Armenian

The exact roots of the Armenian language are a bit contested or unclear, but the language is recognized as the oldest surviving language of the Indo-European family. It is also a particularly unique language in this family and in general, as it has developed largely independently from other Indo-European languages, which is reflected in its own unique Armenian alphabet.

The establishment of Christianity in Armenia developed the written branch of the language as it had been largely oral before. Armenia would come to experience their golden age of literature after this, introducing a rich collection of Armenian literature into the country and the world.

Imperial rule in Armenia would inadvertently come to introduce Turkish and Persian loanwords in the language, and the tragic events of the Armenian Genocide would also come to scatter much of the population into communities around the world. Today, Armenian remains a symbol of resilience and unity for the people of Armenia and the Armenian diaspora.

Languages don’t come out of dictionaries or schools; they develop out of their own contexts to describe specific experiences. This means that different languages that come from different contexts might not have easy translations between them—if accurate direct translations exist at all.

This is the importance of cultural understanding in translation. Direct translations are often inaccurate and sometimes even unintelligible, which can be disastrous for outreach and brand messaging. Making sure your brand and message are translated accurately and coherently takes a degree of cultural understanding that can make sure the correct message is being expressed in both grammar and in a sense that makes sense in the target language.