Our Languages
South Africa has eleven official languages. Vernac Books publishes in all of them — not as a long-term ambition, but as the catalogue we are actively building. Each language is a full publishing programme in its own right, with its own editor, its own brand colour and its own commitment to cultural authenticity.
| Language | Library | Brand colour |
|---|---|---|
| English | English Library | Navy |
| isiZulu | Izincwadi ZesiZulu | Golden Yellow |
| isiXhosa | Iincwadi ZesiXhosa | Ruby Red |
| Afrikaans | Afrikaanse Boeke | Burnt Orange |
| Sesotho | Dibuka tsa Sesotho | Royal Blue |
| Setswana | Dibuka tsa Setswana | Forest Green |
| Sepedi | Dipuku tša Sepedi | Lime Green |
| siSwati | Tincwadzi TesiSwati | Magenta |
| isiNdebele | Iincwadi ZesiNdebele | Vibrant Coral |
| Tshivenḓa | Bugu dza Tshivenḓa | Deep Purple |
| Xitsonga | Tibuku ta Xitsonga | Teal |
Transcreation, not translation
Vernac Books does not translate English manuscripts into other languages and ship them as readers. Every title is transcreated: rebuilt in the target language with its own rhythm, idioms, proverbs and orthography. A book in isiZulu sounds like a Zulu storyteller wrote it. A book in Afrikaans sounds like an Afrikaans storyteller wrote it. The lesson on the page is the same; the soul of the language is intact.