Not all Malay is spoken in Malaysia. In fact, Malay is one of the world’s biggest languages, spoken over vast swaths of Maritime Southeast Asia, if you count Indonesian as “Malay.” All across Malaysia, Indonesia, and Brunei are different forms of Malay, often so different that they count as separate languages, even though the “Malay” name makes them sound more like dialects. They’re languages like Brunei Malay, which may be generally overlooked despite constituting the native language of a large group of people.
Indeed, Brunei Malay is the first language of around 320,000 people, and it’s even the most widely spoken language in Brunei, despite lacking any official recognition. Standard Malay is used as the country’s official language, but socially, Brunei Malay reigns supreme, even to the point of replacing indigenous minority languages, such as Dusun or Tutong. Most people in Brunei speak both Brunei Malay and Standard Malay and often code switch between the two, mixing both languages into the same sentence or conversation. Unfortunately, Brunei Malay is not well represented by translation services, but we at TranslationServices.com are determined to change that with our brand-new Brunei Malay translation team.
You can reach out to our team today if you want to see a free quote for our Brunei Malay translation services!
Brunei Malay: the special Bruneian variety of Malay
Brunei Malay’s name makes its location obvious: it’s primarily spoken in Brunei, of course. But not exclusively, as it’s also spoken along the coast in neighboring areas of Malaysia, particularly Labuan, Limbang, Lawas, Sipitang, and Papar. Different dialects of Brunei Malay—or, at least, closely related dialects—also exist, namely Kedayan, spoken by the land-dwelling farmers of the country, and Kampong Ayer, spoken by the people who live by the river north of Bandar Seri Bagawan. Brunei Malay is, however, easily the most widely spoken and most prestigious variety.
Brunei Malay is also closely related to Standard Malay, to the extent that the two languages are almost mutually intelligible, especially considering that Bruneians usually speak Standard Malay with a Brunei accent. Some basic vocabualry, such as pronouns, differs—take Brunei Malay ia (“he/she”) versus Standard Malay dia. In other cases, the Brunei Malay word is entirely different from the Standard Malay word, such as Brunei Malay cali (“funny”) as compared to Standard Malay lawak. Relying on a Standard Malay translator for a Brunei Malay project simply won’t do—you need a translator who understands all the nuances of Brunei Malay. You need native speakers, like the translators on our team.
We’re happy to accommodate your special requests for Brunei Malay translation.
You may have any number of reasons for ordering Brunei Malay translation services, and we’re committed to ensuring that we can fully satisfy all your translation needs. If you want a translator from a particular area, simply let us know. Our team hails from all over Brunei and the surrounding regions of Malaysia, passionately breaking down linguistic borders, so we’re always happy to help, whether you’re looking to translate from English to Brunei Malay or from Brunei Malay to English.
What about more niche translation needs? Don’t worry—we serve those, too. If your translation project is more academically oriented, our academic team can help you—no matter the discipline. If you’re coming to us from the business world, our business team can help you cater your marketing materials to a Brunei Malay-speaking audience. If you’re a storyteller, our literary team can help you spread your writing far and wide—whether that means taking your Bruneian story international or carving out a new market in the proud country of Brunei. Whatever you’re looking for in Brunei Malay translation services, don’t hesitate to ask!
Our team would love to help you with your Brunei Malay translation project. Contact us today to place an order and set the process in motion!