The Amharic Language: A Brief Overview

The Amharic language (also known as Abyssinian, Amhara, Amarinya, or Amarigna) is one of the five official languages of Ethiopia. Amharic has remarkably served as the official Ethiopia language for the government since the fourteenth century. It is written using the Amharic alphabet, a form of the Ge’ez script, and is a fascinating language to learn about.

This article gives a brief overview of the Amharic language. You’ll learn where it is spoken, the origins of the language, and how translations to Amharic can help your business.

Origins of the Amharic Language

The Amharic language has a long history, having been spoken for over 2000 years. The name “Amharic” derives from the Amhara region in northern Ethiopia, where the language originated. It also evolved from the now-dead language Ge’ez. Furthermore, Cushitic languages in the region influenced Amharic over the past 2000 years.

Amharic has only been a written language for the past 500 years and uses the Ge’ez alphabet, also known as Fidel, which means letter. Some surviving songs and poems were written using the Amharic alphabet in the fourteenth century. This was around the same time the language gained prominence as it became the language of the Ethiopian Government in the fourteenth century.

Nevertheless, Amharic was a common language across the region from the ninth century. Until 2000, it was also the sole official language of Ethiopia, sometimes previously referred to as the Ethiopia language. Today, four other official Ethiopian languages are spoken across the country: Afar, Oromo, Somali, and Tigrinya.

Countries Speaking the Amharic Language

There are around 80 languages spoken across Ethiopia; however, the Amharic language serves as a lingua franca. As of 2021, over 31 million people speak Amharic as their first language in Ethiopia, and an additional 25 million people are second-language speakers. This makes it the most widely spoken and written language of all Ethiopia language groups.

The predominant native language differs significantly by region in Ethiopia. Amharic is dominant in the Amhara region of the country, located in the north. It is also spoken by over 2.5 million emigrants worldwide and in some neighbouring countries, including Eritrea. It is thought that around 90,000 Eritreans speak Amharic and can understand the Amharic alphabet.

Moreover, followers of the Rastafari movement believe that the Amharic language is sacred and so often learn it as a second language. This means that a significant number of people in Jamaica understand Amharic. Consequently, numerous Reggae songs are performed and written in Amharic. The word Rastafari itself is Amharic, roughly translating to “chief to be feared.”

English to Amharic Translation Benefits & Challenges

The number of people who speak Amharic grows every year, with the number of first-language speakers increasing from 21.6 million in 2007 to 31 million in 2021. This continually growing audience means that the potential value of translating a text from English to Amharic increases with every passing year. Meanwhile, less than one per cent of Ethiopians speak English – 0.22%, to be precise!

Amharic is also the official language of business and commerce, the army, and local government administration. It is also the official language of the Ethiopian Orthodox Tewahedo Church. For this reason, translating into Amharic is critical to reaching a large Ethiopian audience. However, accurate and professional translation services for the Ethiopia language are challenging.

Translators must understand the three Amharic dialects – Gondar, Gojjami, and Showa – and know when each is appropriate. Linguists must also appreciate the unique Amharic alphabet, differences in word stress, gendered nouns, and an elaborate verb system. These discrepancies from English mean Amharic translations need to be left to professional translation agencies.

Renaissance Translations’ Amharic Translation Services

Renaissance Translations provides professional English to Amharic translation in all subject fields. When translating into Amharic, our expert linguists will ensure that the target text conveys the same message as the original. In addition, our DTP services account for text expansion and contraction when using the Amharic alphabet, ensuring your content both reads and looks professional.

We pride ourselves on working with professional Ethiopia language translators who can translate your project accurately. We have helped many global brands and NGOs worldwide with various types of content. If you’d like to know more about our translation services, contact our team or request a quote online on our website.