Navigating Elvish: Tips & Translators to Learn Tolkien's Linguistic Legacy

Embark on a linguistic journey through the enchanting realms of J.R.R. Tolkien's Middle Earth with fascination, wonder, and a knowledge of Elvish. From those who often delve into those chapters to readers new to Tolkien's world, Elvish may seem impossible to navigate. However, as with all things Tolkien does, there's always an answer to the puzzle or riddle at hand. Let the journey into Elvish translation commence!

The Evolution of the Elvish Language

Before jumping into an Elvish translator, it can be helpful to first understand the foundation of the language and the way it came to be.

Author J.R.R. Tolkien was not only an author but also a poet, professor of English language and literature, and a philologist. He also worked as a code breaker during World War II. Tolkien used this eclectic background to create the languages in his fantasy novels, based on influences from Celtic, Welsh, Latin, German, Greek, Finnish, and even some Asian languages.

Elvish Website Resources

Several websites can assist you in learning and translating the Elvish language. Some contain words and others have full common phrases, location names, and even insults. Other sites contain information on how to pronounce Elvish speech, which can seem daunting at first glance.

• Omniglot offers a full Elvish alphabet, along with spelling and pronunciation. It even includes punctuation and numerals as well.
• Fun Translations is a helpful site with a translator you can use for the Sindarin and Quenya languages. It functions much like Google Translate for Elvish translation. It also has a Tengwar translator, which converts your English words into the beautiful script of the Elves. These translations can be saved as images since your everyday software programs won't be able to process the fonts. Not every word, including some common ones, works in the translator, so you will need other sources to do complete translations.
• Arwen Undomiel is a site for fans of Tolkien's The Lord of the Rings books and movies. The site has an Elvish section that includes a history of the language, a pronunciation guide, useful phrases, Elvish names, and an extensive collection of links to Elvish language websites. While there is no translator option on this site, the pronunciation guide is useful for the novice Elvish translator.
• A Taste of Elvish provides a list of vocabulary terms from Quenya and Sindarin. The words are organized by types of people, family names, animals, plants, food, geographic terms, and more.
• Realelvish.net contains lots of information on Elvish, including a random name generator, phrase book, pronunciation guides, recorded scripts, and word lists. You can also make free custom translation requests from the site owner. The site provides several translations for Sindarin and Quenya.

• There is also a Quenya course you can download as rich text format files. These are designed for the absolute beginner to the Elvish language. The course includes everything you need to know about Quenya grammar, pronunciation, pronouns, vocabulary, and more.
• The One Wiki to Rule Them All is a fan wiki site with information on all things related to Tolkien's works. There is an extensive Elven word list with a vowel pronunciation guide that's very easy to follow.
• Dan Smith's Fantasy Fonts for Windows enables you to write your translations in the Tengwar font on your computer. This site allows you to download the actual font files, as well as some other fantasy fonts such as Celtic lettering and knotwork fonts.
• YouTube also has several videos where you can listen to the Quenya and Sindarin languages. These are helpful if you're having trouble with the written pronunciation. There are also tutorials on how to write in the Tengwar Elvish script. Some good options include:
  • VEDA 208: Learn to Speak Elvish - A basic introduction to Sindarin
  • Learn to Speak Elvish: Sindarin Pronunciation - Offering the basics of how to pronounce words in the Elvish language
  • Sindarin Elvish 101 - A playlist of seven videos encompassing such subjects as weather, love, and family
  • Your Sindarin Textbook Lecture Series - A slideshow explaining pronunciation and how to divide syllables
  • Learn to Write in Elvish - A YouTube channel focused on the Elvish written language
  • Learn Tengwar - A lesson on Tengwar lettering and language rules
  • Tengwar Teacher - Includes a multi-part series on Elvish writing

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Smartphone & Tablet Apps

Several mobile apps are available to download that will translate words and phrases into Elvish.

• Runes - Elvish Translator: This translation app allows you to view names or phrases into Elvish and Dwarvish script.
• Elvish Translator: Translate words and phrases into the Tengwar script, and save them as image files to make device wallpapers or simply download to your computer.

Related: Rare Middle Earth Books: A Closer Look

Common Elvish Phrases

To get you started on this journey, here are several common English words and phrases translated into Elvish.

Getting Started With Elvish Translations

The best way to get started is to review the sites above and find the translator or course that works best for you. It's best to focus on either the Quenya or Sindarin language to start and learn the grammar rules. With some study and persistence, you'll be translating Elvish in no time!