Tswana is spoken in Botswana and South Africa, and is known for its clear structure and rich cultural significance. It is one of the official languages of Botswana and holds a strong place in Southern African communication.
Tswana (seTswana)
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Classification
Niger-Congo > Bantu
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Speakers
6 million
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Script
Roman
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Text direction
Left-to-right
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Official language
South Africa, Zimbabwe
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Other names
Setswana
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Also spoken
Botswana, Namibia, Lesotho, Eswatini
Tswana (seTswana)
Tswana is one of 12 official languages and the 6th most spoken language in South Africa. It’s also spoken in Botswana (where it serves as lingua franca), and by small numbers of people in Zimbabwe and Namibia.
Tswana is actually a tribal name, which with the prefix for language (“se-”) becomes the language Setswana, and with prefix for abstract nouns (“bo-”) become Botswana.
It is mutually intelligible with Northern and Southern Sotho, also spoken in South Africa.
Tswana is a Bantu language together with other African languages such as Zulu, Kinyarwanda, Swahili and Lingala to name but a few.
At Geo Language Services, our Tswana translations ensure accuracy and cultural respect, helping you engage meaningfully with Tswana-speaking communities.
Services offered for this language
Translation / Transcreation / Subtitling / Localization / Adaptation / Copywriting / Authoring / Proofreading / Revision / Editing / Translation quality assurance / Terminology / Linguistic validation / Glossary creation / Dubbing / Voice-overs / Transcription / Typesetting / Simultaneous interpreting / Consecutive interpreting / Conference interpreting / Telephone interpreting / Public service interpreting / Interpreting equipment hire / Foreign language consulting
Interesting fact
In Tswana, the word "tala" is used for the colours blue and green. Context and prior knowledge of an item are the only ways of knowing which colour is meant.
How can we help you?
Let us know about your needs, and we’ll guide you through every step of the way.