Zulu

Zulu (isiZulu) is a language belonging to the Buntu language family, more specifically to the Nguni subfamily. It is an agglutinative language and one of the most curious things about it is that it has three consonants that sound like clicks.
South Africa has eleven official languages (Afrikaans, English, Southern Ndebele, Sesotho Sa Leboa, Sesotho, Swazi, Tsonga, Setswana, Venda, Xhosa and Zulu) of which Zulu is the official language spoken by the most people as their mother tongue. The institution in charge of regulating this language is the Pan South African Language Board, which also promotes the use of the eleven official languages of South Africa.
ZULU AND THE ECONOMY
South Africa is Africa’s largest economy and is very open to international trade, which accounts for about 60% of the country’s GDP. This is why interpretation and translation from and into Zulu is so important for international trade with companies in other countries that do not use Zulu as a working language.
The country attracts tourists from all over the world, with many attractions for adventure and adrenaline seekers as well as those looking for a quieter stay. South Africa boasts the impressive Kruger Park where you can see Africa’s big five animals (elephant, lion, rhino, leopard and buffalo). The most popular activity here is safari. You can also enjoy the incredible views of the Cape of Good Hope. Or learn more about the country’s history at the Apartheid Museum
ZULU AND TRANSLATION
As we live in the age of globalisation, it is essential to enable communication between people and businesses using Zulu, both written and spoken. Therefore, the importance of translation and interpreting as a cultural and linguistic bridge cannot be underestimated. A clear example of this is the increase in the number of tourists, who are becoming more and more demanding and are looking for companies that can provide them with services in their language abroad. This is where the work of the professional translator, who guarantees a quality translation, becomes so important.
WHERE IS ZULU SPOKEN?
The zulu has about twelve million native speakers and about sixteen million speak this language as a second language. It is one of the official languages of South Africa and is also spoken as a second language in Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. The majority of its speakers are concentrated in the South African province of Zululand, located in the south-east of the country.
This language uses the Latin alphabet because it was first documented in writing by European missionaries who arrived on the continent in the 19th century and adapted the sounds of the language with their alphabet, because until then it was only a spoken language. The first grammar of the language was not published until 1859.
EVOLUTION OF ZULU
Since 1930, there has been an increase in Zulu language publications and the South African Broadcasting Corporation (South African Broadcasting Corporation, in English) provides television and radio programmes in Zulu, thus helping to spread the language.
In addition, Zulu has at least two recognised dialects: Lala and Qwabe.
Interestingly, we can point out that the introduction of the lion king’s song, that part that nobody manages to imitate or reproduce successfully, is written in Zulu: nants ingonyama bagithi baba, which in English would mean “here comes the lion”.
HOW CAN LINGUATRANS HELP YOU?
At LinguaTrans we are experts in Zulu, which is present in all the services we provide, for example:
•Zulu translation
•Zulu sworn translation
•Zulu transcription
•Zulu subtitling
• Zulu proofreading
• Zulu voice-over
•Zulu location
We have excellent native professionals for each translation service and speciality. Count on a highly reputed company in the market of language services by contacting us. You can also consult our rates or request a free, no-obligation quote. We are close to take you far away… also in Zulu!