As the Q'eqchi' people increasingly migrate to the United States for safety, economic opportunities, and a better quality of life, they often face many obstacles, language access being one of them. This is where Q'eqchi' interpreters step in, helping migrants to integrate safely into their new surroundings.
For the Q'eqchi', whose cultural and linguistic heritage has stood the test of time, interpreters play a major role in bridging the gap between their traditional ways of life and the challenges of modern migration.
This blog explores the Q'eqchi' language, why the Q'eqchi' are migrating, and the support interpreters can provide them as they settle in the United States.
Who speaks Q'eqchi'?
Spoken by the Q'eqchi' people, Q'eqchi' is a Mayan language that has roughly over a million native speakers, primarily in Central and Northern Guatemala and Southern Belize. Kekchi is the other official spelling for the language, and it may also be written as “Keqchi” and “Ketchi”.
Like all Mayan languages, Q'eqchi' descends from Proto-Mayan and is a member of the Quichean branch of the Mayan language family. Of the Quichean languages, it is most closely related to Poqomchi’, and there are even many bilingual Q'eqchi'’and Poqomchi’ speakers.
Q'eqchi' has a few regional variants that are generally all mutually intelligible, but the Belizean variant is the most distinct. As with all Indigenous languages, we recommend only working with qualified professionals who know and understand these nuances.
One of the most widely spoken Mayan languages, Q'eqchi' has the highest percentage of monolingual speakers among Mayan communities in Guatemala. It is also a recognized national language in Guatemala and a co-official language in Mexico.
The history of the Q'eqchi' people dates back long before the arrival of the Spanish. During the Spanish colonial era, they were oppressed, displaced, and discriminated against. However, despite brutal colonial Spanish rule, the Q'eqchi' people and their language survived, largely thanks to the isolated location in the north-central mountains where their communities lived.
Q'eqchi' culture, as with most Mayan cultures, is and has always been centered around agriculture, especially corn. Many Q'eqchi' still revere “Tzuultaq'a'”, the deity or force of nature associated with agriculture and the earth in Q'eqchi' culture. They have practiced sustainable farming methods for many generations, cultivating crops like beans, squash, cacao, and coffee. The Q’eqchi’ also grow cardamom, a popular spice used in Indian and Mediterranean cuisine, even though they don’t typically use it. To this day, many Q'eqchi' families continue to live on their land in rural, farming communities, relying on a traditional lifestyle that is threatened more and more by agricultural corporations, climate change, and crop losses.
Why are the Q'eqchi' migrating?
To understand why the Q'eqchi' are migrating, it’s necessary to first take a look at their history. This migration is not just a response to current adversities, rather it stems from long-standing issues and centuries of marginalization, dating back to the Spanish invasion.
In Guatemala, decades of genocide, drug trafficking, and natural disasters like earthquakes and hurricanes have left the Q'eqchi' people with little resources to properly support themselves. A long history of poverty and discrimination, resulting from Spanish colonialism, has also contributed to the Q'eqchi' people's migration as it has to this day restricted their access to jobs, housing, education, and healthcare.
In the past, Q'eqchi' Mayans from Guatemala had rarely migrated to the U.S., but over the last five years following a rise in poverty and food insecurity, it has become increasingly common for them to migrate.
Each individual's reason for migrating is different, however, two of the most common motives are safety and economic opportunities. They also commonly seek refuge from gang violence, gender violence, religious persecution, anti-Indigenous discrimination, or retaliation for activism.
The majority of Q'eqchi' people live in subsistence farming communities and have been severely impacted by climate change and worsening weather conditions, losing crops and land every year to hurricanes, flooding, droughts, and land degradation - with no government assistance for recovery.
Land conflicts and expropriations in Guatemala have forcibly displaced the Q'eqchi' people for years. These evictions, often carried out by national police, leave families without homes or land to cultivate. The ongoing dispossession of their Indigenous lands has driven the Q'eqchi', who, historically, are a settled community, to migrate in search of a safer living environment and better opportunities abroad.
Despite centuries of injustices, the Q'eqchi' continue to fight for a better future. It can be said that Q'eqchi' migration, rooted in a history of socio-economic and environmental hardships, is a testament to their resilience and adaptability.
The Roles And Importance Of Q'eqchi' Interpreters
Q'eqchi' interpreters help migrants to express themselves and understand the information they are given, allowing them to better advocate for themselves and make more informed decisions.
Interpreters act as trusted guides for Q'eqchi' migrants, guiding them through the complex U.S. immigration system, and helping them get access to medical, legal, and social services. In settings like doctor's appointments, immigration proceedings, and court hearings, qualified Q'eqchi' interpreters are indispensable.
Besides providing language assistance, interpreters are also integral to intercultural communication. Having an interpreter who understands both American and Q'eqchi' cultures can help make communication smoother and less stressful for both sides.
Language is one the main barriers that keep Q'eqchi' speakers from properly accessing essential services in the U.S. Because of the remote and isolated nature of the majority of Q’eqchi’ villages and a severe educational crisis in Guatemala, Q’eqchi’ people do not usually speak Spanish or have limited Spanish proficiency. This means that Q’eqchi’ individuals and families who have made it to the United States face barriers trying to integrate into both Spanish-speaking and English-speaking communities.
It is also generally difficult to find Q'eqchi' translators and interpreters in comparison with other Mayan languages from Guatemala, which are often in short supply as well.
There are a few reasons for this, one of them being that Q'eqchi' communities were not as heavily targeted during the Guatemalan government's long campaign of genocide and violence against Indigenous communities between 1960 and 1980. Because there have been comparatively fewer Q’eqchi’ migrants that sought refuge in the United States in the past, there are fewer resources available for them today.
Thankfully, Maya Bridge has been a massive resource to organizations looking for qualified Q’eqchi’ interpreters since 2021. By having a founder who is a Q'eqchi' linguist, we have been able to recruit, train, qualify, and mobilize over 40 Q'eqchi' to English interpreters, utilizing both native and non-native resources both within and outside the U.S. for Q'eqchi’ individuals and families to receive the services they need.
Work With A Q'eqchi' Interpreter from Maya Bridge
At Maya Bridge, we’re proud to have the largest team of qualified Q'eqchi' interpreters in the United States. Since 2021, we have provided Q'eqchi' to English interpretation to countless government agencies, healthcare organizations, and courts. As a small, niche interpretation agency specializing in Latin American Indigenous languages, we are uniquely equipped to offer on-demand Q'eqchi' interpretation, 24 hours a day.
We offer:
Video Remote Q'eqchi' Interpretation
Over the phone Q'eqchi' Interpretation
In-person Q'eqchi' Interpretation
Court-certified Q’eqchi’ Interpretation
Medical Certified Q’eqchi’ Interpretation
Q’eqchi’ Translation
Q’eqchi’ Voiceover and Subtitles
Learn more about our language services here.
Maya Bridge - A Leading Advocate For Latin American Indigenous Language Access In The U.S.
Since 2021, Maya Bridge Language Services has been advocating for increased access for speakers of Mayan and other Latin American and global Indigenous languages here in the United States. Maya Bridge is a mission-driven, niche interpretation agency offering 24/7 on-demand services for over 60 Indigenous languages from Latin America, as well as African, Asian, Pacific Island, Native American, and other Indigenous languages.
We have worked diligently to mobilize, train, and evaluate a network of hundreds of interpreters both in the US and throughout the world to ensure that speakers of Indigenous languages can fully understand and be understood in important situations like healthcare, legal settings, in disaster and emergency response scenarios, and in receiving access to government programs.
Contact us to schedule a meeting or call us anytime, day or night, at (801) 753-8568.
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