Rohingya

Rohingya is an Indo-Aryan language spoken by approximately 2.5 million people, primarily the Rohingya people of Myanmar's Rakhine State and the massive refugee diaspora in Bangladesh, Malaysia, Saudi Arabia, and beyond. The Rohingya have been described by the United Nations as one of the most persecuted minorities in the world, and the 2017 military crackdown in Myanmar displaced over 700,000 people, constituting what many nations recognise as genocide.

In Australia, approximately 5,000 Rohingya speakers were recorded in the 2021 Census, though the community has continued to grow through humanitarian resettlement. Communities are concentrated in Melbourne's southeastern suburbs (particularly around Dandenong and Noble Park), Brisbane, Sydney, and regional centres. The Australian Rohingya community is one of the most established globally, having received early humanitarian arrivals from the 2000s onward.

Rohingya is closely related to Chittagonian Bengali, reflecting historical connections with the Chittagong region of present-day Bangladesh. It incorporates significant vocabulary from Arabic, Persian, Urdu, and Burmese. Despite these connections, Rohingya is considered a distinct language and is not mutually intelligible with standard Bengali or Burmese.

The language has historically been written in multiple scripts. The Hanifi Rohingya script, developed in the 1980s by Mohammed Hanif, was added to Unicode in 2018. However, many Rohingya speakers also use Arabic script, a modified Latin (Rohingyalish) alphabet, or Burmese script. The lack of a single dominant writing system creates practical challenges for translation and literacy programs. Many Rohingya have had severely disrupted education, limiting literacy in any script.

For Australian service providers, Rohingya language access is critical across settlement, healthcare, education, mental health, and legal services. The community's profound trauma experiences — including violence, displacement, statelessness, and prolonged refugee camp stays — require trauma-informed approaches to all communications. Understanding the Rohingya's stateless status (denied citizenship by Myanmar since 1982) is essential context for service provision.

Script Challenges

Written Rohingya has no single universally accepted script. Multiple writing systems are in use: a Latin-based script (Rohingyalish), Arabic-based script, Hanifi Rohingya script (a unique script developed specifically for Rohingya, added to Unicode in 2018), and Myanmar script. For Australian community communications, the Latin-based Rohingyalish or Arabic-based script are most commonly used. Always confirm the preferred script with community leaders before beginning translation work.

Literacy Considerations

Due to systematic denial of education in Myanmar, many Rohingya community members have limited formal literacy in any script. This is a direct consequence of persecution, not a reflection of the community's capabilities. Multi-modal communications combining written text, audio, video, and visual aids are essential. Audio content in Rohingya is often the most effective communication method for reaching the broadest audience.

Trauma-Informed Communication

The Rohingya community has experienced genocide, mass atrocities, and forced displacement. All communications must be developed with extreme sensitivity to this context. Healthcare, mental health, and legal communications require translators with trauma-informed practice training. Visual content should be carefully reviewed to avoid triggering trauma responses.

Translator Availability

Rohingya translators are available in Australian cities with Rohingya communities. However, the pool of professionally trained translators is limited. Community-based bilingual workers play a critical role. Quality assurance through community review is recommended for all important translated materials.

Statelessness Context

Rohingya people are stateless, denied citizenship by Myanmar. This statelessness affects their legal status, identity documentation, and psychological wellbeing. Communications should be sensitive to this context and avoid assumptions about nationality or national identity. Rohingya should be referred to as Rohingya, not as "Myanmar nationals" or "Burmese."