Jamaican Patois translation services

Jamaican Patois translation is priced per word for text and per minute for audiovisual, depending on volume, subject matter and turnaround, with agreeing the split between Patwa and English included as part of the brief rather than billed as an extra step. Send your files and we will come back with a free, itemised quote, backed by our Price Match Promise.

Yes. Native Jamaican Patois linguists handle every translation, and a second native linguist independently reviews each text, checking that each part is in the language agreed for it and that the Patwa is spelled the same way across every file.

Yes — Jamaican Patois translation, subtitling and voice over all come from one team, working to a single glossary throughout, so the subtitles, the narration and the on-screen text follow the same split between Patwa and English.

The Jamaican Language Unit at the University of the West Indies treats Jamaican as a language, and in its 2005 survey 79.5 % of respondents agreed. For translation the practical point is that Patwa is not English with an accent: a text has to be translated into it, not adapted.

Usually the parts people hear or read as personal — dialogue, voice over, social and advertising copy. Legal lines, formal notices and institutional text often stay in Standard Jamaican English, the language state services are normally provided in. We look at your audience and your material and agree the split at the brief.

Yes — audiovisual is our specialisation. We deliver spotted SRT/VTT and timed two-column voice-over scripts, plus translated text when you need it.

Yes. A native linguist reviews them for spelling, for the split between Patwa and English, and for terms that are handled differently from file to file, and brings them into line with one agreed convention before you reuse them.

The language is the same, and Jamaican as spoken in Jamaica is our default. What changes with a diaspora audience is the balance with English, which may be the language they read most. We confirm at the brief who the material is for and adjust the split, not the Patwa.

Most short documents are delivered within 24 to 48 hours. Word count, subject complexity and turnaround all move the date, and your project manager will confirm the timeline at the start.

Less than people expect: the document, script or subtitle file, its word count, what the text is actually for, and the date you need it by. A draft is fine — we would rather quote on what exists than wait for a final version that eats your deadline. A named project manager comes back with an itemised quote, normally within four working hours.

More than half of enquiries get a reply within thirty minutes during office hours (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm UK time), and the itemised quote normally follows within four working hours. After that you have one dedicated project manager who owns the job from brief to final file — not a ticket queue, and not a different name on every email. If it is easier, call +44 207 095 5730 and ask for them by name.

Yes, and it is one of the commonest reasons people get in touch. Tell us it is for a pitch and you get a figure you can put in front of your own client, itemised so it stands up to being picked apart, with no obligation and no follow-up sales calls if the pitch goes elsewhere. If it lands, the quote still holds and we already know the project.