Friday, August 21, 2026

Botswana Television (BTV) translation into Kalanga language

 I happen to speak Ikalanga language, Tjililima dialect. I have been under the impression that the month of October is Mbudzi, meaning "goats"; and that November is Zhedzi. I notice, however that BTV's translators have their translations switched around, with October being Zhedzi and November being Mbudzi

Would someone with good understanding of why the months are named as they are, please explain what exactly the month of November has to do with goats. In closing, I think it would be a good idea to have translators cycled/alternated in order to avoid giving the impression that the North East Botswana dialect of Kalanga is the OFFICIAL version in Botswana. From my experience the version of Kalanga spoken in Serowe is among the most ancient versions of Kalanga in existence.