Chinanteco Interpreters and Translators: A Quick Guide

Jace Norton
Apr 25
5 min read

As the Chinantec people increasingly migrate to the United States for safety, economic opportunities, and a better quality of life, language access is one of their biggest obstacles. This is where Chinanteco interpreters step in and help migrants integrate safely into their new surroundings.

For the Chinantec, whose cultural and linguistic heritage has stood the test of time, interpreters play a major role in bridging the gap between their traditional ways of life and the challenges of modern migration.

This blog explores the Chinanteco language, why the Chinanteco are migrating, and the support interpreters can provide them as they settle in the United States.

Who speaks Chinanteco?

Over 70,000 people speak Chinanteco, primarily in the southern Mexican states of Oaxaca and Veracruz.

This language is part of the Oto-Manguean language family, and has roughly 14 variants, most of which are mutually unintelligible. Some Chinanteco variants include a whistled version that are traditionally used by men. Their use, however, is declining.

Chinanteco variants vary significantly in size and reach. The largest Chinanteco variants have over 10,000 speakers in over 20 towns, while the smaller ones are spoken in only two or three towns.

The Chinantec people have a history spanning over 3,500 years. Their exact origins remain uncertain, but evidence suggests they may have migrated from the Tehuacán Valley around 1000 A.D.

In 1454-1455, they were invaded by Nahuatl-speaking groups. They were later invaded by Spanish forces in the early 16th century, who forcibly relocated them to facilitate control and Christianization.

In the 19th century, the Chinantec people faced hardship again as foreign companies acquired the majority of prime Chinantec land for agricultural production, displacing many from their ancestral homes in the process. Even after the Mexican Revolution of 1910, which advocated for land reform, coffee, banana, and tobacco production on Chinantec lands remained under foreign control. Development projects in the region beginning in 1947 resulted in even more land expropriation and further displaced the Chinantec from their ancestral lands.

Chinantec communities rely on subsistence farming for their livelihoods, cultivating corn, beans, cassava, and yams. They supplement their income with cash crops like tobacco and coffee. Using traditional methods such as digging sticks and hoes, they perform most of their farming manually, rather than with modern equipment.

The making of traditional crafts has declined in recent decades, with the exception of baskets, carrying bags, and embroidery of non-traditional items, which remain important income sources for women. Traditional blouses (huipils), once everyday attire, are now worn primarily by older women or during festivals.

Why are the Chinantec migrating?

The Chinantec people are migrating for several reasons, which can be broadly categorized into economic, environmental, and social factors.

The majority of Chinantec live in poverty. Limited job opportunities and low incomes push many to seek better prospects in urban centers or abroad. This economic hardship has increased as traditional livelihoods become more and more unsustainable.

Over the last few decades, their region has experienced a dramatic decline in agriculture production. Coffee production, once a major economic activity in Oaxaca, is under threat from several factors: climate change has affected growing conditions, leaf rust disease has devastated crops, and volatile global prices have reduced profit margins. Farmers, unable to make a living from their fields, are forced to migrate to find an alternative income source.

Environmental degradation has further accelerated migration. Development projects, industrial expansion, and resource extraction have disrupted the region's ecological balance. The deforestation and large-scale construction involved with these megaprojects has steadily reduced their ability to cultivate crops and rendered their ancestral lands virtually unlivable.

The Roles And Importance Of Chinanteco Interpreters

Chinanteco interpreters help migrants to express themselves and understand the information they are given, allowing them to better advocate for themselves and make more informed decisions.

Interpreters act as trusted guides for Chinantec migrants, guiding them through the complex U.S. immigration system, and helping them get access to medical, legal, and social services. In settings like doctor's appointments, immigration proceedings, and court hearings, qualified Chinanteco interpreters are indispensable.

Besides providing language assistance, interpreters are also integral to intercultural communication. Having an interpreter who understands both American and Chinanteco cultures can help make communication smoother and less stressful for both sides.

Finding Chinanteco interpreters is challenging for several reasons. Chinanteco isn't a single language but rather a group of 14 mostly mutually unintelligible variants. This often makes it difficult to find an interpreter who is fluent in the exact variant needed for a given situation. The relatively small number of speakers limits the pool of potential interpreters, particularly those with professional training. Additionally, there is a lack of training materials available in the Spanish language that would allow Chinanteco speakers who don’t speak English to acquire the skills and training necessary to become professional interpreters.

This language disparity restricts Chinanteco speakers' access to healthcare, legal aid, and social services. Without language services, they are at risk of misdiagnoses, unfair asylum decisions, and unjust deportations. Chinanteco speakers need access to qualified interpreters to have a clear understanding of their circumstances and exercise their fundamental right to language access in the U.S.

Work With A Chinanteco Interpreter from Maya Bridge

At Maya Bridge, we offer language services for Chinanteco and all of its variants to provide your organization with comprehensive linguistic support. Since 2021, we have provided Chinanteco to English interpretation to countless government agencies, healthcare organizations, and courts. As a small, niche interpretation agency specializing in Latin American Indigenous languages, we are uniquely equipped to offer on-demand Chinanteco interpretation, 24 hours a day.

We offer:

Video Remote Chinanteco Interpretation
Over-the-phone Chinanteco Interpretation
In-person Chinanteco Interpretation
Court-certified Chinanteco Interpretation
Medical-certified Chinanteco Interpretation
Chinanteco Translation
Chinanteco Voiceover and Subtitles

Learn more about our language services here.

Maya Bridge - A Leading Advocate For Latin American Indigenous Language Access In The U.S.

Since 2021, Maya Bridge Language Services has been advocating for increased access for speakers of Mayan and other Latin American and global Indigenous languages here in the United States. Maya Bridge is a mission-driven, niche interpretation agency offering 24/7 on-demand services for over 100 Indigenous languages from Latin America, as well as African, Asian, Pacific Island, Native American, and other Indigenous languages.

We have worked diligently to mobilize, train, and evaluate a network of hundreds of interpreters both in the U.S. and throughout the world to ensure that speakers of Indigenous languages can fully understand and be understood in important situations like healthcare, legal settings, in disaster and emergency response scenarios, and in receiving access to government programs.