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The world has not been limited to the English or French languages for a long time and the Tswana language is a vivid example of this. In southern Africa, more and more organizations are switching to local languages in official and commercial communication. Therefore, if you plan to enter this market, you should include translation from/into Tswana in your strategy. This is a practical need, which is essential for building trust and effective interaction. But before choosing a translator, it’s worth understanding what makes this language different and what can go wrong.
Features of the Tswana language
Tswana does not fit into the usual patterns for European languages. It belongs to the Niger–Congo language family, the Bantu group, which means that they have:
- 18 classes of nouns that determine the word coordination and the construction of the sentence
- lack of a direct equivalent for some European concepts
- fixed word structure, where changing the prefix changes the entire sentence.
An automatic translator does not feel cultural connotations, and a novice translator does not know how to distinguish between everyday and formal language. Translation into Tswana shall not only be accurate, but also contextual. Otherwise, there would be a loss of meaning and, in some cases, the company’s image. What you should consider:
- Social connotations, where the addresses, typical for us, may be perceived in Tswana as disrespectful
- Avoiding literal translation — for example, the phrase ‘open a window of opportunity’ (відчинити вікно можливостей) in a direct translation from the Tswana looks like it refers to a physical action
- Determining the class of a noun — it is this class that will govern verb building and agreement.
Therefore, it is better to order a translation from/into Tswana in a translation agency with real-life experience than to risk your own project.
Tswana translation
To be able to translate from Russian into Tswana properly, you need to understand the structural differences between these languages. Here, the sentence logic is completely different, the grammatical functions are different, and direct translation rarely works.
Translation from Ukrainian into Tswana will hardly be easier. Let’s imagine the word ‘invitation’ (запрошення), in Tswana, this will look like “moalosi”, but it is used in different contexts depending on the situation. It means that one word is not enough, you need to know how to ‘fit’ it into a sentence so that it does not lose its meaning. Among the main challenges are:
- Unusual grammatical structures, where there are no clear equivalents
- Lack of analogs to many Ukrainian idioms and emotional markers
- The need to adapt even the simplest sentences, since “word-for-word” just won’t work.
The conclusion is obvious: you need to translate from Ukrainian into Tswana with understanding, not just a dictionary. Otherwise, the sentence will look artificial, and sometimes inappropriate.
Where you can find quality translation from Ukrainian into Tswana
If you work with African markets, have contracts, legal agreements or content to localise, your translation needs to be not just accurate, but effective. At MK:translations you will receive:
- translations by specialized translators
- legal, medical and technical adaptation
- localization of websites and programs
- editing and proofreading by experts
- compliance with deadlines, confidentiality, and quality control.
Find out more about the services and their cost by phone or using a request form on our website.
