Languages are a medium of communication. These exist so that people can bridge the communication gaps and interact with each other. Different languages have different linguistic features. A few languages are easy and many of them are difficult for the new language speakers. When it comes to the Marshallese language, it’s a Micronesian language and belongs to the Marshall Islands. There are up to 55000 native speakers of this language. This language is also spoken in the USA because up to 27000 Marshallese reside in the United States. Residents in other countries such as Nauru and Kiribati also exist. However, this language is difficult to comprehend especially for speakers of western languages, including English.
Businesses these days are exploring every possible region to expand their products and services. Similarly, many Western businesses are exploring the possibility of expansion in the Marshallese Islands, especially for products that relate to the people living on the islands. Marshallese translation is crucial for such situations.
Two major dialects of the Marshallese language include
Ralik
Eastern Ratak
When we get to compare this language with English, both languages are poles apart and speakers of each language can barely understand the other one. English is West Germanic Indo-European language, whereas the Marshallese comes from the Micronesian language family. It is part of the eastern oceanic subgroup of the Austronesian languages.
A few closest relatives of the Micronesian language are
Nauruan
Mokilese
Pohnpeian
Gilbertese
Kosraean
There are many differences between Marshallese and English. These span across vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context.
Vocabulary
There is a significant difference in the vocabulary of both languages too. The limited overlap is also a part of it.
Limited overlap
There are only a few words that share cognates between two languages. Most of the words from the Marshallese language have no direct words or alternatives in the English language. It requires experience, memorization, practice, and contextual understanding of the Marshallese language to provide accurate translations.
Loanwords
There are a few English loanwords that exist in the Marshallese language. They have adapted these to fit in the language’s phonology. However, there are barely any original Marshallese words that are part of the English language.
Cultural references in idioms
Like all other languages, the idioms, proverbs, and expressions in the Marshallese language have been deeply rooted in the cultural context. When non-natives translate the Marshallese language, their lack of knowledge can result in poorly translated idioms that may not mimic the original intent of what is being said. Hence, you should always prefer to hire a professional translation company, which has native speakers for such reasons.
Translating the content without comprehending the underlying message yields a translation that has no meaning. So without proper knowledge, this can be a serious problem when translating from English to Marshallese or vice versa.
Pronunciation
Translators and businesses also need to be careful while dealing with Marshallese translation in terms of sounds and punctuation.
Sounds
Marshallese language has very unique phonology and sounds. Most Western or European languages are not familiar with such nuances in phonology. Hence, native speakers are needed for such tasks.
Stress on the words
The placement of the words properly is crucial in the Marshallese language. It works greatly on stress placement. It gets tonal to an extent that people often get help in understanding the context by getting the stress of the word or sentence. This is unlike the English language where sentences do not rely on stress much.
Intonation
Marshallese translation can also be challenging because English is not a tonal language and Marshallese is to a certain extent. They use pitch to differentiate between the meanings. Mastering all these variations of tones often leads to better and clearer pronunciation, which is a different process as compared to pronunciation.
Cultural context
An accurate language translation is incomplete without cultural context. This is why you need a professional translation agency to ensure that translations are not only accurate but also culturally appropriate.
Non-verbal communication
The communication does not always have to be verbal. Many non-verbal communication mediums also exist. The Marshallese language most importantly relies on non-verbal cues such as facial expressions, some silence gaps, body gestures, and many others. All these impressions are hard to translate into the English language, directly posing a challenge for the translators.
Respectful communication
Social norms and hierarchies differ with the regions and languages. Navigating the social hierarchies and addressing people with honorifics is also a practice in the Marshallese islands. However, this can be an awkward situation for English speakers as they have different conventions. This is the reason native speakers must be hired to navigate all these challenges.
Cultural implications
Culture plays a huge role in Marshallese translations. Many English speakers will have different understandings of Marshallese norms and may comprehend them in a different manner. There are different proverbs and idioms that the Marshallese use in their communication with a different cultural reference to English culture and values. There could be misinterpretation and inaccuracies in translation if the person does not understand both languages and cultures well.
Conclusion
Marshallese language belongs to the Marshal Island. It has great differences with Western languages such as English and others. Businesses coming from Western countries must seek professional translation services to ensure they get the accurate translation services yielding better businesses and sales.
