Finding interpreters for rare languages and dialects: a practical guide

Searches for interpreters in languages such as Kibembe, Soninke, Sylheti, Hassaniya Arabic or Nuer come from people who have usually tried and failed to find one elsewhere. Rare languages are where interpreting is hardest to arrange and where getting it right matters most, because the people who speak them often have no other way to be understood. This guide explains how to identify the language precisely, why dialect matters, and how to book successfully.

How many languages are there?

More than most people expect. Linguists count spoken and signed languages in the thousands, and the totals vary because they draw the line between “language” and “dialect” in different places. Whatever the exact figure, the point is the same: the world’s linguistic diversity is far larger than the list of languages most services offer, and many of those languages have several regional varieties of their own.

Diversity is also local. In towns and cities across the UK, North America, Australia and New Zealand, many residents have a main language other than English or the local language, from widely spoken ones such as Polish, Romanian, Panjabi and Urdu to hundreds with far fewer speakers.

Why the language name is not enough

Many languages are known by several names, and one name can cover varieties that are hard to understand across. A few examples:

Arabic covers spoken varieties as different as Moroccan, Sudanese, Iraqi and Gulf Arabic. Speakers from distant regions may rely on Modern Standard Arabic to understand each other, which is not how most people speak about personal or emotional matters. Our Arabic dialects pages describe the main varieties.
Kurdish includes Kurmanji, Sorani, Badini and other varieties, written in different scripts in different countries. See our overview of Kurdish varieties.
Sylheti is closely related to Bengali, and many speakers consider it a dialect of Bengali, but the two differ enough in sounds, grammar and everyday words that it is worth asking whether the person needs an interpreter who speaks Sylheti itself.
Nuer speakers may describe their language as Thok Naath, and Kibembe may appear as Bembe or Ebembe, which can make a booking request hard to match.

A dialect mismatch is not a small inconvenience. It can mean misunderstood symptoms, a witness statement that does not reflect what was said, or an asylum interview that has to be repeated. Professional interpreters are expected to disclose any difficulty with a dialect, and in an asylum interview a good interpreter confirms the correct language or dialect at the start and alerts the interviewer immediately if the claimant begins to speak another language or dialect.

Identifying the language: five questions to ask

Before you book, try to find out:

Where did the person grow up? Country, region and, if possible, town or district.
What do they call their language? Write it down as they say it; it may differ from the official name.
Which other languages do they speak or understand? Many speakers of rare languages also use a regional lingua franca, such as Swahili, French, Arabic or Lingala.
Do they read and write? If so, in which script? This matters for written information and translation.
Do they have a preference about the interpreter? Gender, or concerns about an interpreter from a particular community, can affect trust.

Language identification cards, which show the same sentence in many languages, can help when you cannot communicate at all. A short telephone check with an interpreter before a long appointment can also confirm the match.

Booking an interpreter for a rare language

Book early and give detail

The fewer interpreters there are for a language, the more notice helps. Include the language, dialect, region and the other languages the person speaks. That information lets the agency look further, for example for an interpreter who grew up in the same area.

Use video or telephone to widen the search

For many rare languages, the nearest qualified interpreter may live in another city or another country. Video remote interpreting keeps visual contact while removing distance, and telephone interpreting can work for shorter conversations.

Plan relay interpreting only as a last resort

When no direct interpreter is available, relay interpreting uses two interpreters through a shared language. It can work, but it lengthens the session and doubles the chance of nuance being lost. If you use it, record that fact on the file.

Expect the interpreter to check understanding

With rare languages, a good interpreter may pause to confirm a regional word or ask the speaker to rephrase. That is a sign of care, not of weakness.

Written translation for rare languages

Translation raises its own questions. Some languages are mainly spoken; others are written in more than one script or spelling system. Before ordering a translation, check whether the reader is literate in that language, which script they use, and whether an audio or video version would serve them better.

Rare-language interpreting and translation with SILA Linguists®

SILA Linguists® provides interpreting and translation services in 350+ languages and dialects, including many that are hard to source, such as Kibembe, Soninke, Hassaniya Arabic, Krio and Thok Naath. We match interpreters using the details this article recommends gathering: the language name, the region, the dialect and any gender preference, so the interpreter suits the speaker rather than just the label.

For rare languages, remote formats widen the pool of available interpreters. Our telephone interpreting runs around the clock, every day of the year, and video remote interpreting works through the SILA Linguists® app or your own platform. Where being in the room matters, we send face-to-face interpreters or arrange community interpreting for health, housing and council appointments.

Written work follows the same matching. We handle document translation, including certified translation with a signed statement of accuracy accepted by UK authorities, and transcription of interviews and recordings, translated where needed. When the open question is where a speaker comes from, our language analysis (LADO) team can help.

These services are available for immigration and asylum, legal and healthcare work in the UK, the United States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Browse the languages A to Z, or send the language, region and date to bookings@silalinguists.co.uk or call +44 (0)333 339 8218.

Questions readers ask

What is relay interpreting?

Relay interpreting uses two interpreters: one interprets from the rare language into a shared language, such as French or Arabic, and the second interprets from that language into English. It can work when no direct interpreter is available, but it adds time and the risk of meaning being lost, so it should be planned and recorded.

The person speaks some English. Do we still need an interpreter?

Conversational English is often not enough for medical, legal or financial conversations, especially under stress. Offer an interpreter and let the person choose; many people prefer to discuss complex matters in their first language.

How do we know which dialect someone speaks?

Ask where they grew up and what they call their language, and use language identification cards where available. A short telephone check with an interpreter before a long appointment can also confirm the match.

Can the same interpreter cover several related languages?

Sometimes. Many interpreters speak several related varieties or a regional lingua franca, but you should confirm that the person is comfortable before relying on it for anything important.