Afrikaans is a West-Germanic language together with Dutch, German and English.
Afrikaans is one of the 11 official languages and third most spoken language in South Africa. In Namibia, Afrikaans is used as lingua franca although only 11% of the population speak it as their first language.
The term is derived from Dutch “Afrikaans-Holland” meaning African Dutch. As 95% of the Afrikaans vocabulary is derived from Dutch, these languages are largely mutually intelligible. It was considered a dialect of Dutch until early 20th century when it was recognized as a separate language within the South African law.
The National Anthem of South Africa is sung in five different languages – the first two lines in Xhosa, the second two lines in Zulu, then Sotho, Afrikaans and finally English for one stanza each.
For more information contact us here: Afrikaans Translation Services.
