As a non-native speaker, you might be very comfortable with your Japanese or Spanish. You think you’ve got the verbs and syllables right, and you can talk to a local speaker.
But as soon as you converse with a native speaker, your brain starts short-circuiting. The speed at which they speak their language is too fast for you to comprehend. Sounds familiar?
You’re probably learning a fast-spoken language. Ever wondered which are the fastest-spoken languages in the world? Let’s find out.
Why Are Some Languages Faster Than Others?
Japanese is the fastest-spoken language in the world. But what does that mean? In simple words, it means that Japanese has more syllables per second.
But the ‘speed’ of a language also depends on other factors. For one, your familiarity and comfort with the language will determine how fast the speech sounds to you.
Do Japanese people think their language is faster? Probably not. It’s because they’re used to speaking and listening to it at that speed.
Another factor that impacts listening perception may be isochrony. It’s the concept of evenly-spaced words and syllables in a phrase.
For example, Japanese is an isochronic language because it has three types of syllables:
- Syllable-Timed: Every syllable is the same length.
- Stress-Timed: The time between two consecutively stressed syllables has the same duration.
- Mora-Timed: Every mora has the same length.
Moraes are not commonly used to measure English. They are segments of a syllable. For instance, one syllable may have up to three more, depending on the language. As the number of morae increases, so does the speed of a language.
Which Are the Fastest Spoken Languages in The World?
According to a recent study, the following 17 languages are the fastest-spoken. We have listed them in their order of speed.
- Japanese
- Spanish
- Basque
- Finnish
- Italian
- Serbian
- Korean
- Catalan
- Turkish
- French
- English
- German
- Hungarian
- Simplified Chinese
- Traditional Chinese
- Vietnamese
- Thai
Note that these are only a handful of the 7,000+ languages human beings speak across the globe. But they give you an idea of which languages are faster than others and their standard features that may be responsible for this speed.
Fastest Languages and Their Speeds
The speed of a language is measured by syllable per second. Here are the fastest languages in the world with their speeds:
- Japanese: 7.84 syllables
- Spanish: 7.82 syllables
- French: 7.18 syllables
- Italian: 6.99 syllables
- Portuguese: 6.88 syllables
- English: 6.19 syllables
- German: 5.97 syllables
- Mandarin: 5.18 syllables
Since the speakers of these languages say more syllables per second, the listener perceives their speech as fast.
How Does the Speed of Speaking a Language Impact Its Translation?
Translating different languages is essential for education, travel, tourism, international business, communication, legal defence, and healthcare.
Thanks to translation services, we have now managed to bridge the communication gap between countries and regions. For example, many companies work with employees, partners and clients overseas.
Likewise, people can now expand their businesses to the other side of the globe through the assistance of a translation service.
To better understand how professional translation services can help businesses grow internationally and how different language pairs affect the final translation output, we’ve spoken to a senior representative from Translation Services 24 (TS24), which is a leading translation agency in London with expert translators and interpreters located worldwide. We learnt that the majority of translations conducted by TS24 are from English into other European languages, and vice-versa. French, German, Spanish, Polish, Italian and Dutch are amongst the most popular languages when it comes to translations for the business sector. Some of these, such as French, Spanish and Italian, are indeed among the fastest-speaking languages in the world.
But how does the speed of a language actually affect its translation for business sectors? Let’s find out!
Accuracy and Quality
Let’s say you took Spanish in high school. You think you can speak it at an intermediate level. But on your holiday to Spain, you can barely keep up with what the locals are saying. Why? Because they’re speaking too fast.
If a language is spoken quickly, it cannot be easy to translate it accurately. You might miss out on words. Or you may mishear something because it went past in a blur of syllables.
Misinterpretations
If a language is too speedy, it may also be misinterpreted. You may need help making sense of what the other person is saying.
Suppose you want to set up shop in Spain. For that, you have to meet with local suppliers. You’re trying to strike a deal but can’t keep up with their proposals. The more confused you get, the higher the risk of misinterpreting and mishaps.
Errors and Omissions
Think of a fast-spoken language like an English rap song. You know English. You speak it daily. But you still have to search for the lyrics of a rap song to understand what the artist is saying.
You might pick up a few words here and there. But you’re omitting them for the most part. That’s what happens in translating a fast-spoken language too. You may understand some words, but they’re not enough to accurately understand what the other person is saying to you.
The Solution to Mistranslation of Fast-Spoken Languages
Native speakers won’t slow down on your account. Even if they do, you cannot expect this to be a norm.
So, what’s the fix? A professional translation service.
Professional translation services agencies work with native speakers to translate between English and the target language. Since these linguists are familiar with the speed of their language, they can ensure accurate translations.
They also pick up nuances, cultural references, idioms, and expressions that a non-native may miss. Working with a translation service provider also gives you the added advantage of two-way communication.
You no longer have to be the listening party only. With a translation service agency at your side, you communicate all your messages.
It helps establish credibility and trust since the listeners are more comfortable with their language. Translation service providers are beneficial in the business space because they allow you to reach your customers through a language they prefer.
You can also ensure your marketing, advertisement, and branding messages are conveyed in your desired tone.
A language may be fast-spoken due to its structure. These complexities can make communicating with your partners, clients, customers, students, or patients who speak other languages challenging.
Fortunately, relying on professional translation services can streamline communication between both parties. With a native ear at your disposal, you can avoid miscommunication, omissions, and misinterpretations.
