Translating Mayan Languages

January 27, 2023

Over the past 16 years, The Language Shop has boasted quite a repertoire of working language pairs. One of our focal points has been Mayan languages, with respect to both transcription and translation services.

There is an indeterminate number of Mayan languages spoken by approximately 6 million people in Guatemala, Belize, Honduras, El Salvador and southern Mexico. It is estimated that there are some 500,000 Mayans living in the United States of America.

Some of the Mayan languages recently added to our portfolio are:

Guatemalan Q’anjob’al

Q’anjob’al or Kanjobal is spoken in Guatemala and Mexico. It is also known as Conob, Eastern Kanjobal, Eastern Qanjobal, K’anjobal, Kanhobal, Kanjobal, Qanjobal or Santa Eulalia Kanjobal. Q’anjob’al is taught in public schools through Guatemala’s intercultural bilingual education programs.

Popti

The Jakaltek language, also known as Jakalteko (Jacalteco) or Popti, is spoken by the Jakaltek people in Guatemala and Mexico. the name ‘Poptiʼ for the language is used by the Academia de Lenguas Mayas de Guatemala [Guatemalan Academy of Mayan Languages] and the Guatemalan Congress.

Mam

Mam is spoken by indigenous peoples living in Guatemala and Mexico. Many Mam are bilingual and speak both Spanish as well as the Mam language, part of the Maya language family, the latter typically as their first language.

In addition to the 3 above, we also work into and from:

K’iche, formerly spelled Quiché, also called K’iche’ Maya spoken in Guatemala.
Kaqchikel spoken by the indigenous Kaqchikel people in central Guatemala. The name was formerly spelled in various other ways, including Cakchiquel, Kakchiquel, Caqchikel, and Cachiquel.
Poqomam spoken by about 50,000 people in small pockets of Guatemala. Poqomam is also known as Pocomán or Pokomam. Dialects include Central Poqomam, Eastern Poqomam and Southern Poqomam.
Mopan, also known as Mopán Maya, Mopane or Maya Mopán, is spoken by the Mopan people living in Guatemala and Belize. There are between three and four thousand Mopan speakers in Guatemala and six to eight thousand in Belize.
Ixil is spoken by the Ixil people of Guatemala with several thousand now in the United States. It is also spoken in Mexico.