Tanzania Official Language
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The de jure official language of Tanzania is Swahili. However, English serves as the language of higher courts and is considered as the de facto language of Tanzania. De jure is a Latin expression which means "concerning law" and de facto means "concerning fact". Tanzania is one of the few African nations in which the local language has gained favor as the official language versus English. However, as far as international travelers are concerned, they can still converse in English with much of the local crowd and those in the tourism industry in Tanzania. |
In 1984, Swahili was declared as the official language of Tanzania as it was seen as a unifying factor for the main warring tribes of the region. Now Swahili is used in the political and social spheres of the country, as well as in the primary education system and English serves as the secondary language. However, when it comes to higher education in colleges, universities and higher courts, English remains to be the main language in use. This has mainly been done to facilitate and participate in the global economic and cultural world. Tourism is one of the main industries of Tanzania and large percentage of the local population depends on international tourists for their livelihood. Therefore tourists who speak English are not much inconvenienced on this front. In the hotels managed by international hospitality chains, the staff is very well versed in English and can converse with international tourists with ease. Same goes for guides who serve in the many wildlife reserves in Tanzania. If you are planning a vacation to Tanzania, it would be a good idea to learn a few commonly used greetings and terminologies in Swahili. You can download the translations for greetings like Good Day, Thank You, and Good Night. from the Internet. This will enable you to have a more personable interaction with the locals in Tanzania.
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Tanzania Official Language
