Uganda is thought to have more than 70 languages spoken within its borders, which are primarily divided among two major language families: Bantu, a subfamily of Niger–Congo, and Nilo–Saharan. The Bantu languages are concentrated in the south, where English is used as a lingua franca, while Nilo–Saharan languages dominate the north, where Swahili is the lingua franca. Many of Uganda’s minority languages are vigorously spoken, used by hundreds of thousands, such as Karamojong.
Clocking in at around 691,000 native speakers as of the 2014 census, Karamojong is one of Uganda’s bigger linguistic communities, and the language is vigorously spoken by most Karamojong people. The language may also be called Ngakarimojong or N'Karamojong, derived from its native name, which approximately translates to “the old men sat down,” stemming from the tribe’s refusal to travel any further during a period of migration 300 years ago. The language has adopted many words, particularly to refer to more modern concepts, from English, Luganda, and Swahili, but it retains its strong Nilotic roots. Not many translation companies work with Karamojong, but we at TranslationServices.com are pleased to announce our new Karamojong translation team.
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Karamojong: taking a closer look
Karamojong is spoken as a native language primarily in northeastern Uganda, in the region known as Karamoja, which comprises Kotido District, Kaabong District, Karenga District, Nabilatuk District, Abim District, Moroto District, Napak District, Amudat District, and Nakapiripirit District. They live among numerous other, similar ethnic groups, including the Jie, Dodoth, Turkana, Teso, Tesyo, Jiye, Toposa, and Nyangatom, some of whom reside in Kenya, South Sudan, or Ethiopia rather than Uganda. The language comes from the Nilo–Saharan family, like most languages in northern Uganda.
Karamojong follows the typical conventions of a Nilo–Saharan language, including a verb-subject-object word order and a strongly noun-first structure, with adjectives, numerals, and demonstratives (e.g., “this” or “that”) all placed after the noun. Rather than tense, Karamojong focuses on aspect to communicate when an action takes place, which is a relatively common feature among the world’s languages. Karamojong also distinguishes between the inclusive and exclusive “we,” meaning it has separate pronouns for “we” depending on whether the listener is included (inclusive) or not (exclusive). The language also features three grammatical genders—masculine, feminine, and neuter—with masculine and neuter often converging. To ensure high quality in your Karamojong translations, it’s important to work with native speakers, like our team members.
Bringing you the Karamojong translation services you want
At TranslationServices.com, our mission is to make sure you’re getting the translation services you need. We’ve hired a diverse team of Karamojong translators to cater to the varied needs of our clients, representing different dialects, like Jie or Dodos, and hailing from different areas of Karamoja. So, if you want to request a translator from a particular area, all you have to do is ask. Our translators are skilled in translating both from Karamojong to English and from English to Karamojong, making us the ideal solution for people on both sides of the language barrier.
For people who need specialty translation services, such as academic translation, business translation, or literary translation, we’re happy to help. Our Karamojong translators can assist researchers or educators in translating surveys and lesson materials, and they can also help business leaders and marketers translate business proposals and ad copy. We’re also proud to work with creative writers of all kinds—novelists, poets, short story authors, scriptwriters, and more—to make a connection with new audiences in a new language. Don’t worry about technical vocabulary—you can just request a Karamojong translator who knows your field.
We’re your best option for Karamojong translation services. If you’re ready, just send us a message to get the process started!