedicated to providing reliable, high-quality translation services that cater to the various needs of our diverse clientele. It doesn’t matter whether you’re a Cameroonian local looking to broadcast a message to the rest of the world or if you hail from the other side of the world and you’re seeking to capture the attention of a Cameroonian audience—we translate both to and from Cameroonian Pidgin English. Whichever variety you want, just take your pick, because our translators cover all five: Grafi Kamtok, Limbe Kamtok, Bororo Kamtok, Liturgical Kamtok, and Francophone Kamtok.
We also cater to clients looking for specific types of translation services—everything from academic translation and business translation to literary translation and localization services. Our translators are experts in various fields, too, so if your text contains a lot of technical language, don’t worry—just tell us the field you’re dealing with, and we’ll match you to the right Cameroonian Pidgin English translator for you!
How about getting started with Cameroonian Pidgin English translation services today? Reach out with a message to place your first order!
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