|
Tahitian, a Tahitic language, is one of the two official languages of French Polynesia (along with French). It is an Eastern Polynesian language closely related to Rarotongan, New Zealand Maori, and Hawaiian.
Typologically, Tahitian word order is VSO (Verb-Subject-Object), which is typical of Polynesian languages. It also features a very small number of phonemes, as further evidence of its linguistic heritage: five vowels and eight consonants not counting the lengthened vowels, diphthongs and the glottal stop.
The glottal stop or eta is a genuine consonant. (People unfamiliar with Tahitian might mistake it for a punctuation mark.) This is typical of Polynesian languages (compare to the Hawaiian okina and others). However, in Tahitian the glottal stops are seldom written in practice, and if they are, often as a straight apostrophe ' , instead of the curly apostrophe. The native speakers know where to pronounce them and are not taught to write them down. Alphabetical word ordering in dictionaries ignores the existence of glottals. Admittedly, the Tahitian glottal is normally weak, except in a few words like i?a (fish), and easily missed by the untrained ear of the non-native speaker.
Tahitian makes a phonemic distinction between long and short vowels; long vowels are marked with a tarava or macron. For example, pato, meaning "to pick, to pluck" and pato, "to break out", are distinguished solely by their vowel length. However, macrons are seldom written.
Finally there is a toro ?a?i, a trema put on the i, but only used in ia when used as a reflexive pronoun. It does not indicate a different pronunciation.
Although the use of eta and tarava is equal to the usage of such symbols in other Polynesian languages, is promoted by l'Academie Tahitienne, and is adopted by the territorial government, there are at least a dozen other ways of applying accents. Some methods are historical and no longer used, while others are heavily promoted by people who think they know better. This only adds to the confusion. At this moment l'Académie Tahitienne seems to have not made a final decision yet whether the eta should appear as a small normal curly comma (?) or a small inverted curly comma (?). Compare 'okina.
Further, Tahitian syllables are entirely open, as is usual in Polynesian languages. In its morphology, Tahitian relies on the use of "helper words" (such as prepositions, articles, and particles) to encode grammatical relationships, rather than on inflection, as would be typical of European languages. It is practically an isolating language, except when it comes to the personal pronouns, which have separate forms for singular, plural and dual numbers.
Accurate Tahitian translation the first time around
Trust in your translation provider is the key to receiving the quality translation
you are looking for. At WorldAccess we pride ourselves on delivering your Tahitian
translation project that is backed up with a guarantee.
Your Tahitian translation will only be done by in-country translators with
proven experience in the subject of your original document. A Project Manager, who is
also an experienced linguist, will be dedicated to your translation project.
We'll provide your Tahitian translated document in exactly the same format
as your original unless specified different. This means you'll have an accurate
Tahitian translation you can use straight away.
Things to consider when translating between Tahitian and other Languages
Layout designs - Text typically expands or contracts when translating one language to
another. English to Tahitian translations and Tahitian to English translations, will contract
or expand depending on the subject matter.
Which Tahitian do you need for your translation?
Getting the Tahitian translation of your documents right can be very tricky. Clearly there's
only one Tahitian language but as in most countries different sections of the population will
have different ways of saying things. Your Account Manager will discuss the target market
of your document with you. Clearly if your Tahitian translation is aimed at teenagers it will
need to use their phrases and maybe even slang. Missing these small issues can be the
difference between a successful translation and a bad one.
Specialist industry Tahitian translators
With a large network of in-country, bilingual Tahitian translator, WorldAccess
Translations can respond quickly and effectively to your Tahitian language
translation needs. Our translation teams are professional linguists
performing translation from English to Tahitian and Tahitian to English for a
range of documents in various industries.
Tahitian Translation Quality Procedures
We work within documented quality procedures and will adopt additional quality
controls in order to align with client-side process. Each Tahitian translator is
selected based on their experience and special areas of expertise.
Translation Confidentiality
All translators are bound by a commercial confidentiality and corporate
nondisclosure agreement.
For a free quote click here. |
|
|
WorldAccess News
|
December 1st, 2009
WorldAccess Translations BE announces new hire: Daniel Mommaerts as Senior Sales Executive. Mr. Mommaerts joins our team to increase sales with emphasis on French translations, German translations, Dutch translations, Italian translations, Spanish translation and Russian Translations for the EU region.
|
October 1st, 2009
WorldAccess Translations announces additional expansion of satellite offices in Boston MA, Los Angeles CA, Portland OR, Peoria AZ, Baltimore MA, Atlanta GA, Houston TX, Philadelphia PA, Seattle WA, Beaverton OR, Ontario and Calgary Canada and Brussels Belgium.
|
June 9th, 2009
WorldAccess Translations enters into a strategic alliance with R & H Consulting for Internet Marketing throughout the United States and beyond.
|
June 1st, 2009
WorldAccess Translations announces its expansion of satellite offices in New York NY, Bronx NY, Chicago IL, Miami FL, Washington DC, and the San Francisco Bay Area.
|
|
