If you have a friend who lives in or originates from the Visayan Islands of the Philippines, then chances are you would like to translate from English to Visayan or translate from Visayan to English. And it may give them a really big surprise if you send your next message in their own language!
Before you begin, it may help to understand a little about the Visayas region, culture and languages.
The word Bisaya refers to the region of Visayan Islands in the Philippines. The Visayan Islands include Panay, Negros, Cebu, Leyte, Bohol and a few other islands.
Bisaya people speak various Visayan languages, including Cebuano, Hiligaynon, Karay-a, Aklanon and several others.
People speak Cebuano or another Visayan language may refer to it in their dialect as Bisaya. So it is important to check which Visayan language they are referring to. Is it Cebuano, or another language from the Visayan region?
Keep in mind that the vocabulary of Cebuano and other Visayan languages is quite different to the vocabulary of Tagalog which is the main language in the Philippines.
To translate from English to Bisaya or Cebuano, you could do one, or more, of the following.
- Take a language course.
- Buy an English – Bisaya Dictionary.
- Get some online friends from the Visayan Islands and ask them for some help translating your text.
- Use an online service. At our web site for example you can learn more about free online translation tools for English to Cebuano and Cebuano to English.
It’s not too difficult to translate your message into Bisaya or Cebuano if you have a little understanding of the different languages, which one you need, and where to go to for help.