Swahili: Passport to success in east Africa Swahili is spoken by
more than 60 million people across the entire eastern section of
the African continent. It has official status in Kenya and
Tanzania. “It is a very significant language for us in terms of
the volumes of translation required by clients,” says Philip
Zietsman, MD of the Folio Group translation consultancy. “Quite
simply, if you want to tap into the thriving market of east
Africa, your marketing material and packaging has to be
translated into Swahili.” During the last decade or so, Folio
has seen a steady increase in the demand for the language.
Although the number of people who speak Swahili as a first
language is relatively limited, it is the lingua franca of the
whole of east Africa. Many, many people speak it as a second
language because it has emerged over time as the language of
trade, science and technology. Swahili transcends political
borders and tribal affiliations throughout the region. Other
regions where the language is widely underst