Fukien Language Translation, Interpreting, Transcription Services

FUKIEN LANGUAGE

Understanding The Fukien Language & Providing Professional Fukien Interpreters, Translators and Transcriptionists

American Language Services (AML-Global) understands the importance of working in the Fukien language. For over a Quarter of a Century, American Language Services has worked with the Fukien language as well as hundreds of others from around the world. We offer comprehensive language services 24 hours, 7 days a week worldwide by providing Fukien interpreting, translation and transcriptions services along with hundreds of other languages and dialects. Our linguists are native speakers and writers who are screened, credentialed, certified, field tested and experienced in a number of specific industry settings. The Fukien language is unique and has very specific origins and characteristics.

Fukien A.K.A Fujian

Fukien, also known as Fujian, is one of the provinces on the southeast coast of China. Fujian borders Zhejiang to the north, Jiangxi to the west, and Guangdong to the south. Taiwan lies to the east, across the Taiwan Strait. [1]The name Fujian comes from the combination of Fuzhou and Jian’ou, two cities in Fujian. The name was coined during the Tang Dynasty. The Fukien language has a variety of Chinese spoken in the Fujian province, eastern Guangdong province, and Taiwan. This language is a dialect of Chinese Fukien. Fujian cuisine, with an emphasis on seafood, is one of the eight great traditions of Chinese cuisine. It is composed of traditions from various regions, including Fuzhou cuisine and Min Nan cuisine. The most prestigious dish is Fotiaoqiang (literally “Buddha jumps over the wall”), a complex dish making use of many ingredients, including shark fin, sea cucumber, abalone, and Shaoxing wine (a form of “Chinese alcoholic beverage”). Many famous teas originate from Fujian, including oolong, Wuyi Yancha, and Fuzhou jasmine tea. Fujian tea ceremony is an elaborate way of preparing and serving tea. In fact, the English word “tea” is borrowed from Min Nan language.

Fukien Dialect and Culture

Because of its mountainous nature and the numerous waves of migration from central China in the course of history, Fujian is one of the most linguistically diverse places in all Han Chinese areas of China. Local dialects can become unintelligible within 10 km. This is reflected in the expression that if you drive five miles in Fujian the culture changes, and if you drive ten miles, the language changes. Linguists are confounded by the classification of these various dialects. In general, most dialects of Fujian are put into a broad Min category, then subdivided into Min Bei, Min Dong, Min Zhong, Min Nan, Pu Xian, and Shao Jiang. The Fuzhou dialect is part of Min Dong, but some linguists classified it as Min Bei; the Amoy language is part of Min Nan. Hakka, another subdivision of spoken Chinese, is spoken around Longyan by the Hakka people who live there.

The Development of the Fukien Language

The Fukien language originated from Chinese Fukien and it shares most of its phonology. For example, s consist maximally of an initial consonant, a glide, a vowel, a final, and tone. Not every syllable that is possible according to this rule actually exists in Fukien, as there are rules prohibiting certain phonemes from appearing with others, and in practice there are only a few hundred distinct syllables. Fukien differs from English in distinguishing between names of things, which can stand as predicate nominatives, and names of characteristics.

Who are You Going to Trust with Your Vital Fukien Language Needs?

The Fukien language is an important language worldwide. It is vital to understand the general nature and specific idiosyncrasies of Fukien. Since 1985, AML-Global has provided outstanding Fukien interpreters, translators and transcriptionsts worldwide.

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