Indigenous Languages
Languages in Motion provides translation Indigenous languages spoken in Canada. Translating materials into Indigenous languages will assist you in connecting with more people.
There are over 70 Indigenous languages spoken across Canada according to the 2016 Census.
According to the Government of Canada’s website, over 70 Indigenous languages were reported in the 2016 Census. These languages are divided into families:
- Algonquain languages
- Athabaskan languages
- Salish languages
- Siouan languages
- Iroquoian languages
- Tsimshian languages
- Wakashan languages
- Others: Michif, Haida, Tlingit and Kutenai
Did you know that there are over 260,000 speakers of Indigenous languages in Canada?
For these 260,000 people, it is important to create a message that resonates with them, in their own native language. When selecting a translation service provider, ensure that they are familiar with how these languages operate. Indigenous languages do not translate the same as others due to their complex morphology. Sometimes a sentence can be a 20 letter word!
Example of Cree: ᒌ ᐅᑳᔅᒋᓈᐧᐋᐦᔮᐧᐋᓂᐧᐃᑎᐦᑭᐙᑭᓂᐎᐦᑖᐙᑯᐱᓐ
Translation: They were presumably given a package of spatchcocked grouse.
3 things to consider before requesting indigenous translation services:
Indigenous Languages We Translate
Algonquin
Atikamekw/Attikamek
Blackfoot
Cayuga
Chilcotin
Cree
Dakota
Dene
Dogrib
Gitxsan/Gitsenimax
Gwich’in
Halkomelem
Innu-aimun
Inuinnaqtun
Inuktitut
Inupiaq
Inuvialuktun/Western Inuktitut
Kutenai
Malecite-Passamaquoddy
Michif
Mi’kmaq
Mohawk
Montagnais
Moose Cree
North Slavey
Northern East Cree
Nunavik
Nuu-chah-nulth
Ojibwe
Oji-Cree
Oneida
Onondaga
Plains Cree
Seneca
Siberian Yupik
South Slavey
Southern East Cree
Swampy Cree
Thompson/Nlaka’pamuctsin
Woods Cree