Canada is home to over 37 million people and has two official languages: English and French. While many residents speak more than one language, there are over 200 languages spoken throughout the country. Indeed, the language landscape across Canada is so vast that 17.5% of Canadians reported speaking at least two languages at home. With a large influx of immigrants over the past decade, Canada is linguistically and culturally diverse. Language services are needed in every facet of society, from government and business translations to translation services to support immigration and education to medical translation and interpretation.
Canada has one of the highest immigration rates in the world. Immigration not only brings important population growth but also brings diversity in language, culture, and traditions to the country. The bulk of immigration comes from Asia, with a large number from India, the Philippines, and China.
Canada ranks as the tenth-largest economy in the world, trading goods and services worldwide. It is no surprise that there is a growing demand for translation services across multiple media, including websites, manuals, and training materials, as well as interpretation services for meetings and training sessions, on-site or remotely.
Two National Languages
The federal government of Canada has a policy of “linguistic duality,” which is defined as “two linguistic majorities cohabiting in the same country with linguistic minorities across the country.” English and French are spoken by the majority of the population, and their usage stems from the country’s colonial history, which saw both England and France occupy Canadian territory until the French ceded their colonial claim in 1759.
Duality was written into law over 100 years later, in 1867, with the passing of the British North American Act, which established that both of Canada’s national languages must be “used by members of Parliament, by the federal courts, by Quebec’s national assembly and courts, and in the documentation of their proceedings.”
Here in Canada, language duality is integral to our history and culture, and a key to Canadian identity. 7 million Canadians reported French as their primary language, and 5.8 million Canadians reported that they could carry on a conversation in both languages.
This duality is most used by the federal government, which utilizes French translation services for every document, communication, memo, and press release. Even tweets from the Prime Minister’s account must be sent in both English and French.
Beyond the federal level, the duality of English and French is geographically divided. Most of the French-speaking population lives in the east, in Quebec and New Brunswick, while English dominates throughout the rest of the country. However, in such a diverse country as Canada, beyond English and French, no one language truly dominates.
Other Languages Representations Across Canada
There are over 200 languages spoken through the Canadian territory, but where you’ll find them is highly localized and is a product of the history and the pattern of immigration to the place. In 2011, 80% of people who spoke a language other than English, French, or an indigenous language at home lived in just one of six cities.
1. Toronto
Capital of Ontario and home to 2.9 million people, Toronto is the largest city in Canada, with a booming economy and propelled by more growth in immigration. Of its 1.8 million people, 32.3% of the city’s population reported speaking a language other than English or French at home, most commonly Cantonese, Punjabi, Urdu, and Tamil. As the 4th-largest city in North America, the city expands its reach in business, government, and education by investing in translation services to communicate locally and worldwide. Translation services in Toronto are a must to cater to this linguistically diverse population.
2. Montreal
Montreal is home to 1.7 million people, and 36% of residents reported speaking an immigrant language at home. 17% spoke Arabic, and 15% spoke Spanish, making translation into these languages essential. Montreal’s businesses also translate content from French into English to share information and communicate with the rest of the country, which prefers English.
3. Vancouver
Vancouver is the largest city in the province of British Columbia, but the city limits are home to just 675,000 people. Within the greater Vancouver area, 2 million people reside. Of those, 712,000 reported speaking another language at home. The most common languages reported were Punjabi, Cantonese, Mandarin, and Tagalog, with 64% of the population speaking one of these four languages. Our translation services company receives multiple requests for Chinese translation services in Vancouver.
4. Calgary
Located in Alberta and home to 1.3 million people, 21% of Calgary residents who reported speaking a language other than English or French at home. 27,000 spoke Punjabi, 24,000 spoke Tagalog, and 21,000 spoke a non-specified Chinese dialect. Alberta is Canada’s largest producer of natural gas and oil. Here in Canada, JR Language Canada worked with many energy companies, helping them communicate internally and worldwide.
5. Edmonton
Due north of Calgary, Edmonton is home to 980,000 people. 166,000 people reported speaking a language other than English or French at home, with 47% speaking either Punjabi, Tagalog, Spanish, or Cantonese at home.
6. Ottawa and Gatineau
Ottawa is the capital, and the government must communicate with the entire country. French translation is essential—though not the only language necessary—to ensure the government is understood by all residents. Ottawa has a twin city: Gatineau. These twin cities on the St. Lawrence River are home to 1.9 million people. Both cities are home to large populations of Arabic, Spanish, and Chinese speakers. Ottawa has a larger population of Mandarin speakers while Gatineau leads in Portuguese. Gatineau and Ottawa are important centers for the translation service industry in Canada, with important providers of software for the industry.
Indigenous Languages in Canada
Canada has a diverse population of Indigenous peoples, with over 70 recognized Indigenous languages across 12 linguistic families. However, these languages are not widely spoken, with only 260,550 people reporting that they use one of them. Several of these languages are now considered “endangered”.
These languages are wholly unique to Canada and an important part of indigenous history. The preservation of these indigenous languages is now a top priority. Examples of Aboriginal languages in Canada are Cree, Inuktitut, and Ojibwe, also known as Ojibway.
At JR Language Translation Services Canada, we offer Indigenous language translation services for programs developed to work directly with these population groups.
Increasing the Reach of Your Message
With science and technology at the center stage of the economy, our translation agency in Toronto receives many requests for IT translation, website translation, and manual translation to expose products and services to markets outside of Canada.
After a brief review of Canada’s linguistic diversity, we hope to broaden the view that Canada has only two languages and present the full picture of its vast linguistic landscape.
As a nation with two official languages, businesses would be wise to invest in French translations that make their message easily accessible to a majority of Canadians. But there is also the opportunity to dig deeper, depending on where your audience’s pockets are concentrated.
Businesses in Toronto would be wise to invest in Arabic and Chinese translations, while Spanish translations would be appropriate in Montreal. With over 5 million residents who speak multiple languages, translation and interpretation services are key to reaching new audiences and enhancing the customer experience in Canada.
