Galicia is a region located in north-western Spain famous for its shellfish, beautiful landscapes and the Way of St. James. But did you know that there is a co-official language along with Castilian Spanish in Galicia? It is called Galician and is spoken by around 3 million people in the world today. Read more about the Galician language!
Translation of Galician into English
In addition to being the language of the region of Galicia, Galician is also spoken in western Asturias, Castilla and León, and in parts of Extremadura. Galician is also spoken outside of the Spanish borders, in several cities where there are large immigrant populations such as Zurich, Montevideo, and Buenos Aires.
Galician is a language of the Western Ibero-Romance branch which is very closely related to the Portuguese language. In fact, some linguists claim that it is the same language as Portuguese. However, Galician uses Spanish spelling conventions and is officially considered separate from Portuguese. According to one linguist, Robert A. Hall Jr, the two languages are approximately 85% mutually intelligible.
It is impossible to establish exactly when Galician became recognized as a separate language from Latin, but it is thought that this occurred at some point in the 8th century. The oldest known literary document, the “Ora faz ost’o senhor de Navarra” by Joam Soares de Pavia was written during the Golden Age of Galician literature toward the end of the 12th century. At the end of the Middle Ages, the Galician language and literature entered into a dark period which did not end until the Rexurdimiento (Resurgence) in the 19th century. The most important hallmark during this period was the publication of “Cantares Gallegos” by the poet Rosalía de Castro in 1863. Later, in 1906 the “Real Academia Gallega” (the Royal Academy of the Galician Language) was established formalizing the language.
The consolidation of Galician took place in conjunction with the arrival of democracy in 1975, following Franco´s regime. The Statute of Autonomy of Galicia – passed in 1981 – declared Galician as the co-official language of Galicia along with Castillian Spanish.
Below is an excerpt of a poem by Rosalía de Castro which has been translated into English by Eduardo Freire Canosa. It is a fine example of Galician poetry translation.
| Galician | English |
| Deses teus olliños negros, como doas relumbrantes, hastra as nosas maus unidas as bágoas ardentes caen. ¿Como me hei de ir si te quero? ¿Como me hei de ir e deixarte, si ca lengua me desbotas e co corazón me atraes? |
The burning tears fall Like glittering beads From your lovely dark eyes To our clasped hands. How can I depart if I love you? How can I go and leave you If you send me away with the tongue Yet with the heart draw me near? |
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