Huastec (Tének) interpreting and translation

Tének interpreting matched to state and municipality

Huastec has western, central and eastern variants, broadly corresponding to San Luis Potosí and Veracruz, so the client's state and municipality guide our choice of interpreter. Huastec is not mutually intelligible with the Mayan languages of southern Mexico or Guatemala, and because the Huasteca is also home to many Nahuatl speakers, we confirm which Indigenous language the client actually speaks before booking.

Many Tének speakers are bilingual in Spanish, yet older and rural speakers often prefer Tének for medical and legal conversations. We usually work remotely with Spanish relay: video through the SILA Linguists® app or your preferred conferencing tool, or telephone at any hour. Legal interviews and clinic appointments are interpreted consecutively, community consultations can include several speakers, and a male or female interpreter can be booked.

Huastec translation and certified translation

Written Huastec uses Roman letters, marking long vowels by doubling and glottalised consonants with apostrophes, which explains the spellings Teenek and Tének. We confirm the variant and conventions before translating health leaflets, school materials and consultation documents, and keep names and places spelt consistently. For bilingual families in the Huasteca, we can also prepare matching Tének and Nahuatl versions of the same notice, each checked by a speaker of that language.

Official Mexican documents are in Spanish. When certification is required, we translate from Spanish into English and sign a statement of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as courts, the Home Office and universities, and by employers.

Transcription and subtitling

We transcribe Tének interviews, community meetings and oral histories, adding time codes and an English version and labelling any passages in Spanish or Nahuatl. Educational and cultural video can be subtitled in English or Spanish, helping projects in the Huasteca reach a wider audience.

Sectors we support in Huastec

Our vetted, trained and qualified Tének interpreters and translators can support hospitals and community health programmes, courts and legal advisers, schools and education authorities, community consultations and researchers. With SILA Linguists®, one coordinator manages each booking, and all linguists sign confidentiality agreements and observe UK GDPR. Tell us the municipality, and we will take care of the match.