The languages of Africa are far more diverse than they seem at the outset. Someone made the best analogy about the similarities of the African languages when he remarked, “Learning one African language will help you in understanding another African language as much as German will help you understand French.” Though we will not get into interpreting the similarities or the stark differences of one dialect from another, we will try to demarcate the languages on the basis of their demographic usage.

The eastern part of the African continent has many countries. Most of these have been under colonial rule until recently; hence, the effect of the colonial masters on the language is quite evident. English is by far the most used foreign language, with some East African countries such as the United Republic of Tanzania, Malawi, Rwanda, Kenya, Sudan, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zambia and Zimbabwe using it as the official language.

Most East African and Northeast African nations have more than one national language. Compiled below is a table that shows the distribution of the native languages throughout the Eastern region of the continent. The dispersions of Africans leaving their native places have carried their language to other areas; hence we see repetitive patterns in many cases.

Below is a list of the number of speakers based on their language within the Eastern mainland of the continent.

The impact of these languages can be truly appreciated when it comes to communicating with the local inhabitants. Though English, French or Portuguese are used among the educated, the knowledge of these languages among the uneducated is low. This is the reason why an expert in the local language is a necessity when trying to communicate with a native population.

YYZ Translations Inc. employs multilingual professionals who are not only well-versed in most of these languages, but also in some of the more lesser-known languages. To learn more please e-mail or call us at 1-888-427-5999 today.