Looking for expert Dzongkha translation services? Since 2003, Green Crescent has been providing professional translation services between English and Dzongkha to clients around the world. We specialize in various sectors, including legal, business, marketing, and community services. Our team ensures precise, high-quality translations tailored to your specific needs. Get a fast, free Dzongkha translation quote today!
Our Comprehensive Dzongkha Translation Services
Green Crescent’s skilled team of Dzongkha translators includes subject matter experts for industry-specific needs. We provide translations tailored to the linguistic nuances of Dzongkha, ensuring cultural and contextual accuracy for all types of documents.
- Standard Dzongkha
- Regional variations of Dzongkha
We specialize in both English to Dzongkha and Dzongkha to English translations, offering the following services:
Simple Translation
Our simple translations in the English/Dzongkha language pair are designed for basic communication needs. These translations are completed by a single Dzongkha translator without the involvement of an editor or proofreader, and therefore should not be considered final or polished work for most professional or formal use cases. While they are typically of high quality, simple translations are essentially "rough drafts" that do not go through additional editing, proofreading, or other quality control processes. These translations are ideal for personal letters, informal communications, initial drafts that will later be revised, or for situations where you need to quickly understand the general meaning or "gist" of a Dzongkha text.
Standard Translation (TEP)
Our Standard Dzongkha Translation service is designed to provide high-quality translations for everyday use, including business correspondence, websites, reports, presentations, and similar content. This service includes translation, editing, and proofreading (TEP) to ensure the highest level of accuracy and clarity in your Dzongkha communications.
Organization Critical Translation (TEP+)
Our Organization Critical Dzongkha Translation service is designed for situations where precision is essential. This option is recommended for texts intended for large-scale printing, legal contracts, medical documents, or any case where an error could be critical or costly. Each translated line is reviewed by a minimum of three linguists, with multiple rounds of proofreading. Subject matter experts (SMEs) may be involved as needed throughout the Dzongkha translation, editing, and proofreading (TEP) process.
Bilingual Editing
Bilingual Editing for Dzongkha Translation is the process of editing a translated text by comparing both the source and target texts in the English/Dzongkha language pair. The editor, fluent in the source language and a native speaker of Dzongkha, ensures that the translation is accurate, consistent, and faithful to the source text while also maintaining clarity and fluency in Dzongkha. This step occurs after the initial translation in our TEP (Translation, Editing, Proofreading) Organization Critical and Standard Translation services. We also offer this service as a standalone option for translations completed by individuals or organizations not affiliated with Green Crescent.
Proofreading
Our proofreading service for English to Dzongkha and Dzongkha to English translations involves reviewing a single-language text to identify and correct surface-level errors, such as spelling mistakes, grammar issues, punctuation errors, and formatting inconsistencies. This step is the final phase in our TEP (Translation, Editing, Proofreading) Organization Critical and Standard translation services. We also offer proofreading as a standalone service for translations completed by individuals or organizations not affiliated with Green Crescent.
Legal Translation
Green Crescent's elite team of linguists, each with subject matter expertise in legal fields, is ready to assist you with the translation of a wide range of judicial, administrative, and private legal documents between Dzongkha and English. We can also implement enhanced security measures to ensure strict confidentiality upon request.
Technical Translation
Technical translations involve any text that features specialized vocabulary or language registers, necessitating additional research and terminology verification. Common technical subject matter includes legal, medical, scientific, and IT topics. These translations require the expertise of linguists with in-depth knowledge of the relevant technical field in both Dzongkha and English.
Medical Translation
Green Crescent provides professional Dzongkha medical translations with a focus on accuracy and confidentiality. Our team of skilled linguists, specialized in medical terminology, ensures that your translations are both precise and secure.
Localization
Our translation services are tailored for specific target markets that require localized varieties of the Dzongkha language. Green Crescent ensures that your content resonates with the intended audience. Our experienced linguists provide translations that are not only accurate but also culturally relevant and engaging.
Back-translation
Back-translation is a crucial component of quality control, particularly for critical translations in the Dzongkha/English language pair. This process involves translating a previously translated text back into its original language, either Dzongkha or English, and comparing the result to the original translation for accuracy.
Peer Review
Green Crescent offers professional peer review services where one or more linguists not involved in the original translation process assess the quality, style, and overall fitness of the translation for its intended purpose.
SME Review
Subject Matter Expert (SME) review is a specialized form of peer review conducted by non-linguist professionals with expertise in specific fields. This process ensures that Dzongkha to English or English to Dzongkha translations of highly technical texts are both linguistically accurate and technically precise.
Transcreation
Our Dzongkha Transcreation Service adapts your content creatively to resonate with Dzongkha-speaking audiences. We ensure that your brand’s messages maintain their original intent, emotional impact, and tone while aligning with the cultural and linguistic nuances of the target market.
MTPE-Full (Machine Translation Post-Editing - Full)
MTPE-Full involves comprehensive post-editing of machine-generated translations to meet the highest standards of linguistic quality. This includes correcting grammar, syntax, and terminology to ensure the text flows naturally in Dzongkha or English.
MTPE-Light (Machine Translation Post-Editing - Light)
MTPE-Light is a streamlined version of post-editing designed for situations where speed and cost-efficiency are prioritized. The human editor fixes major errors, ensuring the overall meaning is clear and understandable.
Additional Language Services and Options for Dzongkha
Certified Translation
Green Crescent provides certified translations of a wide range of legal documents, including birth, marriage, and death certificates, diplomas, school transcripts, passports, and much more, in both Dzongkha and English. Our certified translations are recognized for their accuracy and compliance with legal standards, making them suitable for official use. You can receive hard copies of our standard certificate of translation mailed directly to your home or business.
Rush Service
If you require expedited service, Green Crescent can usually accommodate such requests. However, please note that rushing translations may come with trade-offs, which could affect both price and consistency. Please consult with a project manager for more details.
Discounts
Volume discounts are available for large projects, long-term clients, and for non-profits, charities, NGOs, and government organizations.
Minimum Fee
There is a minimum project fee of $75.00 USD per language, which can be reduced or waived for regular clients.
Additional Language Services
In addition to translation, Green Crescent offers a range of other Dzongkha language services, including interpretation, transcription, website design and development, and desktop publishing.
About the Dzongkha Language
Dzongkha, known locally as "རྫོང་ཁ" (Dzongkha), is the national language of Bhutan. It belongs to the Sino-Tibetan language family and is closely related to Tibetan, particularly Classical Tibetan, the language of religious texts in Bhutan. Dzongkha serves as the administrative and educational language in Bhutan and is spoken by approximately 600,000 people, primarily in the western part of the country. The language plays a crucial role in Bhutan’s national identity and cultural preservation, and it is a key medium of communication in both formal and informal settings across the country.
The Cultural Context, History, and Linguistic Features of Dzongkha
Dzongkha has deep cultural roots in Bhutan’s Buddhist traditions and is intertwined with the country’s history and national identity. The word "Dzongkha" itself means "the language of the fortress," referring to the dzongs (fortresses) that have been central to Bhutanese religious and political life for centuries. Historically, Dzongkha has been influenced by both Classical Tibetan and the regional dialects of Bhutan, evolving into the standardized form used today.
Linguistically, Dzongkha is a tonal language, where changes in pitch or tone can affect the meaning of a word. This feature is common in Sino-Tibetan languages and plays an important role in the spoken form of Dzongkha. Dzongkha also exhibits complex verb structures and sentence patterns, which must be carefully managed in translation to ensure accuracy.
The Writing System: Tibetan Script
Dzongkha is written using the Tibetan script, a syllabic alphabet derived from the ancient Indian Brahmi script. The Tibetan script is used for both Dzongkha and Classical Tibetan, though the spoken forms of the two languages differ significantly. The script consists of 30 consonants and four vowels, and syllables are generally written from left to right, with a high degree of phonetic consistency.
Vowels and Consonants: Dzongkha uses the same set of vowels and consonants as Tibetan, with the pronunciation of certain characters differing in some cases. The script does not distinguish between uppercase and lowercase letters, which simplifies the writing system but requires careful attention to context in understanding written texts.
The Dzongkha Alphabet
Dzongkha is written using the following Tibetan script characters:
- 30 consonants: ཀ, ཁ, ག, ང, ཅ, ཆ, ཇ, ཉ, ཏ, ཐ, ད, ན, པ, ཕ, བ, མ, ཙ, ཚ, ཛ, ཝ, ཞ, ཟ, འ, ཡ, ར, ལ, ཤ, ས, ཧ, ཨ
- 4 vowels: ཨ, ཨི, ཨུ, ཨེ
Dzongkha uses a combination of these consonants and vowels to form syllables. Each syllable is written as a separate block, and the script is highly phonetic, meaning that words are pronounced as they are written. However, like many tonal languages, the pitch or tone of the spoken word can affect its meaning, even though this is not reflected in the script itself.
Key Linguistic Differences Between Dzongkha and English for Translation
When translating between Dzongkha and English, several linguistic differences must be considered to ensure accuracy and cultural sensitivity:
Sentence Structure: Dzongkha follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) sentence structure, which is common in many Asian languages. In contrast, English uses a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure. This difference in word order means that sentences must be carefully restructured during translation to maintain clarity and meaning.
Tonal Language: Dzongkha is a tonal language, meaning that the tone or pitch used when pronouncing a word can change its meaning. For example, a word pronounced with a high tone might have a completely different meaning than the same word pronounced with a low tone. This tonal aspect presents a challenge in translation, particularly when translating spoken Dzongkha to written English, which does not rely on tone in the same way.
Verb Conjugation and Honorifics: In Dzongkha, verbs are conjugated to reflect tense, aspect, and sometimes politeness or formality, depending on the context. The use of honorifics is an important aspect of the language, particularly when addressing elders, officials, or religious figures. These honorifics do not have direct equivalents in English, so translators must find appropriate ways to convey respect and formality.
Noun Classifiers: Like many Sino-Tibetan languages, Dzongkha uses noun classifiers, which are words that accompany nouns and help specify their type or category. These classifiers are not present in English, so translators must ensure that the meaning of a sentence remains clear without these markers.
Reduplication: Dzongkha often uses reduplication, where part of a word is repeated to indicate plurality or intensification. For instance, repeating a verb can convey repeated actions or emphasis. This feature is not commonly used in English, so translators must find equivalent ways to express these concepts.
By considering these linguistic and cultural differences, Green Crescent ensures that our Dzongkha translation services provide accurate, culturally appropriate translations that reflect the meaning and context of the original material.
An Insight into Dzongkha Expression
This passage is from the renowned Dzongkha text “The Way of the Bodhisattva” (བྱང་ཆུབ་སེམས་པའི་ལམ་རིམ་) by Shantideva, a spiritual guide in Bhutanese and Buddhist culture.
- Dzongkha: "ཆོས་ཀྱི་ལམ་འབྲས་བུ་ཡང་སྲིད་པ་ཡིན་ན་སྐྱོ་བ་དེ་ཡང་སྲིད་ཀྱི་དོན་དགེ་པོ་ཡིན་ཡང་།"
- English Translation: "Even if one’s worldly life is long, the pursuit of virtue remains the most meaningful purpose."