{"id":21361,"date":"2021-03-13T19:25:28","date_gmt":"2021-03-13T19:25:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/bunnystudio.com\/blog\/?p=21361"},"modified":"2025-10-09T01:02:49","modified_gmt":"2025-10-09T01:02:49","slug":"samoan-translation-tips-and-tricks","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bunnystudio.com\/blog\/samoan-translation-tips-and-tricks\/","title":{"rendered":"Samoan Translation: Tips and Tricks"},"content":{"rendered":"

Samoan translation is an important tool when creating content for use in Samoa. It\u2019s also useful when exporting Samoan content for other countries or for Samoan expat communities abroad. Let\u2019s take a look at some of the tips and tricks to achieve great Samoan translations.<\/p>\n

Samoa and Samoan Translation <\/strong><\/h2>\n

First, let\u2019s try to understand where Samoan comes from. Samoan is the language of the Independent State of Samoa and American Samoa. These are Polynesian islands in the Pacific. Independent Samoa is composed of two main islands named Savai\u2019i and Upolu and two smaller ones named Manono and Apolima, as well as a few other smaller uninhabited isles. In total, Independent Samoa is about 2842 km 2 or 1098 sq. miles. The population is just over 202,000. The capital of Samoa and largest city is named Apia, with a population of just under 40,000.<\/p>\n

Some History<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Samoa is a unitary parliamentary democracy and a member of the Commonwealth. The country was occupied by the German Empire (1899-1915) and by Britain\/New Zealand until 1962. Samoan history is quite vast though. It was originally discovered and settled by the Lapita people, about 3500 years ago.<\/p>\n

Note that the Samoan islands are an archipelago covering an area of about 3030 km 2 (1170 sq. miles). This archipelago includes, as mentioned above, the Independent State of Samoa and American Samoa. American Samoa is an unincorporated territory of the United States of America.<\/p>\n

Samoan Translation and the Samoan Language<\/strong><\/h2>\n

The Samoan language is used in both Independent Samoa and American Samoa. It\u2019s important to note that although Samoan is the official language in both places, English is also an official language. As a result, both languages are important in these two locations, although more so in American Samoa. This has certain interesting influences in Samoan translation, which we\u2019ll see later.<\/p>\n

Samoan is not only spoken in the Samoan islands but also by Samoan people abroad. Indeed, the Samoan population in the islands is about 246,000 but Samoans abroad may number above 510,000. In countries like New Zealand<\/a>, Samoan is spoken by over 2% of the population and it\u2019s the third most widely spoken language in the country.<\/p>\n

Some Characteristics <\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

Samoan is a Polynesian language<\/a>. Quite interestingly though, European influence and colonialism had particular influences on the language. Samoan was a spoken language until about the mid-19th<\/sup> century, born and developed in the islands. At this time, however, missionaries introduced the Latin script and also started documenting the spoken language. As such, a Bible completely published in Samoan was completed in 1862.<\/p>\n

The alphabet which was thus created is made of 15 letters. There are the 5 standard vowels a, e, i, o, u as well as some consonants: f, g, l, m, n, p, s, t, v. A macron written over a vowel indicates a long vowel.<\/p>\n

\"samoan<\/p>\n

Examples<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

To get a first glimpse at Samoan check out these proverbs from a compilation from Stanford University<\/a>. In Samoa, proverbs may be used in conversation to mean several things. As such, they\u2019re a common challenge in Samoan translation, where translators must be familiarized with their intent and meaning:<\/p>\n

E sau le fuata ma lona lou.<\/strong>
\nIn every generation, there are some outstanding chiefs.<\/p>\n

Ua mu le lima, tapa le i’ofi.<\/strong>
\nHaving foolishly gotten into trouble he is asking for help.
\nOnce bitten, twice shy.<\/p>\n

O le upega tautau, ‘ae fagota.<\/strong>
\nIf at first you don’t succeed try, try and try again.<\/p>\n

O le upega le talifa.<\/strong>
\nA net that cannot be mended.
\nA sickly old man.<\/p>\n

Sei fono le pa’a mona vae.<\/strong>
\nLook before you leap.<\/p>\n

Talanoa atu, ‘ae le talanoa manu.<\/strong>
\nA careless person will be taken by surprise by his watchful enemy.<\/p>\n

E le aia puga i le masi.<\/strong>
\nCoral blocks have nothing to do with the preparation of masi.
\nThis is no concern of mine.<\/p>\n

E a le puga nisi, a le ‘ana nisi.<\/strong>
\nLet each do his share of the work.<\/p>\n

Here\u2019s a list of basic vocabulary<\/a> including numbers and colors, basic elements in Samoan translation:<\/h4>\n

Numbers:<\/strong>
\n1<\/strong> = tasi
\n2<\/strong> = lua
\n3<\/strong> = tolu
\n4 <\/strong>= fa
\n5 <\/strong>= lima
\n6<\/strong> = ono
\n7<\/strong> = fitu
\n8<\/strong> = valu
\n9 <\/strong>= iva
\n10<\/strong> = sefulu
\n20<\/strong> = lua sefulu
\n50<\/strong> = lima sefulu
\n100<\/strong> = selau
\n1000<\/strong> = afe<\/p>\n

 <\/p>\n

Colors:<\/strong><\/p>\n

black<\/strong>– uliuli
\nblue-<\/strong> lanumoana
\nbrown-<\/strong> enaena
\ngreen-<\/strong> lanumeamata
\norange-<\/strong> lanumoli
\npink-<\/strong> piniki
\nred-<\/strong> mumu
\nwhite-<\/strong> pa’epa’e
\nyellow-<\/strong> samasama<\/p>\n

Note that the Samoan language doesn\u2019t have any significant dialects. Its pronunciation is also quite simple. Having said that, however, it\u2019s true that the language may slightly change depending on the person who\u2019s being addressed. If people of a certain status are being addressed, then language will become more formal and less colloquial. This is an important consideration in Samoan translation.<\/p>\n

Note, for instance, this quite formal extract<\/a> written in Samoan. It\u2019s the first article of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights. The extract in English is below it too:<\/p>\n

O tagata soifua uma ua saoloto lo latou fananau mai, ma e tutusa o latou tulaga aloaia faapea a latou aia tatau. <\/strong>Ua faaeeina atu i a latou le mafaufau lelei ma le loto fuatiaifo ma e tatau ona faatino le agaga faauso i le va o le tasi i le isi.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.<\/strong><\/h4>\n

It\u2019s interesting to note also that Samoan has some words which can be traced directly to English, such as the following. These are loan words as such:<\/p>\n

Kerisimasi-<\/strong> Christmas
\nkolisi-<\/strong> college
\nmoa-<\/strong> lawn mower
\nmusika-<\/strong> music
\nnusipepa-<\/strong> newspaper
\nsikareti-<\/strong> cigarette
\ntelefoni-<\/strong> telephone
\ntelevise-<\/strong> television<\/p>\n

The Uses of Samoan Translation <\/strong><\/h2>\n

Now that we\u2019ve seen some of the characteristics of Samoan, we may ask ourselves, why translate Samoan? There are quite a few situations when such a process may come in handy.<\/p>\n

What About English?<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

As mentioned previously, English is prominent in the Samoan islands. An important question at the outset is why translate at all? Wouldn\u2019t English work just fine? It really depends. As mentioned above, English is used in both Samoa and American Samoa, though a bit more in the latter.<\/p>\n

The target audience<\/a> and type of content may suggest the need to translate to Samoan. Consider a health and safety campaign leaflet to be distributed around the island vs a television program. Perhaps the latter may be in English, but the former may be best created in Samoan.<\/p>\n

Content in Samoan Translation<\/strong><\/h2>\n

There are several types of content that we may wish to translate into Samoan or from Samoan into other languages<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Translation<\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

A translator can take a book from any one language and into Samoan, making it available for an audience and vice versa. Books, evidently, are only of many materials which can undergo this process.<\/p>\n

When we talk about the translation of text we may encounter the translation of content such as comics, documents, contracts, scripts, scholarly works, prescriptions, medical literature, etc.<\/p>\n

Interpretation <\/em><\/strong><\/h3>\n

There are different forms of interpretation that may take place in Samoan translation. The most typical are the following:<\/p>\n