Looking for expert Igbo translation services? Since 2003, Green Crescent has been providing professional translation services between English and Igbo to clients globally. We specialize in areas including legal, medical, government, NGO, and business sectors. Our team delivers accurate, high-quality translations tailored to your specific needs. Get a fast, free Igbo translation quote today!
Our Comprehensive Igbo Translation Services
Green Crescent’s skilled team of Igbo translators includes subject matter experts for industry-specific needs. We provide translations in the standard dialect of Igbo, which is recognized across southeastern Nigeria and by the wider Igbo-speaking communities.
We specialize in both English to Igbo and Igbo to English translations, offering the following services:
Simple Translation
Our simple translations in the English/Igbo language pair are designed for basic communication needs. These translations are completed by a single Igbo translator without the involvement of an editor or proofreader, making them suitable for informal communication or understanding the general meaning of a text. Simple translations are ideal for personal correspondence, casual reading, or early drafts, but they are not recommended for professional or formal use without further revision.
Standard Translation (TEP)
Our Standard Igbo Translation service offers high-quality translations for everyday use, such as business correspondence, websites, reports, and presentations. This service includes translation, editing, and proofreading (TEP) to ensure that your Igbo documents are accurate, fluent, and professional. It is the best choice for documents that require precision and clarity.
Organization Critical Translation (TEP+)
Our Organization Critical Igbo Translation service is ideal for sensitive or technical documents where accuracy is essential, such as legal contracts, technical manuals, or medical documents. These translations undergo multiple rounds of proofreading by expert linguists, with input from subject matter experts (SMEs) when necessary, ensuring the translation is both technically accurate and contextually appropriate.
Bilingual Editing
Our Bilingual Editing service ensures that your Igbo translation accurately reflects the source text while maintaining clarity and fluency. The editor compares both the original and translated texts to ensure consistency, accuracy, and cultural relevance. This service is particularly useful for business, legal, or academic documents where precision is key.
Proofreading
Our proofreading service for Igbo translations focuses on correcting surface-level errors such as grammar, spelling, and punctuation mistakes. This service is typically the final step before finalizing a translation for publication or submission, ensuring that the document is polished and ready for professional use. We also offer proofreading as a standalone service for translations that have already been completed.
Legal Translation
Green Crescent provides expert legal translation services for Igbo, handling a wide range of documents, including contracts, court documents, and official certificates. Our legal translators are experienced in Igbo legal terminology and ensure that your documents are translated with the highest level of accuracy, suitable for submission to legal entities and government bodies.
Technical Translation
Technical translations in Igbo require expertise in specialized fields such as IT, engineering, and science. Our technical translators and subject matter experts ensure that industry-specific terminology is accurately translated and that the meaning is preserved, even for the most complex content. This service is ideal for technical manuals, engineering documents, and scientific reports.
Medical Translation
Our medical translation services in Igbo are designed for translating medical reports, clinical trial documents, pharmaceutical information, and other health-related content. We ensure that medical terminology is accurately translated and that all documents adhere to regulatory standards. Our translators have experience working with sensitive medical content to ensure high levels of accuracy and confidentiality.
Localization
Our localization services for Igbo ensure that your content is culturally adapted and linguistically accurate for Igbo-speaking audiences. Whether it's marketing materials, software, or websites, we tailor your translations to resonate with the cultural and linguistic nuances of the Igbo-speaking population.
Website, App, and Software Localization for Igbo
We offer comprehensive website, app, and software localization services for Igbo-speaking users. This includes translating text, adapting user interfaces, and ensuring that your software or application is optimized for Igbo-speaking regions. Whether for mobile apps or desktop software, our localization services ensure that your digital content is accessible and relevant to your target audience.
Back-translation
Back-translation is a quality assurance process where we translate the Igbo text back into the original source language to ensure accuracy and consistency. This service is particularly useful for legal, medical, and technical documents where precision is critical. Back-translation helps ensure that the intended meaning is fully preserved in the final translation.
Peer Review
Our Peer Review service for Igbo translations involves an independent linguist reviewing the translation for accuracy, consistency, and adherence to stylistic guidelines. This additional layer of quality control ensures that your translation is error-free and meets the highest standards of linguistic quality.
SME Review
Subject Matter Expert (SME) review is essential for specialized Igbo translations in fields such as law, medicine, engineering, or technology. Our SMEs work closely with the translation team to ensure that technical terminology is accurately translated and contextually appropriate. This service is particularly useful for complex documents that require expert knowledge.
Transcreation
Our Igbo Transcreation service goes beyond literal translation to creatively adapt your content for the Igbo-speaking audience. Whether it's for marketing, advertising, or branding, we ensure that your messages are not only accurately translated but also culturally engaging and resonant with the target audience, preserving the original intent and emotional impact.
MTPE-Full (Machine Translation Post-Editing - Full)
MTPE-Full (Machine Translation Post-Editing - Full) involves a detailed review of machine-translated content between Igbo and English. This service ensures that the final translation is accurate, fluent, and meets high-quality linguistic standards. MTPE-Full is suitable for business-critical documents or any content requiring a polished, professional result.
MTPE-Light (Machine Translation Post-Editing - Light)
MTPE-Light (Machine Translation Post-Editing - Light) is a quicker, more cost-effective service where our editors focus on fixing major errors in machine-translated text. While it may not reach the level of polish as MTPE-Full, it ensures that the translation is clear and understandable, making it suitable for internal documents or content where full linguistic accuracy is not required.
Additional Language Services and Options for Igbo
Certified Translation
Green Crescent provides certified translations of official documents, including birth, marriage, and death certificates, diplomas, passports, and legal documents in both Igbo and English. Our certified translations are accepted by government agencies, legal bodies, and educational institutions.
Rush Service
We offer rush translation services for Igbo documents when fast delivery is essential. While we strive to maintain quality, expedited services may come with trade-offs in pricing and consistency. Please consult with a project manager to discuss the details of your request.
Discounts
Volume discounts are available for large projects, long-term clients, and organizations such as non-profits, NGOs, charities, and government entities.
Minimum Fee
There is a minimum project fee of $75.00 USD per language, which can be reduced or waived for regular clients or special projects.
Additional Language Services
In addition to translation, Green Crescent offers other Igbo language services, including interpretation, transcription, website design, and desktop publishing.
About the Igbo Language
Igbo, known locally as "Asụsụ Igbo," is one of the major languages spoken in Nigeria, with over 40 million speakers, primarily in the southeastern region of the country. It is part of the Niger-Congo language family, specifically the Volta-Niger branch. Igbo plays a central role in the culture and identity of the Igbo people and is widely used in everyday communication, education, media, and religion across southeastern Nigeria.
The Cultural Context, History, and Linguistic Features of Igbo
Igbo has a rich oral tradition, with proverbs, storytelling, and songs being integral parts of Igbo culture. Historically, the language has been essential for transmitting the customs, values, and beliefs of the Igbo people. Written records of Igbo only began in the 19th century with the influence of missionaries, and the language continues to thrive in both written and spoken forms.
Linguistically, Igbo is a tonal language, with high, mid, and low tones playing a crucial role in distinguishing meaning. Words that are spelled identically can have completely different meanings depending on the tone used. Igbo also has a noun class system, where nouns are grouped based on inherent features, affecting how verbs, adjectives, and pronouns agree with them.
The Writing System: Latin Script
Igbo is written using the Latin alphabet, which was introduced during the colonial period by missionaries. Although Igbo has many dialects, Standard Igbo has been developed for education and formal communication. The Latin script used for Igbo includes additional diacritical marks to indicate tones, which are important for distinguishing between meanings.
Vowels and Consonants: Igbo has eight vowel sounds, divided into two harmony sets (oral and nasal vowels), and a range of consonants. The use of vowel harmony, where vowels in a word must belong to the same set, is a key feature of the language.
Igbo Alphabet
The Igbo alphabet, written in the Latin script, includes both capital and lowercase letters:
- Vowels: A, a, E, e, I, i, O, o, U, u, Ụ, ụ, Ọ, ọ
- Consonants: B, b, Ch, ch, D, d, F, f, G, g, Gb, gb, Gw, gw, H, h, J, j, K, k, Kw, kw, L, l, M, m, N, n, Ń, ń, Ny, ny, P, p, R, r, S, s, Sh, sh, T, t, W, w, Y, y, Z, z
Key Linguistic Differences Between Igbo and English for Translation
When translating between Igbo and English, several important linguistic features must be considered to ensure accuracy and cultural sensitivity:
Tonal Language: Igbo is a tonal language, where the pitch or tone of a word can change its meaning. Since English is not tonal, translators must rely on context to convey the correct meaning, ensuring that the nuances of tone are reflected in translation.
Vowel Harmony: Igbo has a system of vowel harmony, where all the vowels in a word must belong to the same harmony set (either front or back vowels). This concept does not exist in English, so transliterations must preserve the correct vowel sounds without altering the meaning.
Word Order: Igbo generally follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) word order, similar to English. However, Igbo allows for more flexibility in word arrangement, particularly for emphasis. Translators must ensure that the original emphasis and meaning are maintained when translating into English.
Noun Class System: Igbo nouns are classified into various noun classes, and this classification affects verb and adjective agreement. English lacks a comparable system, so translators must adapt these grammatical relationships while maintaining the intended meaning.
Pronouns and Politeness Levels: Igbo has different forms of pronouns and verb conjugations depending on the level of formality and politeness. Translators need to ensure that the tone of respect or familiarity is accurately reflected in English.
Loanwords and Code-Switching: Due to Nigeria's multilingual environment, Igbo speakers often use loanwords from English, especially in technology, education, and law. Translators must recognize these loanwords and adapt them appropriately in translation, ensuring clarity and relevance for the target audience.
By addressing these linguistic and cultural nuances, Green Crescent ensures that translations between Igbo and English are accurate, culturally sensitive, and reflective of the linguistic richness of the Igbo-speaking community.
An Insight into Igbo Expression
This passage is inspired by a traditional Igbo proverb that reflects the wisdom and resilience of the Igbo people, emphasizing their strength in overcoming life’s challenges.
- Igbo: "Ọ bụ mgbe anyanwụ dara ka a maara onye ji ọkụ n’aka."
- English Translation: "It is when the sun sets that one knows who holds the torch."