{"id":777780,"date":"2020-01-07T14:08:28","date_gmt":"2020-01-07T14:08:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/ghana-mma.com\/2020\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/"},"modified":"2020-01-07T14:08:28","modified_gmt":"2020-01-07T14:08:28","slug":"raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/","title":{"rendered":"Raising the Bar for Nigerian English: a Professional Translator\u2019s View"},"content":{"rendered":"

<\/p>\n

\n

English may be the official language of the nation, but there\u2019s still a way to go before Nigerian linguists can match the skills of their counterparts in other countries where the English is a primary mother tongue. On the other hand, Nigerians are well ahead of most other African nations in this regard, but that\u2019s not saying so much. We\u2019ll look at this challenge and consider ways to \u201craise the bar\u201d of Nigerians who need to communicate abroad, both in English and in translation. We\u2019ll also think about those who want to communicate to Nigerians in their own local mother tongues. We\u2019ll consider various language resources, both professional language service providers, freelancers, and software applications that can assist in this language upgrade.<\/span><\/p>\n

\"\"<\/b><\/p>\n

A Professional Translation Services Perspective on Pidgin English<\/b><\/p>\n

As a writer and researcher for a <\/span>translation company<\/span>, and a world traveler myself, I always find it fascinating to explore the language situation in a new country. Nigeria is in a class of its own!<\/span><\/p>\n

Consider this: though English is Nigeria\u2019s official language for business, it\u2019s only spoken by maybe 30% of its 200 million people \u2013 most of whom speak Pidgin, a dialect that only slightly resembles the English that an English speaker might possibly understand. While Most Nigerians speak a smidgen of Pidgin, the truth is that it has become <\/span>the \u201cgreat equalizer\u201d \u2014 a way to communicate that cuts across class and gets things done.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Locals \u2013 <\/span>dem area boys \u2013 <\/span><\/i>may make their meaning clear when they call out <\/span>How bodi?<\/span><\/i> \u2013 or <\/span>How far?<\/span><\/i> \u2013 but most of the world will <\/span>no sabi <\/span><\/i>and will wonder why you are giving them a <\/span>wahala or pure K-leg<\/span><\/i>. They may think <\/span>dem sent you<\/span><\/i> to <\/span>vex<\/span><\/i> for even some <\/span>wayo<\/span><\/i> \u2013 never a good first impression. So <\/span>Abeg<\/span><\/i>! <\/span>listen well well<\/span><\/i> to what follows. It may <\/span>butta ya bread<\/span><\/i>!<\/span><\/p>\n

Pidgin may work just fine in greater Lagos, but it won\u2019t pass muster \u2013 or even get the guys at the next table to pass the mustard \u2013 elsewhere in the world.\u00a0 True, it may stand a better chance of getting your meaning across than the other 521 languages and dialects<\/span> in use in Nigeria. But Pidgin is for street talk: The use of a more proper professional English is confined to the upper and middle classes, officials and professionals, university graduates.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Professional Language Services for a Nation of 521 Tongues in a Stew Pot<\/b><\/p>\n

Outside of Nigeria, it is not generally known that Hausa is primarily the language of the country\u2019s Muslims. Perhaps 20 million people speak Hausa natively while another 6 to 10 million speak it as a second or third language. So that only around 10-15% of the country\u2019s population, and it\u2019s much less familiar to non-Islamic tribes. In second place comes Igbo, with 23 or so million native speakers. Yoruba comes in just third with 20 million mother-tongue speakers. Then there are those who speak Fulfulde, Kanuri, Tiu, Ijaw, Ibibio, and Edo.<\/span><\/p>\n

For the outside world, this level of linguistic diversity is a shocker. It is, therefore, no wonder that some have simply abandoned any attempt to seriously tackle Nigeria as a market in any language other than English.<\/span><\/p>\n

So what is a Professional to Do? The Translation Services Options<\/b><\/p>\n

If you are a Nigerian professional seeking to communicate with the outside world, either by exporting a product or marketing a digital service, selling software or mobile apps, or promoting IT services, this means you may have a problem. To achieve the goals required for any of the above, you need to come across to foreign partners and customers as credible. And Foreign companies entering Nigeria must come to terms with the linguistic complexity as well.<\/span><\/p>\n

The obvious course of choice, if you have the budget, is to turn to a professional language service provider that knows the Nigerian market as is expert in the nuances of what is Nigerian English. It\u2019s not just a matter of knowing Nigerian English technically or reading a Nigerian newspaper. The translation company of choice needs professional translators and have a professional understanding of Nigeria\u2019s cultural nuances.<\/span><\/p>\n

What to look for in a translation company? For sure, they should offer quick professional quotations for your service request, turning it around in hours or a max a day or so. It should include a per word rate based on original documents or web pages you supply and a detailed timetable. If you have domestic target languages or source documents, you should make sure the translation agency has mother-tongue Yoruba or Igbo or Hausa talent.<\/span><\/p>\n

Freelance Professional Translation Services as an Option<\/b><\/p>\n

This need for local polyglots is, of course, a business opportunity for the bilingual. If you are skilled in one or more of Nigeria\u2019s tribal languages and possess fluency in one or more foreign languages, then you are likely to be a hot prospect to engage with a professional translation services company. They likely are looking for professionals with your talents.<\/span><\/p>\n

The advantages of working with an agency are professionalism, translation quality and time to market. Another big plus is the ability to easily add languages are your global or local expansion plans increase.<\/span><\/p>\n

The main disadvantage of an agency is cost: expect to pay a premium of 50% to 200% for working with a translation agency versus a translator. Indeed, you may be able to find local translators though local Nigerian websites and newspapers. But if you are outside Nigeria, you can find translation talent in virtually any language and field of expertise on marketplaces like Upwork, Freelancer.com or Fiverr.<\/span><\/p>\n

On these sites you can review the profiles, rating, reviews, and portfolios of would-be translators. You can solicit bids from them, interview and negotiate with them directly. That gives you a lot of power, but it\u2019s a time-consuming process, so make sure it\u2019s worth the effort. One tip is to hire two freelancers per language, one to check the work of the other, or to fill in if the other lets you down.<\/span><\/p>\n

Welcome to the Machine: Translation Services as Software<\/b><\/p>\n

In recent years, the quality of machine translation has dramatically increased. That is generally a good thing. You can use Google Translate or Microsoft Translator to do research, rough translations, and to help out in customer support. But these tools are still no replacement for a talented human translator, and you should not consider them as a substitute. You should also watch out for the possible use of these tools by the professional translators you hire. It happens a lot, and you should preclude this possibility in your discussions and contracts.<\/span><\/p>\n

The good news is that the two free online services mentioned do support the top three Nigerian languages, so this can be a valuable \u201ccheck\u201d tool for you to audit the work of your contractors. And, if you are a freelancer, you can use these tools \u2013 judiciously and sparingly \u2013 to enrich your vocabulary and to consider alternative ways to express yourself in translation.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n

Nigeria was blessed with more than 500 languages, so we may as well make the best of the mix. As is said in Pidgin English: <\/span>\u201cIf life dey show you pepper, my guy make pepper soup!\u201d<\/span><\/i><\/p>\n

\n <\/p><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

English may be the official language of the nation, but there\u2019s still a way to go before Nigerian linguists can match the skills of their counterparts in other countries where the English is a primary mother tongue. On the other hand, Nigerians are well ahead of most other African nations in this regard, but that\u2019s […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":777781,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[46],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-777780","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","category-nigeria"],"yoast_head":"\nRaising the Bar for Nigerian English: a Professional Translator\u2019s View - Ghanamma.com<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:title\" content=\"Raising the Bar for Nigerian English: a Professional Translator\u2019s View - Ghanamma.com\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:description\" content=\"English may be the official language of the nation, but there\u2019s still a way to go before Nigerian linguists can match the skills of their counterparts in other countries where the English is a primary mother tongue. On the other hand, Nigerians are well ahead of most other African nations in this regard, but that\u2019s […]\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:image\" content=\"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/images.jpg\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:creator\" content=\"@ghanamma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:site\" content=\"@ghanamma\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Ghana News\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"6 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/07\\\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\\\/#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/07\\\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\\\/\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Ghana News\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/53d06a757a4242f113d200e3c290c036\"},\"headline\":\"Raising the Bar for Nigerian English: a Professional Translator\u2019s View\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-01-07T14:08:28+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/07\\\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\\\/\"},\"wordCount\":1212,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/07\\\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/images.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Nigeria\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/07\\\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\\\/#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/07\\\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\\\/\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/07\\\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\\\/\",\"name\":\"Raising the Bar for Nigerian English: a Professional Translator\u2019s View - Ghanamma.com\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/07\\\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/07\\\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\\\/#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/images.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2020-01-07T14:08:28+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/53d06a757a4242f113d200e3c290c036\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/07\\\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\\\/\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/01\\\/07\\\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\\\/#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/images.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2020\\\/01\\\/images.jpg\",\"width\":375,\"height\":240},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/\",\"name\":\"Ghanamma.com\",\"description\":\"News In Ghana - Latest Ghana News Headlines\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/www.ghanamma.com\\\/2019\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/53d06a757a4242f113d200e3c290c036\",\"name\":\"Ghana News\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22cb97c2b08df229330efb2b8c2645feaae8d3ca3ee434035fbb668b5b82f570?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22cb97c2b08df229330efb2b8c2645feaae8d3ca3ee434035fbb668b5b82f570?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/22cb97c2b08df229330efb2b8c2645feaae8d3ca3ee434035fbb668b5b82f570?s=96&d=mm&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Ghana News\"}}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Raising the Bar for Nigerian English: a Professional Translator\u2019s View - Ghanamma.com","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_title":"Raising the Bar for Nigerian English: a Professional Translator\u2019s View - Ghanamma.com","twitter_description":"English may be the official language of the nation, but there\u2019s still a way to go before Nigerian linguists can match the skills of their counterparts in other countries where the English is a primary mother tongue. On the other hand, Nigerians are well ahead of most other African nations in this regard, but that\u2019s […]","twitter_image":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/images.jpg","twitter_creator":"@ghanamma","twitter_site":"@ghanamma","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Ghana News","Est. reading time":"6 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/"},"author":{"name":"Ghana News","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/#\/schema\/person\/53d06a757a4242f113d200e3c290c036"},"headline":"Raising the Bar for Nigerian English: a Professional Translator\u2019s View","datePublished":"2020-01-07T14:08:28+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/"},"wordCount":1212,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/images.jpg","articleSection":["Nigeria"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/","url":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/","name":"Raising the Bar for Nigerian English: a Professional Translator\u2019s View - Ghanamma.com","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/images.jpg","datePublished":"2020-01-07T14:08:28+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/#\/schema\/person\/53d06a757a4242f113d200e3c290c036"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/01\/07\/raising-the-bar-for-nigerian-english-a-professional-translators-view\/#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/images.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/01\/images.jpg","width":375,"height":240},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/#website","url":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/","name":"Ghanamma.com","description":"News In Ghana - Latest Ghana News Headlines","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/#\/schema\/person\/53d06a757a4242f113d200e3c290c036","name":"Ghana News","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22cb97c2b08df229330efb2b8c2645feaae8d3ca3ee434035fbb668b5b82f570?s=96&d=mm&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22cb97c2b08df229330efb2b8c2645feaae8d3ca3ee434035fbb668b5b82f570?s=96&d=mm&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/22cb97c2b08df229330efb2b8c2645feaae8d3ca3ee434035fbb668b5b82f570?s=96&d=mm&r=g","caption":"Ghana News"}}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777780","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=777780"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/777780\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/777781"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=777780"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=777780"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.ghanamma.com\/2019\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=777780"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}