Hausa Translation
Overview
We are a trusted name for quality Hausa translation services.
As a language service provider (LSP) we have been providing localisation and translation solutions in world languages for a decade – African languages have always been a niche due to our ability to nurture local talent.
We think beyond the language and words and look at best fit solutions based on our vast experience. Whatever your challenge, whether Hausa or not, we have the experience, knowledge and insight to become your quality LSP.
Our team have all the technical Hausa knowledge you would expect; we deal with all levels of translation, from legal to financial to oil & gas and everything in between. Websites, manuals, advertisements and contracts are but a few of the formats we regularly deal with. Even if you need typesetting, we can take care of this for you.
All Hausa translation needs taken care of in one place!
To find out how we can help you, please contact one of the team who can discuss your project in more detail.
Professional Hausa Translators
Our Hausa translators come from a variety of backgrounds and are assigned to translation jobs according to their skills. The team are split between the USA, Nigeria, the UK and a few other European locations which allows us to cover time zones and cover a wide range of dialects or needs.
All our translators are professionals. The majority come with language specific qualifications although we also use tried and tested bilingual professionals from a number of sectors which allows to cover the more technical texts and technologies.
In short, our linguists combined with our quality measures, always ensure your translation will be dealt with by someone with the language skills, understanding of the wider context and insight to provide a top class translation.
If you would like more information on our Hausa translators, please contact us and we can explain more.
Quick Facts
- Alternate names & spellings: Hausawa, Haoussa, Abakwariga, Hawsaa.
- Language ISO code: ha/hau
- Number of speakers: approximately 50 million of speakers (as a first language by about 34 million people and as a second language by about 18 million)
- Writing system: Literate Hausa speakers use the Roman alphabet including some special symbols and the other writing system is the Arabic alphabet. When used for writing Hausa this alphabet is referred as ajami. But there is no standard for writing Hausa in ajami so the way it is represented will vary depending on the writers. This is important to bear in mind if translating into Hausa.
- Spoken in: Nigeria and the Republic of Niger
About Hausa
The Hausa language is considered to be the most important indigenous language of West and Central Africa and also one of the most common spoken languages along with Kiswahili.
Hausa is classified as a member of the West Chadic branch of the Afro-Asiatic family of languages and this branch consists basically of languages found in Nigeria. Hausa is without any doubt the most important of these languages.
It is one of the largest languages spoken in the continent and it is spoken by the people of the same name and but also by millions of non-Hausa peoples.
Hausa is the first language in Nigeria (one-half of its population) and its neighbour the Republic of Niger (1/5 of its population), where it is used in commerce, government and media. There is also a significant Hausa-speaking community in Sudan and some West African countries such as Cameroon, Chad, Congo, Eritrea, Benin, Burkina Faso and Ghana have also a community of Hausa speakers, where the language is used as a trade language.
The Hausa are mainly Muslim and the tradition of pilgrimage to the Holy Cities of Islam and commerce has caused the language has spread over the big cities of the continent. As a consequence, Hausa is the lingua franca for Muslim populations in a great part of West Africa. Contact with the Arab-speaking world allowed the first written Hausa form.
The origin of the Hausa language and also their people are not yet clear. Some experts hold the theory that they lived originally by Lake Chad and were forced to leave when the water level of the lake dropped, while others identify them as nomads who lived in the Sahara. There are also a percentage of Hausa people who consider themselves as descendent of Arabs who conquered the Hausa cities.
Hausa dialects
A wide range of dialects can be found within the language, but all of them are divided into two differentiated groups:
- north-western dialects : Sokoto, Katsina, Gobirawa, Adarawa, Kebbawa, Zamfarawa, Arewa and Arawa
- eastern dialects : Kano, Katagum and Hadejiya
The standard form is based on Kano dialect, which gives also the name to the biggest and most important city in Nigeria