Language Scientific’s Zulu Translation Services

Language Scientific provides high quality Zulu translation services, supplying technical, medical and scientific translation, localization and interpreting into and out of Zulu. We are a US-based language services company serving over 1,500 global corporations. Our specialization, focus, industry-leading quality management standards and customer-centered attitude have earned us the trust of many of the world’s best technology, engineering, biomedical and pharmaceutical companies.

Our approach to translation quality management is founded on the principle that engineering documents should be translated by professional translators who are also engineers, and medical documents need to be translated by linguists trained in the medical sciences. We use a combination of advanced people, certified processes and applied technologies to deliver you a better translations experience. We deliver reliable, high quality translations with confirmed turnaround times at competitive prices.

Language Scientific has two divisions—Technical and Engineering Localization and Translation Services Division and Medical and Pharmaceutical Localization and Translation Services Division. Both groups provide a full range of Afrikaans language services to support your strategic global communication goals, including:

We offer a unique depth of subject-matter expertise via our Advanced Scientific Knowledge network (ASKnetwork™) and globalization know-how for companies in the Aerospace & Defense, Chemical, Clinical Research, Energy, Healthcare, Industrial Manufacturing, Medical Device, Pharmaceutical, Technology and related industries. Our ASKnetwork™ of over 6,000 specialists comprises multilingual engineers, doctors and scientists working in over 75 countries on 5 continents.

Language Scientific’s unique Accreditation Program for Technical and Medical Translators, along with a rigorous Quality Management System, ensures the quality standards that our clients have come to depend on. Language Scientific’s Quality Management System is ISO 9001:2015 and ISO 17100:2015 certified. We work closely with you to tailor a solution to best fit your needs.

At Language Scientific, we are driven by the mission to set the new Standard of Quality for technical translation and localization. It is this mission that drives our success and sets us apart as a company. When you need precise global communication, Language Scientific is the clear choice.

Zulu Language Statistics/Facts:

Zulu is one of eleven official languages spoken in South Africa. Zulu is not recognized as an official language outside of South Africa, but it also spoken in Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Swaziland and Zimbabwe. There are approximately 26 million native speakers of Zulu worldwide with 10 million residing in South Africa. The term “Zulu” is used to refer to the language spoken in South Africa and also to the people that speak the language. It is common for Zulu speakers to be bilingual and speak multiple languages such as English, Afrikaans and other native South African languages. Zulu is known in some parts of the world as isiZulu.

There are a few other indigenous South African languages that are so closely related to Zulu that the languages are understood across the speaking communities. Xhosa is also indigenous to South Africa and is an example of a language that is understood by Zulu speaking communities. Zulu is categorized under the Niger-Congo language family and belongs to the Bantu subgroup.

Zulu Dialects

  • Dialect
  • Traditional Zulu
  • Old Natal
  • Lala
  • Qwabe

Countries where Zulu is spoken:

  • Botswana
  • Malawi
  • South Africa
  • Lesotho
  • Mozambique
  • Switzerland

Zulu Speaking Country Data:

Country: South Africa

Capital: Cape Town
Population: 55,528,693
Constitutional Parliamentary Republic: President Jacob Zuma
Currency: Rand
GDP (ppp): $13,500
Unemployment: 51.3%
Government Type:  Parliamentary Republic
Industries: Automotive, mining, minerals, tourism, information technology, communications, electronics, chemicals, and agriculture

Zulu History

Linguistically, Zulu is unique as only until the 19th century, it remained a language that did not exist in written form. Zulu developed into a written system when missionaries with knowledge of Latin language scripts interacted with native Zulu speakers in South Africa. Prior to the exposure of Zulu to these missionaries, the language had not existed in written form. Interestingly, it is a verbal language founded in Niger-Congo roots yet a written language based upon the Latin alphabet, a quality attributed to the missionaries. Zulu has since become a more popularly used language in the South African region because of its ability to spread outside of verbal communication.

In recent decades, Zulu has been gaining acceptance as a national language in South Africa. Zulu has been used more frequently in media and publications. Zulu is the most commonly spoken language in South African homes but English and Afrikaans are more popularly used by the government and in urban areas. Certain Zulu speaking tribes have begun to migrate out of South Africa and into neighboring countries. Zimbabwe has been an attractive country for these migrating Zulu tribes to bring their language and culture. While Zulu is spoken throughout South Africa, the highest concentrations of Zulu speaking communities are in eastern South African regions. Both Afrikaans and English have established themselves as the most popular languages for the government and businesses in South Africa.

Clicks are a major component of the Zulu language as well as other languages in southern Africa. The clicking sounds in Zulu are referred to as click consonants and exist in three types. The three types of click consonants in Zulu are dental, alveolar and lateral clicks. Zulu is also a very tonal language. The tones are learned through repetition and exposure to the verbal language as the written text will not indicate any accent or tones. Both of these qualities of Zulu may appear unusual to foreigners but they are very common to many of the Bantu languages.