About Zohar
Built by translators and language teachers.
Zohar Investments was started in 2022 by four translators and a language-acquisition researcher who'd watched East African language publishing remain divided between elementary primers and untranslated literature inaccessible to intermediate learners. We built the middle ground we wished existed: real literature in East African languages, parallel-text editions, native audio, calibrated to where serious learners actually live.
How we acquire titles
We license literary work from East African publishers and commission new translations when existing translations don't meet our editorial standard. Parallel-text editions are typeset in-house. Audio is recorded by native speakers — actors, broadcasters, and trained narrators — with regional variants noted where they matter.
How we grade difficulty
Every title is reviewed by two language editors with relevant credentials and graded against CEFR (B1–C2). Grading notes appear in every title's metadata and are revisited annually.
Who we serve
Adult learners of East African languages at B1 and above. Diaspora returnees and heritage speakers reclaiming family languages. Language teachers in regional schools and bilingual programs. Translators studying contemporary literary translation in East African working pairs. We're not built for absolute beginners — the Beginner's Methods are the on-ramp.