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Need A Inupiaq Translation? We Can Help.

The Inupiaq language (also known as Inupiat, Inupiak, Inupik, or Alaskan Inuit) is spoken by the Inupiat people of northern and northwestern Alaska in the United States. It is also spoken in some regions of the Northwest Territories in northern Canada. Inupiaq is part of the Inuit-Yupik-Unangan language family and, therefore, has close relations to the Inuit languages of Canada (Inuktut) and Greenland. Inupiaq is an official language of the State of Alaska and boasts an estimated 2,000 speakers.

What do I need to know about Aboriginal Languages?

The Seward Peninsula Inupiatun dialect collects two dialects, which are then further broken down into more subdialects of Inupiaq. The Bering Strait dialect is spoken on King Island and the Diomede islands, as well as the villages north of Nome. The Qawiaraq dialect is spoken in Teller, Qawiaraq, as well as villages south of Nome.

Bering Strait dialect

  • Diomede subdialect – spoken among the tribal nation of Iŋalikmiut
  • Wales subdialect – spoken among the tribal nations of Kiŋikmiut and Tapqaġmiut
  • King Island subdialect – spoken among the tribal nation of Ugiuvaŋmiut

Qawiaraq dialect

  • Teller subdialect – spoken among the tribal nations of Siñiġaġmiut and Qawiaraġmiut
  • Fish River subdialect – spoken among the tribal nation of Iġałuiŋmiut

The Northern Alaskan Iñupiatun dialect also collects two dialects which each break down into further subdialects. The Malimiutun and North Slope dialects are used in the Northwest Arctic and North Slope regins, from Deering to Inuvik and Aklavik in the Mackenzie Delta of the Northwest Territories.

Malimiutun dialect

  • Kobuk subdialect – spoken among the tribal nations of Kuuŋmiut, Kiitaaŋmiut, Siilim Kaŋianiġmiut, Nuurviŋmiut, Kuuvaum Kaŋiaġmiut, Akuniġmiut, Nuataaġmiut, Napaaqtuġmiut, and Kivalliñiġmiut
  • Coastal subdialect – spoken among the tribal nations of Pittaġmiut, Kaŋiġmiut, and Qikiqtaġruŋmiut

North Slope dialect

  • Common North Slope subdialect – spoken among the tribal nations of Utuqqaġmiut, Siliñaġmiut, Kakligmiut, Kuulugruaġmiut, Ikpikpagmiut, and Kuukpigmiut
  • Point Hope subdialect – spoken among the tribal nation of Tikiġaġmiut
  • Anaktuvuk Pass subdialect – spoken among the tribal nation of Nunamiut
  • Uummarmiutun subdialect – spoken among the tribal nation of Uummarmiut

We (The Indigenous Theatre at the National Arts Centre) required short translations in a variety of dialects: Algonquin, Michif, Plains Cree, Woods Cree and Halq’eméylem. Wintranslation helped us find the best match from their available translators and overall had all of the dialects we needed. They were competent, friendly, and helped us meet our tight deadlines efficiently.

Amy Ede
Indigenous Theatre at the National Arts Centre

We contacted wintranslation to have one of our assessment documents translated into Eastern Ojibwe. The communication was easy and the translation was delivered with attention to detail and care. The very next time, when we required translation of another document into Dënesųłiné (Chipewyan), nēhiyawēwin (Plains Cree), Néhinaw (Swampy Cree) and Nīhithawīwin (Woods Cree) we contacted wintranslation and really appreciated the one-stop convenience and their capabilities in Indigenous languages we requested.

Danielle Durepos
The Learning Bar

Je continue d’être impressionnée par la qualité et la flexibilité du service fourni par wintranslation. Les textes rendus sont toujours impeccables et les commentaires des réviseurs toujours à propos. J’apprécie beaucoup de pouvoir compter sur cet atout pour les projets que notre petite équipe ne peut traiter seule.

Géraldine Green
Centraide Ottawa

I valued the kindness and consideration given to us. While always being professional, we were treated like people, not clients. When we got a reply, wintranslation remembered that we had had a past contract with them. I really appreciated that they remembered our organization and this gave me confidence in their respectful engagement. We created a reconciliation toolkit for business leaders and wanted to make sure that everyone had access to it. Wintranslation really helped us out.

The museum contacted wintranslation because we needed text translated for a new panel. We wanted two dialects for the panel – Eastern Ojibwe and Mohawk. wintranslation went above and beyond to ensure the dialects were location appropriate and that they were done by knowledge holders from both communities.

Patience and commitment of wintranslation staff to ensure that we had high quality and accurate translation was amazing. Thank you wintranslation, the translators and community members for ensuring the museum was able to put forth an excellent panel that was true to both communities and that visitors to Murney Tower Museum will be able to experience both Eastern Ojibwe and Mohawk in print.

Our organization needed several materials translated into Atikamekw and Naskapi to promote rail safety in Indigenous communities. Wintranslation responded to our request and provided us with an accurate quote and estimated turnaround time — which was surprisingly quick. Although our materials were designed in-house, the wintranslation team was happy to review all final designs to ensure there were no errors, and the layout was correct. We will definitely do business with them again for future projects.

I approached wintranslation because I needed a series of Educational Posters translated into Swampy Cree to facilitate a broader reach to our Indigenous audience. Wintranslation made the process easy even when I was unable to communicate regularly. I really appreciated their quick turn around times (faster than quoted) and their patience with my questions about the translation (not having any background with the language). The end result are some fabulous resources that will be shared with kids and adults alike, with more to come!

Vanessa Lee
Mining Matters

I love that Wintranslation services assigns me flexible work that I can do remotely , from the comfort of my own home or when I travel. The mobile and flexible work suits my needs and gives me a lot of freedom.
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Gloria P., Inuktut Translator

I had a great experience working with wintranslation. I called first to get an idea of what specific Indigenous dialect I would need translation into based on my program’s region and they were very helpful. I received a quick response back on my request for a quote and prompt and polite service throughout the entire interaction. In addition, receipt of my e-mail was acknowledged in a timely manner even though my consultant was out of the office for the afternoon which helped to put my mind at ease.

Rebekah Wilson
Federation of Canadian Municipalities

Thank you so much, I am extremely pleased with how fast this was turned around and the service provided.

Cheryl Lesperance
Premier Gold Mines Limited

Choose wintranslation

An award-winning translation service provider based in North America, wintranslation has a fifteen year track record in managing complex multimedia and large-scale projects on time and on budget. Our company specializes in the translation of Canada’s aboriginal languages including  InuktitutInuinnaqtun, Cree, Mi’kmaq, and Ojibwe. Please see our languages page for a full list of languages and dialects we currently support. 

WE WOULD LOVE TO HELP WITH YOUR NEXT INUPIAQ PROJECT
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