Looking for expert Tigrinya translation services? Since 2003, Green Crescent has been providing professional translation services between English and Tigrinya to clients globally. We specialize in areas such as legal, cultural, business, and academic sectors. Our team ensures accurate, high-quality translations customized to your specific needs. Get a fast, free Tigrinya translation quote today!
Our Comprehensive Tigrinya Translation Services
Green Crescent’s skilled team of Tigrinya translators includes subject matter experts for industry-specific needs. We provide translations based on Standard Tigrinya, which is widely spoken in Eritrea and northern Ethiopia. Our translations ensure cultural accuracy and sensitivity to regional linguistic variations where necessary.
We specialize in both English to Tigrinya and Tigrinya to English translations, offering the following services:
Simple Translation
Our simple translations in the English/Tigrinya language pair are designed for basic communication needs. These translations are completed by a single Tigrinya 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 Tigrinya text.
Standard Translation (TEP)
Our Standard Tigrinya 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 Tigrinya communications.
Organization Critical Translation (TEP+)
Our Organization Critical Tigrinya Translation service is designed for situations where perfection is essential. This option is recommended for texts intended for large-scale printing, technical documents, legal contracts and patents, 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 Tigrinya translation, editing, and proofreading (TEP) process.
Bilingual Editing
Bilingual Editing for Tigrinya Translation is the process of editing a translated text by comparing both the source and target texts in the English/Tigrinya language pair. The editor, fluent in the source language and a native speaker of Tigrinya, ensures that the translation is accurate, consistent, and faithful to the source text while also maintaining clarity and fluency in Tigrinya. 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
With each additional round of editing and proofreading, the error rate of a document approaches the perfection horizon. Our proofreading service for English to Tigrinya and Tigrinya 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 specialized legal fields, is ready to assist you with the translation of a wide range of judicial, administrative, and private legal documents between Tigrinya and English. Nearly all countries recognize that submitting documents for translation does not compromise attorney-client privilege. Furthermore, we can 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, engineering, and IT topics, but any text that utilizes industry-specific terminology or neologisms may be considered technical in nature. These translations cannot be executed by generalists alone; they require the expertise of linguists with in-depth knowledge of the relevant technical field in both Tigrinya and English.
Medical Translation
Green Crescent has established protocols to ensure compliance with HIPAA and HITECH regulations, which you can learn more about here. Our Tigrinya medical translations are treated as "organization critical," unless otherwise specified, and we are committed to implementing the necessary digital security measures and legal safeguards for every project subject to HIPAA and HITECH requirements. Our team of skilled linguists, specialized in medical terminology, ensures that your translations are both accurate and secure.
Localization
Our translation services are tailored for specific target markets that require non-standard varieties or dialects of the Tigrinya language. Green Crescent is equipped to accommodate requests for localized Tigrinya translation, ensuring that your content resonates with the intended audience. Our experienced linguists are well-versed in the nuances of Tigrinya, allowing us to provide translations that are not only accurate but also culturally relevant and engaging. By focusing on the unique linguistic characteristics of Tigrinya, we help you effectively connect with your audience and enhance the impact of your message.
Website, App, and Software Localization for Tigrinya
At Green Crescent, we leverage our extensive experience in software development to provide specialized Tigrinya localization services. We excel in adapting your website, app, or software’s content, design, and functionality for Tigrinya-speaking audiences. Whether you need a fully multilingual solution or specific adaptations for Tigrinya, our services encompass translating text, adjusting images, and modifying layouts. We also adapt and program code for both mobile and desktop applications, ensuring that your app functions seamlessly across Tigrinya-speaking regions while adhering to platform-specific guidelines. Let us help you create an engaging and culturally relevant experience for your Tigrinya-speaking users.
Back-translation
Back-translation is often a crucial component of the quality control process, particularly when translating highly technical documents or for critical translations in the Tigrinya/English language pair where an error could have significant consequences. This process involves an independent linguist translating a previously translated text back into its original source language—either Tigrinya or English—without reference to the original document. The resulting text is then compared to the original translation to verify its intelligibility, accuracy, and suitability for its intended use. Back-translation is also relevant in situations such as the translation of legal documents, medical texts, and marketing materials, where precise wording is essential. It can be particularly beneficial when adapting content for different cultural contexts, ensuring that the intended message is preserved and resonates appropriately with the target audience in both Tigrinya and English.
Peer Review
Green Crescent offers professional focus group services that include a comprehensive "read-through" conducted by one or more linguists who were not involved in the original translation process. This approach allows for an unbiased assessment of the translation's quality, style, and overall fitness for its intended purpose. The focus group can evaluate various aspects of the text, including linguistic accuracy, cultural relevance, and the effectiveness of the messaging in reaching the target audience. Feedback is provided on how well the translation conveys the original intent and nuances of the source material, ensuring that it resonates with readers in both Tigrinya and English contexts.
SME Review
Subject Matter Expert (SME) review is a specialized form of peer review conducted by non-linguist professionals with deep expertise in specific fields. This process is particularly important for Tigrinya to English or English to Tigrinya translations of highly technical texts, ensuring that the content is both linguistically accurate and technically precise. In fields such as legal, medical, scientific, and engineering, SMEs help verify the correct use of industry-specific terminology, adherence to regulatory or technical standards, and the contextual relevance of the translated material. By incorporating SME review into the translation process, we ensure that your final product is not only fluent and culturally appropriate but also technically sound and ready for professional use in both Tigrinya- and English-speaking markets.
Transcreation
Our Tigrinya Transcreation Service goes beyond simple translation by creatively adapting your content to resonate with Tigrinya-speaking audiences. At Green Crescent, we ensure that your brand’s messages, campaigns, and communications maintain their original intent, emotional impact, and tone, while aligning with the cultural and linguistic nuances of the target market. Whether it’s marketing, branding, or advertising, we reimagine your content to feel authentic and compelling in Tigrinya, helping your brand connect meaningfully and effectively with Tigrinya-speaking audiences.
MTPE-Full (Machine Translation Post-Editing - Full)
MTPE-Full (Machine Translation Post-Editing - Full) refers to the comprehensive post-editing of a machine-translated text between Tigrinya and English, ensuring the final product meets the highest standards of linguistic quality. In this process, once the machine generates the translation, a skilled human editor thoroughly reviews the entire content, ensuring that it is not only accurate in meaning but also flows naturally and fluently in the target language. This detailed editing process includes correcting grammar, syntax, and terminology, adapting the text for the intended audience, and ensuring it adheres to any stylistic preferences or regulatory requirements. MTPE-Full is suitable for business-critical texts where precision and quality are paramount.
MTPE-Light (Machine Translation Post-Editing - Light)
MTPE-Light (Machine Translation Post-Editing - Light) is a more streamlined version of post-editing, designed for situations where speed and cost-efficiency are prioritized over linguistic perfection. In this process, the human editor focuses primarily on fixing major errors and ensuring that the overall meaning of the machine-translated text is clear and understandable in the target language (Tigrinya or English). While MTPE-Light may not deliver a translation that is fully polished or ready for publication, it provides an efficient and cost-effective solution for internal documents, reports, and communications where basic comprehension is sufficient.
Additional Language Services and Options for Tigrinya
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 Tigrinya 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 often comes with trade-offs, which may 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 Tigrinya language services, including interpretation, transcription, website design and development, and desktop publishing.
About the Tigrinya Language
Tigrinya, known locally as "ትግርኛ" (Tigrinya), is a Semitic language spoken by approximately 9 million people, primarily in Eritrea and the Tigray region of northern Ethiopia. It is one of the official languages of Eritrea and a working language in the Tigray region. Tigrinya is closely related to Ge'ez, the ancient liturgical language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Church, and shares many similarities with Amharic, the official language of Ethiopia. Tigrinya has a rich literary history and is widely used in government, education, and media.
The Cultural Context, History, and Linguistic Features of Tigrinya
Tigrinya has deep historical and cultural roots in the Horn of Africa. It has been used as a spoken and written language for centuries, with early texts dating back to the 13th century. Tigrinya plays a crucial role in preserving the cultural identity of the Tigray and Eritrean people, particularly through oral traditions, religious texts, and folk literature.
As a member of the Semitic language family, Tigrinya shares many features with other Semitic languages such as Hebrew and Arabic, particularly in its root-based morphology and complex verb conjugation system. Tigrinya is an inflected language, meaning that its grammar relies heavily on the modification of root words to express tense, mood, and voice. Additionally, it is a tonal language, where changes in pitch can affect the meaning of words.
The Writing System: Ge'ez Script
Tigrinya is written using the Ge'ez script, also known as the Ethiopic script. This script, which has been in use for over 2,000 years, consists of consonant-vowel syllabic characters. Each character represents a combination of a consonant and a vowel, making the script different from the alphabets used in most European languages. The Ge'ez script is written from left to right, and there are over 200 distinct characters in the script.
Vowels and Consonants: Tigrinya has seven vowel sounds, each represented by a different syllabic form in the Ge'ez script. The consonant system includes both regular consonants and emphatic (pharyngealized) consonants, which are pronounced with a constriction of the throat, a feature common in many Semitic languages.
Tigrinya Alphabet (Ge'ez Script)
The Ge'ez script used in Tigrinya consists of over 200 characters, each representing a consonant-vowel combination. Here are a few common syllabic characters:
- ሀ (ha), ሁ (hu), ሂ (hi), ሃ (ha), ሄ (he), ህ (h), ሆ (ho)
- ለ (la), ሉ (lu), ሊ (li), ላ (la), ሌ (le), ል (l), ሎ (lo)
- መ (ma), ሙ (mu), ሚ (mi), ማ (ma), ሜ (me), ም (m), ሞ (mo)
Key Linguistic Differences Between Tigrinya and English for Translation
Several key linguistic features must be considered when translating between Tigrinya and English to ensure accuracy and cultural sensitivity:
Verb Conjugation and Morphology: Tigrinya uses a root-based system where most words are built from a three-consonant root. Verbs are conjugated to reflect tense, mood, aspect, and voice, and these conjugations involve changes to both prefixes and suffixes. English does not have a similar root-based system, so translators must carefully handle these complex verb forms to maintain clarity and meaning.
Noun and Gender Agreement: Like many Semitic languages, Tigrinya has a system of gendered nouns, with grammatical agreement between nouns, verbs, and adjectives. English does not mark gender grammatically, so translators need to ensure that gendered references in Tigrinya are appropriately handled in translation.
Word Order: Tigrinya generally follows a Subject-Object-Verb (SOV) word order, while English typically follows a Subject-Verb-Object (SVO) structure. This difference in sentence structure requires careful reordering of elements in translation to ensure that the intended meaning is preserved in both languages.
Tonal Distinctions: Tigrinya is a tonal language, meaning that changes in pitch or tone can affect the meaning of words. Since English is not a tonal language, translators must rely on context to accurately convey meaning where tone plays a role in Tigrinya.
Loanwords and Historical Influences: Due to historical contact with Arabic, Italian, and English, Tigrinya has borrowed words from these languages, especially in fields such as technology, law, and education. Translators must be aware of these loanwords and how they are used in Tigrinya.
By addressing these linguistic and cultural nuances, Green Crescent ensures that translations between Tigrinya and English are accurate, culturally appropriate, and sensitive to the linguistic heritage of the Tigrinya-speaking communities.
An Insight into Tigrinya Expression
This passage is from Fəqur Eske Mäqabər by Haddis Alemayehu, a cornerstone of Ethiopian literature that delves into the themes of love, society, and moral dilemmas.
- Tigrinya: "ፍቕረኻ ይህን ሓማሴትካ ንዓልካ ብዝዕባ ይውጽእካ።"
- English Translation: "Let your love conquer the challenges and transform your life with its strength."