
LANGUAGES
Mayan Languages
In Guatemala there are 22 Mayan languages still actively spoken today by over 6 million people. Here is some information on the more prominent Guatemalan languages for which we provide services.
Q’eqchi’
Q’eqchi’ (pronounced Kek-chee, sometimes also spelled Kekchi), is one of the more prominent Mayan languages spoken in Guatemala. Speakers of this language are located in the central highlands of Alta Verapaz and the forests of Petén. Q’eqchi’ is a descendant of the K’iche’ language family group, but the languages are very different today. Some speakers also live in Belize. Contact us to get connected with our Q’eqchi’ interpreters!
K'iche'
K’iche’ (pronounced Kee-chay, also spelled Quiché) is the largest Mayan language still spoken today. Speakers of K’iche’ live predominantly in the western highlands of Quetzaltenango, Quiché, and other areas in Guatemala. After Spanish, K’iche’ in the most predominantly spoken language in Guatemala. K’iche’ is the parent language for many other languages, such as Q’eqchi’, Kaqchikel, Tz’utujil, Achi’, Poqomchi’, and others.
Q'anjob'al
Q’anjob’al (pronounced Kan-ho-bal, also spelled Kanjobal) is spoken primarily in Huehuetenango. It is the parent language for the Q’anjob’alan languages, which include Chuj, Akateko, and Popti’ (also known as Jakalteko)
Akateko
Akateko (pronounced Ah-kah-teh-ko) is closely related to Q’anjob’al. Until the 1970’s it was considered a dialect of Q’anjob’al, until linguists realized that it has a grammar distinct from Q’anjob’al. There are around 55,000 speakers of Akateko today.
Mam
Mam is a language spoken by over half a million speakers throughout Guatemala. There are at least three major variants of Mam that are not necessarily mutually intelligible, so it's important for this language to determine a person's area of origin to be able to find the right interpreter. There are large communities of Mam speakers here in the United States.
Chuj
Chuj (pronounced Choo), is also a member of the Q’anjob’alan branch of languages. There are around 50,000 speakers in Guatemala with growing communities throughout the United States.
Kaqchikel
Kaqchikel is closely related to K'iche', but they are not mutually intelligible. It has around half a million native speakers in the areas of Sololá, Chimaltenango, and Sacatepéquez in Guatemala.
Popti' (Jakalteko)
Popti’ (pronounced pop-tee), also known as Jakalteko (pronounced ha-kal-teh-ko), is a Q’anjob’alan language spoken by approximately 90,000 people in Guatemala.
Ixil
Ixil (pronounced ee-sheel), is spoken by inhabitants of the three towns of San Juan Cotzal, Santa Maria Nebaj, and San Gaspar Chajul in Guatemala. Ixil is the native language of around 120,000 individuals.
Other Central/ South American Languages We Service:
Aché*
Achi*
Aimara*
Akateko
Amuzgo*
Angaité*
Awakateko
Ava*
Ayoreo*
Chalchiteko*
Chinanteco*
Chatino*
Ch’ol*
Chontal*
Ch’orti’*
Chuj
Cora*
Creole (Nicaragua)
Enhlét*
Enxet*
Garifuna
Guarani*
Guatemalan Sign Language
Huasteco*
Huave*
Huichol*
Ishir*
Itza’*
Ixcatec*
Kuna (Guna)*
Lacandon*
Maká*
Manjui*
Maya (Paraguay)*
Mayangna*
Mayo (Yoreme)*
Mazahua*
Mazatec*
Me’phaa (Tlapanec)*
Miskito
Mixteco (All Variants)*
Mopan*
Nahuatl*
Ñañu (Otomí)*
Nivaclé*
Paï Tavyterã*
Popti’ (Jakaleteko)*
Poqomam*
Poqomchi’*
Purepecha (Tarasco)*
Popoluca/Popoloca*
Quechua*
Quichua*
Rarámuni (Tarahumara)*
Sacapulteco*
Sanapaná*
Sipakapense*
Shuar*
Tektiteko*
Tepehuan*
Ticuna**
Tojolab’al
Tomaraho*
Totonac*
Triqui/Trique
Tzeltal (Tseltal)*
Tzotzil (Tsotsil)*
Tz’utujil
Uspanteko*
Xinca*
Yaqui*
Yucatec Maya (Maya T’aan)*
Zapotec*
Zoque*
*These languages will often require a Spanish <> English relay interpreter.
**This language will require a Portuguese <> English relay interpreter.
Our Full List of Languages:
Tier 1 Languages - Widely spoken, easy to source
Arabic
Cantonese
French
German
Hindi
Italian
Japanese
Korean
Mandarin
Portuguese
Russian
Spanish
Urdu
Vietnamese
Tier 2 languages: Less commonly requested, but still widely spoken.
Amharic
American Sign Language
Bengali
Bosnian
Dutch
Farsi
Gujarati
Haitian Creole
Hausa
Indonesian (Bahasa)
Kiswahili
Laotian
Pashto
Polish
Romanian
Serbian
Somali
Swahili
Tagalog
Tamil
Thai
Telugu
Turkish
Ukrainian
Tier 3 Languages - Lower diffusion, harder to source
Afrikaans
Albanian
Armenian
Assyrian
Azerbaijani
Burmese
Dari
Flemish
Georgian
Hindko
Hmong (All Variants)
Igbo
Kashmiri (Pakistan)
Karen (All variants)
Khmer (Cambodian)
Kirundi
Kurdish (All Variants)
Kyrgyz
Laotian
Luganda
Luhya
Mongolian
Nepali
Nigerian Pidgin
Oromo
Pennsylvania Dutch
Rohingya
Samoan
Shona
Tajik
Tongan
Tigrinya
Tumbuka
Turkmen
Uzbek
Visayan/Bisayan (Cebuano)
Sichuanese
Zulu
Tier 4 Languages*: Indigenous and very low diffusion, very difficult to source.
Aché*
Achi*
Acholi (Acoli)
Aimara*
Akateko
Alur
Amuzgo*
Angaité*
Ateso (Teso)
Attie (Attié)
Awakateko
Ava*
Ayoreo*
Bambara
Cape Verdean Creole
Cebuano
Chalchiteko*
Chaldean
Chinanteco*
Cham
Chamorro
Chatino*
Chichewa (Chewa)
Ch’ol*
Chontal*
Ch’orti’*
Chuj
Chuukese
Cora*
Creole (Nicaragua)
Dholuo (Luo)
Dioula (Djoula)
Dinka
Ebo
Enhlét*
Enxet*
Ewe
Falam Chin
Filipino Sign Language
Fulani (Pulaar/Pular/Fula/Fule/ Fulfulde)
Garifuna
Garre
Guarani*
Guatemalan Sign Language
Guragigna
Hakha Chin (Laiholh)
Haryanvi
Hassaniya
Hiligaynon (Ilonggo)
Huasteco*
Huave*
Huichol*
Ingush
Ishir*
Itza’*
Ixcatec*
Ixil
Jarai
Juba Arabic (South Sudan)
Kalenjin (Kipsigis)
Karenni (Kayah)
Kaqchikel
Kenyang (Nyang)
K’iche’ (Quiche)
Kikongo
Kikuyu
Kiribati (Gilbertese)
Kinyarwanda
Konkonmbo
Konkani
Kotokoli
Kpelle
Kuna (Guna)*
Kusaal
Lacandon*
Lango
Lingala
Maay Maay
Maká*
Malinke/Malinka
Mandingo/Mandinka
Mam
Manjui*
Marshallese
Maya (Paraguay)*
Mayangna*
Mayo (Yoreme)*
Mazahua*
Mazatec*
Me’phaa (Tlapanec)*
Miskito
Mixteco (All Variants)*
Mizo (Lushai)
Mopan*
Nahuatl*
Ñañu (Otomí)*
Navajo
Neapolitan
Nivaclé*
Njanja
Nuer
Ojibwe
Pahari (Pothohari)
Paï Tavyterã*
Pohnpeian
Popti’ (Jakaleteko)*
Poqomam*
Poqomchi’*
Purepecha (Tarasco)*
Popoluca/Popoloca*
Q’anjob’al (Kanjobal)
Q’eqchi’ (Kekchi)
Quechua*
Quichua*
Rakhine (Arakanese)
Rarámuni (Tarahumara)*
Sacapulteco*
Sanapaná*
Sango/Sangho
Sarahule
Sipakapense*
Soninke
Shuar*
Shughni (Pamiri)
Susu/Soso
Tedim
Tektiteko*
Tepehuan*
Ticuna* (Portuguese relay)
Tojolab’al
Tomaraho*
Totonac*
Triqui/Trique
Twi
Tzeltal (Tseltal)*
Tzotzil (Tsotsil)*
Tz’utujil
Uspanteko*
Uyghur
Wolof
Xinca*
Yaqui*
Yoruba
Yucatec Maya (Maya T’aan)*
Yup’ik
Zapotec*
Zomi
Zophei (Zyphe) Chin
Zoque*