Tagalog and English are the official languages of the Philippines, with Tagalog reigning as the most widely spoken language in the vibrant Southeast Asian archipelago. Tagalog is spoken by around 80% of Filipinos—but only around a quarter of the population learns it as their first language. The majority of Filipinos speak one of the country’s 180+ other languages as their mother tongue, which are usually related to Tagalog but are fully fledged languages that lack mutual intelligibility with the Filipino lingua franca. Today, we’re looking at a relatively large group of southern Filipino languages called Manobo.
Manobo isn’t a single language—rather, it’s a group of closely related languages collectively spoken by an estimated 600,000 people. Most Manobo languages have tens of thousands of speakers, with Binukid, the largest of the grouping, boasting nearly 170,000 native speakers. Agusan and Sarangani constitute two further major Manobo languages. Unfortunately, all Manobo languages are minority tongues and must compete with not only the national lingua francas, Tagalog and English, but also regional ones like Cebuano or Hiligaynon, resulting in a lack of resources and translation services. At TranslationServices.com, however, we’re doing our best to ensure access to high-quality Manobo translation services.
You can check out our rates for our Manobo translation services if you contact us and ask about a free quote!
Looking at the Manobo languages under a magnifying glass
Despite having only around 600,000 speakers collectively, the Manobo languages are spread out over a sizable geographical range. They’re concentrated in northeastern Mindanao, the southernmost major island of the Philippines, with a presence in the provinces of Surigao del Norte, Surigao del Sur, Agusan del Norte, Agusan del Sur, Davao del Norte, Davao del Sur, Davao del Oro, Davao Oriental, Misamis Oriental, Bukidnon, Lanao del Norte, Cotabato, South Cotabato, Sultan Kudarat, Sarangani, and Davao Occidental. Far away from Mindanao, in the western island of Palawan, there’s also a minority community of Manobo speakers. The biggest Manobo languages are as follows:
· Binukid
· Agusan
· Sarangani
· Obo
· Matigsalug
· Tagabawa
· Higaonon
· Kagayanen
· Cotabato Manobo
· Kamigin
· Ata Manobo
· Western Binukid Manobo
· Ilianen
The Manobo languages form a branch on the expansive Austronesian language family, which encompasses most languages in the Philippines, Indonesia, Malaysia, and Oceania. They’re characterized by complicated grammar, with even pronouns remarkably complex: for example, Binukid differentiates between “we” with the listener included and “we” with the listener excluded, with different forms for all pronouns depending on case and whether the pronoun is independent or bound to a word.
Proud to provide the best in Manobo translation services
With our professional translation team for the Manobo languages, we aim not only to address the lack of translation services available for these minority Filipino languages but also to deliver unwaveringly high quality in every Manobo translation project. To the best of our ability, we’ve recruited skilled translators from each Manobo language, covering a large geographical area to encompass as many dialects as possible. What all our Manobo translators have in common is their passion for translating both to and from their native Manobo language—no matter which one it is.
We’re also pleased to announce that we can incorporate a wide array of translation needs, whether you’re looking for Manobo translation in the business realm, in the academic sphere, or in the literary world. For example, translating your organization’s promotional materials into a local Manobo language can be a unique and memorable way to connect with your target audience. We’re also happy to translate any sort of literary works or historical documents in a Manobo language to English, helping the Manobo languages gain influence worldwide. Similarly, we can translate books, apps, games, websites, poems, and more from English to a Manobo language, which can help boost the profile and prominence of these minority tongues.
What can our Manobo translation team do for your project? Contact us today to tell us what you’re looking for in your Manobo translation project!