Kiswahili Language Influence in Africa

Kiswahili language, also spelt as Swahili is a bantu language and the first language of the Swahili people mostly situated in the East African Coast. The language is a lingua franca of the African great lakes region and there is undoubtedly Kiswahili Language influence in Africa.

It is important to note that Kiswahili is the most spoken indigenous language on the African continent with over 100 million speakers. Other languages that top the list include Amharic, Yoruba, Oromo, Hausa, Igbo, Zulu, Shona, Arabic, Portuguese and French. With this in mind, one can truly and firmly state that knowledge of Kiswahili in Africa is absolutely necessary for anyone who transacts or hopes to transact business on the continent.

In Kenya and Tanzania for instance, knowledge of Kiswahili is absolutely necessary for anyone who lives in any of the two countries or. From the Kenyan perspective, most Kenyans prefer to communicate in Kiswahili to English hence knowing the language creates a strong sense of belonging

Historically, Kiswahili language was used by the Arabs as a language of business transaction across the region but it was later adopted by the military, the police and other paramilitary organizations in most countries across the great lakes region.

It is therefore indicative that Kiswahili language serves as a vital medium of communication among the said groups on the horn of Africa and the great lakes region.

From the Ugandan perspective, Kiswahili took long to take root in the country due to several reasons but it’s now being adopted as a second official language after English.

In the translation industry, Kiswahili is one of the dominant languages in the continent as many investors and companies seek to establish businesses in the region. Some of the potential investors in the region are surprisingly or not surprisingly seeking  translation services from agencies providing Kiswahili Professional Translation Services on the continent.