Two Rare Languages: Hassaniya and Yiddish
Knowledge of languages is the doorway to wisdom. Translators are some of the few who hold the key to such wisdom, and a selected minority of such few can unlock the wisdom hidden in rare languages. The scarcity of linguists who provide rare languages services makes it difficult to come by helpful localization and translation resources. Therefore, reaching out to and exploring the culture of rare language speakers can be a challenge. Putting the spotlight on Hassaniya language and Yiddish language can clarify the barriers faced by linguists when trying to provide localization and translation services for rare languages.
Here are some important facts to learn about these old and rare languages:
1. Hassaniya Arabic:
Hassaniya, A man and camel in the desert
Hassaniya language is an Arabic dialect, spoken by the Beni Ḥassān Bedouin tribes, who extended their authority over most of Mauritania and Morocco’s southeastern and Western Sahara. Hassaniya Arabic ISO Code is “mey”.
Although Hassaniya has now almost replaced the Berber languages and is spoken in places like Mauritania, Libya, Morocco, Algeria, Mali, Niger, Senegal and Western Sahara. It belongs to Afro-Asiatic languages family. The writing system uses Arabic alphabet.
According to Ethnologue, there are approximately three million Hassaniya speakers, distributed as follows:
a. Mauritania: 2,770,000 (2006)
b. Algeria: 150,000 (1985)
c. Western Sahara: unknown
d. Mali: 175,800–210,000 (2000)
e. Morocco: 195,000 (1995)
f. Libya: 40,000 (1985)
g. Niger: 10,000 (1998)
h. Senegal: 162,000 (2015)
Upon looking for Arabic Hassaniya vendors who provide localization and translation services, dialect plays a crucial role. For instance, if you are targeting Nemadi language, one need to know that it is not just a Hassaniya dialect, but also a mixture of Zenaga and Soninke. Such knowledge will help in choosing the translator or translation agency to make sure the quality received is up to standard.
Hassanyyia language has a plethora of unique features which influence Hassaniya Arabic translation. This makes the exercise of Hassanyyia-to-English or vice versa translation and localization quite interesting. Translators should brace themselves for the peculiar and exciting words that appear in Hassanyyia-to-English translation.
2. Yiddish Language:
Yiddish language is considered the historical language of Jews. Most historical books of Jews were written in Yiddish. The ethnicity of Yiddish language goes back to Ashkenazi. Native Yiddish speakers are about 1.5 million speakers around the world. And it has different dialects:
A) Eastern Yiddish “ydd”
B) Western Yiddish “yih”
The writing system of Yiddish uses the Hebrew alphabet. Yiddish translation to English has seen a lot of trials. There are many books in all categories translated from Yiddish into English to reserve Jewish Literature. Before the tragedy of World War II, many Yiddish-speaking Jews in North America were ambivalent about having Yiddish literature translated into English for fear that it would discourage younger Jews from maintaining Yiddish literacy. Scattered translations of poetry and prose nevertheless appeared in the Jewish Frontier.
Providers of Yiddish translation services must take all details about dialects in consideration to meet the exact meaning of the original words. Finding a professional translator who can translate and localize Yiddish material appropriately might represent a challenge. Experienced language service providers know how to overcome such challenge to get customer satisfaction and stay true to the original material. Once the specific requirements for rare language translation services are met, one can receive reliable rendering. Whether you are looking for translation or localization services, you must realize all the special details and information about Yiddish to select the appropriate agency.
