Twi in Ghana Video Transcripts

Language by Country Collection on LangMedia

"Shopping in a Ghanaian Market"

Twi transcript:

English translation:

"Customer: Good morning.

Seller: Yes, father.

Customer: Please, speak up.

Seller: Yes, father.

Customer: And what do your items cost?

Seller: These are 2500, these are 3000, 2000, 4000, 6000, the Agushi* here is 5000, the dried fish 2500, 1800.

Customer: And what’s this?

Seller: Please, these are beans.

Customer: Explain the things you have on display?

Seller: The salt is 1200, and the smaller size is 600, groundnuts are 2000 and the spice cubes are 350. That’s it.

Customer: What about this?

Seller: The one at the back there is 500.

Customer: What about this?

Seller: These are onions, they are 200, and the ground dried shrimps are 500.

Customer: Okay. What about this?

Seller: Groundnuts are 1000.

Customer: Oh, okay. Afia, what are we buying? Afia, what do you want?

Off-camera response: Please, let’s buy beef.

Customer: Beef?

Seller: 1000, 5 (as in 500).

Off camera: Let’s buy 500.

Customer: Here, Madam.

Seller: Here.

Customer: Thank you.

Seller: Okay.

* A nut used in stews as a protein supplement."

About Language by Country: The Language by Country videos and other materials were produced by the Five College Center for the Study of World Languages between 1999 - 2003 with funding from the National Security Education Program (NSEP) and the Fund for the Improvement of Postsecondary Education (FIPSE) of the U.S. Department of Education. The videos were filmed by Five College international students in their home countries. The goal was to provide examples of authentic language spoken in its natural cultural environment so that students of all ages can better understand the interplay between a language and its culture. We have tried to remain true to the language our subjects actually uttered. Therefore, we have not corrected grammatical errors and the videos sometimes show highly colloquial language, local slang, and regionally specific speech patterns. At times, we have noted the preferred or more standard forms in parentheses. Most of the transcripts and translations were prepared by the same students who filmed the video, although in some cases the transcripts have also been edited by a language expert.