Ndebele Language Interpreters and Translators

Ndebele Interpreter & Translator

CIT offers Ndebele interpreters and translators with legal, medical and specialty experience, including criminal and civil matters, employee meetings, engineering, patent cases, labor disputes, immigration and more.

Although based in Los Angeles, CIT offers comprehensive Ndebele 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, have provided credentials, field-tested, and kept up to date with developments in both English and the Ndebele language through means such as lectures, conferences, and travel. CIT’s Ndebele language interpreters and translators possess in-depth knowledge of the Ndebele language, as well as of the culture and history of the Ndebele people, allowing them to provide informed and complete interpretation and translation.

The Ndebele Language

The Ndebele language is spoken by a big part of South Africans. Many consider Ndebele to be a beautiful language, one that is melodic as well. Ndebele is a Bantu language, spoken by nearly 1.6 million people. Ndebele is also known as amaNdebele, Zimbabwean Ndebele and North Ndebele. Those of the Ndebele language and culture reside all around Gauteng, a province of South Africa. The Ndebele language has two main dialects, the Southern and Northern dialects of Ndebele. Only about 2% of South Africans consider Ndebele to be their mother tongue. Another portion, although still small, are able to understand it. Entirely different is the Ndebele language of Zimbabwe and Botswana. It is a different language but has the same name.

A large portion of people who speak Ndebele live in or surrounding the Limpopo province. Additionally, in much smaller numbers, people who speak Ndebele live in Polokwane and Mokopane. Typically, Ndebele is only spoken by those of the Ndebele culture. It is orally passed down from generation to generation and is not taught in any school. Because of this, the amount of people who speak the language is on a decline and Ndebele is at risk of becoming endangered. Instead of speaking Ndebele exclusively, many of the youth of the Ndebele culture is learning to speak other languages. For example, those who would typically speak the southern dialect of Ndebele are opting to learn more Northern Sotho considered that it is more useful and adaptable with other cultures. North Ndebele is spoken mainly in Mpumalanga and Gauteng.

Many would say that Ndebele was not always an important language. Because of this speculation, youngsters in the Ndebele culture were taught to speak Zulu or Northern Ndebele since it was more common than the Standard Ndebele language. There had always been a great difference between the Ndebele and Zulu cultures. They were also always kept separate. The Ndebele culture is a rather isolated culture in general.

The Ndebele language has its own radio. Many would say that it is thanks for this radio station that the Ndebele language has been able to survive. The radio station, called “Radio Ndebele” was later named “Ikhwekhwezi,” meaning “star.” The listeners of the station noted that the station helped listeners improve their Ndebele pronunciation and expand their vocabulary.

In South Africa, there are eleven official languages. English is spoken everywhere, including hotels or tourist locations. It is also the language that many officials use for government, commerce, banking, and official business.