Carib interpreters and translators
Cal Interpreting & Translations (CIT) offers Carib interpreters and translators with legal, medical, and specialty experience, including criminal and civil matters, employee meetings, engineering, patent cases, labor disputes, immigration, and more.
CIT offers comprehensive Carib language services including interpretation, translation, and transcription, 24 hours a day, 7 days a week, worldwide. Our interpreters and translators are native speakers who have been screened, certified, provided credentials, field tested, and kept up to date with developments in both English and Carib languages through means such as lectures, conferences, and travel. Cal Interpreting & Translations’ Carib language interpreters and translators possess in depth knowledge of the Carib language, as well as of the culture and history of the Carib people, allowing them to provide informed and complete interpretation and translation.
Who speaks Carib?
Carib, is a Cariban language. Carib is known by many different names. Traditionally, the language has been known as “Carib” or “Carib proper” in English. This name was taken from the name for its speakers, who were called the “Caribs” in English. Carib is referred to as Caribe in Spanish, Galina in French, and Karaïeb in Dutch. Though, speakers of the Carib language call themselves “Kalina” or “Karìna”, and refer to their language as Karìna auran. Other variants of the name of the language include Kali’na, Kalihna, Cariña, Kari’nja, Kariña, and Kalinya.
Carib is spoken by the Kalina people (who are also called “Caribs”) of South America. Carib is currently spoken by less than 7,500 people. Most Carib speakers live in Venezuela, Suriname, Trinidad and Tobago, French Guiana, Guyana, and Brazil. Due to the very limited number of speakers, Carib is currently classified as a highly endangered language.
Kari’nja versus Carib… what’s the difference?
Carib is also referred to as Kari’nja. Because of interaction with Kari’nja invaders, Carib has some ancient Kari’nja words incorporated into it. In Suriname, Carib is mostly referred to as Kari’nja. In Suriname is an area called Konomerume. There about 349 people live, the majority of whom identify as ethnically Kari’nja. These residents are reported to have at least a decent knowledge of the Carib language.
Typically, an elderly member of the community uses the language as their primary languages in interaction with members of their community. Slightly younger speakers, typically between the ages of 45 and 65 use Carib mostly when speaking with older members of their family or community. These speakers tend to mostly use Dutch and Sranan Tongo. Still younger adults often largely understand the language but do not speak it. Elementary-aged children learn small amounts about Kari’nja in public school.
Dialects of Carib
- Venezuelan Carib (estimated about 1000 speakers currently)
- Guyanese Carib (estimated about 2000 speakers currently)
- Western Surinamese Carib (estimated about 500 speakers currently)
- Eastern Surinamese and French Guianese Carib (estimated about 3000 speakers currently)
- Suriname also has two distinct dialects of Kari’nja: Aretyry, spoken in the western and central parts of the country; and Tyrewuju. Tyrewuju is the dialect spoken by the majority of Kari’nja speakers in Suriname.