In this series of articles we overview languages present in any given country. This time we are looking at the languages spoken in Cyprus
The biggest languages present in Cyprus include:
- Greek – 978 thousand speakers;
- English – 48 thousand speakers;
- Romanian – 36 thousand speakers;
- Russian – 24 thousand speakers;
- Bulgarian – 24 thousand speakers;
- Arabic – 12 thousand speakers;
- Filipino – 12 thousand speakers;
- German – 48 thousand speakers;
- French – 145 thousand speakers;
The following languages are legally recognized as the “official languages” of the country:
- Greek
- Turkish
Below you will find summaries for the languages supported by our translation services.
Greek
Greek is a Hellenic language spoken by 13.40 million people both in Cyprus and abroad. It is one of the official languages of Cyprus, alongside 2 other.
| Number of speakers worldwide | 13.40 million |
|---|---|
| Language family | Indo-European |
| Writing | Greek alphabet |
| Major Greek-speaking populations in: | 4 countries |
Demographics and geographic distribution
Greek is spoken by around 13.40 million people around the world. With regard to the number of speakers, the most notable 3 countries are Greece, Cyprus, and Albania.
In Cyprus approximately 81% or 978 thousand people use Greek in their day-to-day communication.
Writing
Greek uses the Greek alphabet. It employs the standard version of the script with no additional, language-specific symbols. It is written from left to right.
Translation services
If you intend to expand to the Cypriot market via the Greek language, you might be interested in the following services:
- Greek Document Translation
- Greek Desktop Publishing and InDesign Translation
- Greek E-Commerce Translation
English
English is a Indo-European language, distantly related to German, Albanian, Bengali, Bosnian, as well as a number of other languages. It has no country-wide official status in Cyprus.
| Number of speakers worldwide | 1.15 billion |
|---|---|
| Language family | Indo-European |
| Writing | English alphabet |
| Major English-speaking populations in: | 35 countries |
Demographics and geographic distribution
English is spoken by around 1.15 billion people around the world. With regard to the number of speakers, the most notable 3 countries are United Kingdom, United States, and New Zealand.
Less than a quarter of the population speaks English in Cyprus, 48 thousand people in total.
Writing
The English alphabet is used for writing the English language. It employs the standard version of the script with no additional, language-specific symbols.
Translation services
If you intend to expand to the Cypriot market via the English language, you might be interested in the following services:
Romanian
Romanian is a Romance language, which is a branch of the Indo-European language family. It has no country-wide official status in Cyprus.
| Number of speakers worldwide | 30 million |
|---|---|
| Language family | Indo-European |
| Writing | Romanian alphabet |
| Major Romanian-speaking populations in: | 2 countries |
Demographics and geographic distribution
Romanian is spoken by around 30 million people around the world. The two most notable countries with a large number of speakers are Romania, and Moldova.
Around 3% of the population of Cyprus speak Romanian.
Writing
The Romanian alphabet is used for writing the Romanian language. Being a subset of the Latin script, it uses some non-standard characters like â, ă, î, ș, overall 5 symbols.
Translation services
If you intend to expand to the Cypriot market via the Romanian language, you might be interested in the following services:
- Romanian Document Translation
- Romanian Desktop Publishing and InDesign Translation
- Romanian E-Commerce Translation
Russian
Russian is a Indo-European language, distantly related to Swedish, Romanian, Slovene, French, as well as a number of other languages. It has no country-wide official status in Cyprus.
| Number of speakers worldwide | 260 million |
|---|---|
| Language family | Indo-European |
| Writing | Russian alphabet |
| Major Russian-speaking populations in: | 11 countries |
Demographics and geographic distribution
There are major Russian-speaking populations in more than 10 countries of the world. Israeli, Estonian, and Ukrainian markets, for example, might be expected to use Russian in business and daily communications, at least to some extent.
Less than a quarter of the population speaks Russian in Cyprus, 24 thousand people in total.
Writing
The Russian alphabet is used for writing the Russian language. Being a subset of the Cyrillic script, it uses some non-standard characters like ё, overall 1 symbols.
Translation services
If you intend to expand to the Cypriot market via the Russian language, you might be interested in the following services:
- Russian Document Translation
- Russian Desktop Publishing and InDesign Translation
- Russian E-Commerce Translation
Bulgarian
Bulgarian is a Indo-European language, distantly related to Romanian, Czech, Portuguese, Croatian, as well as a number of other languages. It has no country-wide official status in Cyprus.
| Number of speakers worldwide | 9 million |
|---|---|
| Language family | Indo-European |
| Writing | Bulgarian alphabet |
| Major Bulgarian-speaking populations in: | 8 countries |
Demographics and geographic distribution
There are major Bulgarian-speaking populations in more than 5 countries of the world. Countries with a significant number of people speaking the language include:
- Turkey
- Ukraine
- Moldova
- Serbia
- Greece
- Romania
- North Macedonia
- Bulgaria
In Cyprus approximately 2% or 24 thousand people use Bulgarian in their day-to-day communication.
Writing
Bulgarian uses the Cyrillic alphabet. It employs the standard version of the script with no additional, language-specific symbols. It is written from left to right.
Translation services
If you intend to expand to the Cypriot market via the Bulgarian language, you might be interested in the following services:
- Bulgarian Document Translation
- Bulgarian Desktop Publishing and InDesign Translation
- Bulgarian E-Commerce Translation
Arabic
Arabic is a Afro-Asiatic language, distantly related to Hebrew, Somali, Maltese, as well as a number of other languages. It has no country-wide official status in Cyprus.
| Number of speakers worldwide | 422 million |
|---|---|
| Language family | Afro-Asiatic |
| Writing | Arabic abjad |
| Major Arabic-speaking populations in: | 22 countries |
Demographics and geographic distribution
Approximately 422 million people in more than 22 countries speak Arabic as either the first or a second language. With regard to the number of speakers, the most notable 3 countries are Algeria, Bahrain, and Comoros.
In Cyprus approximately 1% or 12 thousand people use Arabic in their day-to-day communication.
Writing
Arabic uses the Arabic abjad. It employs the standard version of the script with no additional, language-specific symbols. It is written from right to left.
Translation services
If you intend to expand to the Cypriot market via the Arabic language, you might be interested in the following services:
- Arabic Document Translation
- Arabic Desktop Publishing and InDesign Translation
- Arabic E-Commerce Translation
German
German is a Germanic language, closely related to English, Flemish, Swedish, Danish, and other languages of the same branch of the language family. It has no country-wide official status in Cyprus.
| Number of speakers worldwide | 230 million |
|---|---|
| Language family | Indo-European |
| Writing | German alphabet |
| Major German-speaking populations in: | 12 countries |
Demographics and geographic distribution
Approximately 230 million people in more than 12 countries speak German as either the first or a second language. With regard to the number of speakers, the most notable 3 countries are Germany, Austria, and Switzerland.
Less than a quarter of the population speaks German in Cyprus, 48 thousand people in total.
Writing
German uses the Latin alphabet. It employs the extended version of the script, however, with 4 additional symbols. It is written from left to right.
Translation services
If you intend to expand to the Cypriot market via the German language, you might be interested in the following services:
- German Document Translation
- German Desktop Publishing and InDesign Translation
- German E-Commerce Translation
French
French is a Indo-European language, distantly related to Dutch, Albanian, Czech, Danish, as well as a number of other languages. It has no country-wide official status in Cyprus.
| Number of speakers worldwide | 274 million |
|---|---|
| Language family | Indo-European |
| Writing | French alphabet |
| Major French-speaking populations in: | 49 countries |
Demographics and geographic distribution
More than a hundred million people use French as their language of day-to-day communication. Lebanese, Vietnamese, and Egyptian markets, for example, might be expected to use French in business and daily communications, at least to some extent.
More than 145 thousand residents of Cyprus understand French.
Writing
French uses the Latin alphabet. It employs the extended version of the script, however, with 16 additional symbols. It is written from left to right.
Translation services
If you intend to expand to the Cypriot market via the French language, you might be interested in the following services:
- French Document Translation
- French Desktop Publishing and InDesign Translation
- French E-Commerce Translation
Related services
We hope you have found the answers to the question about what languages are spoken in Cyprus“. If you wish to know more about these languages or would like to inquire about our translation services, please contact us at [email protected].
