Aché interpreting and translation

How we provide Aché interpreters

Suitable linguists live in Paraguay, so video interpreting is usually the practical route, through the SILA Linguists® app or the platform you prefer. Telephone sessions can be booked at any hour. A typical arrangement pairs an interpreter who speaks Aché and Spanish or Paraguayan Guarani with a second interpreter for English, and we confirm with the client that this relay works for them.

Younger Aché often speak Paraguayan Guarani and Spanish as well, but older community members may want Aché for anything detailed or sensitive, such as a medical history or a discussion about land. We therefore check comfort with each language rather than assuming it. Short sessions, plain wording and regular checks on understanding give the best results, whether the setting is a public health visit, a community consultation or an identity documentation appointment. Where a matter is personal, a female or male interpreter can be requested.

Aché translation and certified translation

Aché is written in the Latin alphabet, with materials produced by schools, missions and linguistic projects. Because written use is limited, important information often works best as a short written text supported by spoken explanation or an audio recording, and our project team can advise on that mix for health notices, consent forms and consultation documents.

Identity papers, birth certificates and other official documents from Paraguay are issued in Spanish. We provide certified translations from Spanish into English with a signed statement of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as courts, the Home Office and universities, and we translate English documents into Spanish or Guarani when the Aché community needs to read them.

Transcription for documentation and research

Recorded narratives, interviews and community meetings are valuable for researchers documenting Aché. Our transcribers produce time-stamped transcripts with an English translation, marking passages in Guarani or Spanish so the record shows exactly who said what and in which language. Unclear words are flagged for review instead of being guessed.

Settings for our linguists in Aché

Our vetted, trained and qualified Aché linguists can support public health programmes, community consultation and land rights projects, universities and documentation teams, legal advisers dealing with identity papers, and charities working with Indigenous peoples in Paraguay. In a small community where people know each other, discretion is essential. One SILA Linguists® project team handles each request, and every linguist works under a confidentiality agreement and UK GDPR.