Dialect

Are two speech varieties two languages or two dialects of the same language? That question isn't always easy to answer, especially as the criteria are not always clear.

Linguistically, the question is whether the two groups can understand each other. And even that is not always clear, as understanding is not a yes/no question but rather a matter of degree. Getting information on this can be difficult as well. Some ways to try to get at this can be comparing word lists for similar words and playing recorded stories from one group in the other and using comprehension questions to see how much they understood.

Sociolinguistically, the question is how the groups see their identity and what they think they speak. Here, too, figuring out what is going on can be difficult. Questionnaires and observation are some ways to try to get at this.

But then the criteria can conflict, dialects can shade into each other in a chain, etc. Lots of factors that need to be sorted out, but it is important to make good decisions about where there are translation needs.