High-quality Somali translations
Somali is an Afro-Asiatic language spoken by about 12 million people, mainly in the Horn of Africa. It’s the official language of Somalia, Somaliland, the so-called Somali region, Ethiopia, and Djibouti.
Its roots are found in the native language of the Somali nomadic tribe, and the spread of Islam in Africa influenced the growth of Somali significantly. The language contains a plethora of loanwords from Arabic and the former colonial languages, English and Italian.
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Somali was standardized after it was declared the official language of Somalia. All mass media, as well as the entire educational system of Somalia, had to be switched from English and Italian to Somali. The high amount of illiteracy in the Somali population was particularly dramatic. But as of today, more than half of the inhabitants of Somalia can read and write.
Somali has four distinct dialects. One is the so-called Isaaq, which is spoken in Northern Somalia and by the Isaaq clans. There are also the dialects of Darod in Central Somalia, the coastal dialects Cerulli and Moreno, and the so-called Oberjuba, otherwise known as Sab. The Darod dialect forms the basis for Standard Somali.
Instant quoteHow much does a translation into Somali cost?
The standard rate for translations from English into Somali is $ 0.11 per word, and for translations from Somali into English, the industry rate is $ 0.20. For new customers or large texts (more than 5,000 words), we may significantly reduce our rates. For urgent jobs that need several translators working simultaneously, we'll apply a surcharge. For a full list of rates per language, please visit Order here.
The special characteristics of Somali
Outside of Somalia, the language is spoken by the people who were forced to flee from the dictator, Siad Barres. For this reason, groups of Somali speakers exist in the United States, Canada, and Great Britain, as well as in some Scandinavian countries, Italy, and the Netherlands. These native speakers of Somali that live outside of Somalia make up a group of over 3 million people.
The Somali language has many idiosyncrasies. As a member of the Cushitic languages, it’s considered an inflectional language. The grammatical meaning of a word in a sentence is emphasized by a strong inflection.
Nouns are declined as well in Somali and are modified by an article. A noun can also be defined as masculine or feminine.
Look no further for pro translators into or from Somali
Our translators are all native speakers who can provide top-notch, accurate translations of your texts in terms of the language’s specific cultural and linguistic characteristics.
Our project managers don’t just take language into consideration when selecting the right translator for your project. They also take into account your subject field. In our huge database of pro translators, we can find someone who has expertise in your industry. This guarantees that complicated medical, legal, or other technical documents are translated accurately.
We also translate from Somali into other languages, including English. If, for example, you need a certified translation of a marriage license or birth certificate from Somalia, we can provide this for presentation to the USCIS. We can do this because we have native English speakers who are also fluent in Somali. In fact, any language combination is easy for us to accomplish for you.
Call, email, or use the Quote Request Form on this page. We’ll be happy to send you a price quote for your project at no cost or obligation.
| United Kingdom | Somali |
| Sverige | Somaliska |
| Österreich | Somali |
| Danmark | Somalisk |
| Schweiz | Somali |
| United States | Somali |
| Deutschland | Somali |