Gaelic: A Rare Language For Translation Agencies

Translation agencies mostly work with languages that have a high demand for translation services. Languages like English, Spanish, and Chinese are among the most translated languages in the world: 40% of the world speaks one of those languages. In some circumstances though, translation agencies have to work with much less common languages. Providing professional translation and interpreting services in a rare language like Gaelic can be a serious challenge for some translation services companies. Understanding the difficulties of working with a rare language like Gaelic can help a translation agency successfully complete projects in niche language families while building a reputation for being able to provide translation services regardless of the language’s rarity.

Gaelic And Translation Agencies

In order to provide language translation services in rare languages, it is imperative to understand that languages usually come in families. Take Gaelic for example. Gaelic is not just one language–it’s an entire language family. The word “Gaelic” is an adjective meaning “of the Gaels” or “pertaining to Gaels”. The languages that fall under the Gaelic or Goidelic family are Irish, Scottish Gaelic, and Manx. Irish is the official language of the Republic of Ireland, along with English. It has the greatest number of speakers out of the Gaelic languages, with around 1.2 million people speaking it, of which 170,000 speak it as a first language.

The Other Gaelic Languages

Although Irish is the most famous Gaelic dialect, there are many other dialects. For instance, Scottish Gaelic is spoken mostly in northern Scotland and on the Hebrides. An estimated 87,000 people speak it. Manx, the rarest of the Gaelic languages, is only spoken on the Isle of Mann. It is spoken by roughly 1,800 people, with few speaking it as a first language. Even though, comparatively, there are not that many people who speak these languages, they all have a rich cultural and literary history. Many other rare languages follow the same pattern as the Gaelic language family.

Why Should A Translation Agencies Work With Rare Languages?

While it may be costly and time-consuming at first, a savvy translation agency can make a name for itself by providing translation and even localization services in rare languages like Gaelic. Many translation service companies won’t bother working with obscure languages, including Arabic translation services. The challenges are understandable, and there is certainly an opportunity cost involved. However, by providing a rare language translation service, a translation service company can prove itself to be capable of any task, no matter how difficult or rare the language is. That kind of reputation can take a translation agency to new heights and successes.