South Africa
An African Bantu language and one of the eleven official languages of South Africa, Xhosa is spoken by nearly eight million people (18% of the population of South Africa). The African language with the widest distribution in South Africa (Zulu has the most speakers), there are over five million speakers in the Eastern Cape, two million in the Western Cape, and significant numbers in other South African provinces such as Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal.
Xhosa, a tonal language, makes extensive use of what are called ‘click consonants’, one of which is the [xh] at the start of the language’s name. There is a total of 18 click sounds in the language, giving it a wide inventory of consonants. Other, smaller African languages have as many as 83 click consonants.
Xhosa is used for primary and secondary education, but English is gaining ground in education in Xhosa-speaking communities. Xhosa is taught only as an academic subject at South African universities, the main languages of instruction being English and Afrikaans.
Spectrum Translation has worked with Xhosa since 2006. We have translated and localized Xhosa mainly for medical purposes and linguistic validation. We also have an extensive network of contacts in South Africa, from Cape Town and Pretoria to Durban, Johannesburg, Port Elizabeth, and other cities.
We welcome your queries regarding successful translation, proofreading, and editing in this official language of South Africa.