A Micronesian language also known as Ebon, Marshallese belongs to the Marshallese people. This is the main language spoken by the population of around 59,000 on the islands. With two major dialects, western Raik and eastern Ratak, broadly speaking, this language is part of the Austronesian languages. Talking about the closest relatives of the language, these include Gilbertese Pompeian, and Kosraean which are also Micronesian languages. Being the official language of Marshall Island along with English, businesses and officials even need English to Marshallese translation within the country. Moreover, the majority of the loanwords in Marshallese come from English due to regular use and interaction.
Due to a somewhat isolated and complex language, the Marshallese come up with certain facts that make translation of this language difficult for the relevant people.
Grammatical complexity
Starting with the grammatical composition and complexity, this language has a compound grammatical system. The nouns in the Marshallese language are not marked as nouns these are rather verbalized and no morphological marker is taken into consideration while doing this. There is a demonstrative system in the Marshallese language and it has five levels which is quite different and unlike the grammar of English and other main Indo-European languages. They recognize two sets of 1st and 2nd persons in Marshallese which they refer to as ‘absolutive’ or ‘emphatic’. Talking about the syntax of the language, they divide the sentence into two types, one is ‘predicational’ and the second is ‘equational’ sentence. All these factors are tough and difficult to absorb for a translator who has been translating mainstream languages, which is why companies should always prefer hiring native speakers.
Cultural nuances
The cultural nuances of Marshallese are also complex and an important factor to consider before embarking on the journey of English to Marshallese translation services and vice versa. All the specific nuances that are related to Marshallese culture often come with certain idioms that can be difficult to understand accurately. This asks for profound knowledge and deep understanding for accurate translation. Also, the people of Marshall Island prefer indirect communication and context. They often find it disrespectful to confront the people even over a right issue which can be a major setback for the English people who believe in communicating directly and transparently. Naturally, the translation also gets affected.
Specialized vocabulary
Marshallese language is undoubtedly difficult to translate. The vocabulary of the language is also different in a way that often lacks the basic directional words such as ‘towards or away’. Since it is an island language, so it has a rich vocabulary related to marine life, traditional customs, and local history. This can be a cut-off for the speakers of other languages who are not around sea or islands and can have a hard time understanding marine life and the terms that Marshallese people use. Additionally, it is important to consider that Marshallese pronunciation can be different from the written language. Many sounds and phonetics make it difficult for English speakers to comprehend, pick, and speak. To explore the specialized vocabulary of the Marshallese language, one has to explore the local history with the help and expertise of a Marshallese language translator.
Lack of standardized orthography
There are two types of alphabets used in the Marshallese language, and they lack a standardized orthography. It was the Latin alphabet that they used for centuries before missionaries came forward to introduce the first proper orthography. There were never rules defined or conventions set for writing the Marshallese language. These variations also make the translation process challenging for businesses and translation agencies.
Limited linguistic resources
Marshallese is a language that is not spoken by many and there are rarely up to 60,000 speakers of this language which makes it less common and also exists with lesser diffusion. This is why it also often creates obstacles in collecting the learning resources for the Marshallese. Meanwhile, the agencies face a hard time finding native speakers and interpreters which is one of the factors that makes Marshallese a complex language. Marshallese translation hence should be carried out after taking care of every aspect and after finalizing professional Marshallese translators. There are very few linguistic sources that are available for this language when compared with other widely spoken languages which makes its translation difficult. Also, not much work is done to preserve the language.
More acceptance of the English language
Though the Marshallese holds the status of official and native language on Marshall Island, the acceptance of the English language and less need to translate into the Marshallese language has also made it a hard nut to crack for translators. A lot of businesses prefer to translate in English only and have not touched and covered Marshallese for translation. However, the need for translation cannot be denied and Marshallese translation can be acquired for multiple reasons. However, Marshallese people have widely accepted English and also understand it pretty well. They watch English movies and the language is part of the institutes, the official sector, and a few households. On the contrary, there are many people who do not prefer speaking English and stick to their native language to promote it.
Conclusion
Marshallese is a language of Marshall Island with a limited number of speakers. English is also an official language in the region which is why translating Marshallese into English and other languages has become even more tough. A few aspects that make language translation challenging include complex grammar, cultural nuances, specialized vocabulary, and lack of standardized orthography.