Face-to-face
Igbo interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
African languages
Igbo interpreting and translation
Igbo is the language of south-eastern Nigeria and one of the country's three most widely spoken languages. SILA Linguists® provides Igbo interpreters and certified translators for clients across the UK, North America, Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
In its own words
Asụsụ Igbo
- Script
- Latin
- Direction
- Left to right
- ISO 639-3
ibo
Igbo belongs to the Volta-Niger branch of the Niger-Congo family. It is spoken in the states of Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo, and in parts of Delta and Rivers. Large Igbo-speaking communities live in Lagos, Abuja and other Nigerian cities, and the diaspora in the United Kingdom, Ireland, the United States and Canada is long established.
The language has a large number of dialects, sometimes grouped by area (for example Owerri, Onitsha, Umuahia and Nsukka varieties). Standard Igbo, which grew out of earlier Central Igbo, is used in education, broadcasting and publishing. Most speakers can follow the standard, but vocabulary and pronunciation differ enough that local terms for farming, family relations and traditional institutions sometimes need clarification.
Igbo is a tone language with two basic tones and a downstep. Tone can separate words that are otherwise spelt identically, which is why careful texts mark it with accents. The everyday Ọnwụ alphabet uses dotted vowels (ị, ọ, ụ) and the letter ṅ alongside digraphs such as ch, gb, gh, kp and nw.
- Main areas: Nigeria (Abia State, Anambra State, Ebonyi State, Enugu State, Imo State)
- Also used: Nigeria (Delta State, Rivers State)
- Other regions
Communities abroad are not shown. Point to an area to see its name.
How we help
Igbo services
Video (VRI)
Secure video interpreting when people are in different places.
Telephone, 24/7
Telephone interpreting 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Certified translation
Certified Igbo translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Igbo interpreters and certified Igbo translation from SILA Linguists®
Igbo is spoken across Abia, Anambra, Ebonyi, Enugu and Imo states, in parts of Delta and Rivers, and in Igbo communities in Lagos, Abuja and a long-established diaspora in the UK, Ireland, the United States and Canada. SILA Linguists® provides Igbo interpreters, translators and transcribers to courts, police, solicitors, hospitals, schools and public bodies across the United Kingdom, North America, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. With Owerri, Onitsha, Umuahia and Nsukka varieties all in everyday use, we ask which state or town your client comes from.
Igbo interpreting in court, clinic and classroom
Many Igbo speakers are fluent in English or Nigerian Pidgin and may switch between languages during a conversation. Our interpreters agree at the start which language will be used, so the record of a police interview, tribunal hearing or family court session stays clear. Dialect matching matters most for older clients and for evidence about home towns, land and family, and we take it into account when we book.
Respect towards elders is carried through titles and forms of address, and a trained Igbo interpreter keeps that register rather than flattening it. We provide on-site interpreting for courts, hospitals, mental health services, schools and children's services, telephone interpreting at any hour, every day, and video interpreting through the SILA Linguists® app or the platform you use. For community events, church gatherings and business meetings we offer consecutive and simultaneous interpreting, including remote simultaneous interpreting, and you may request a male or female interpreter.
Igbo translation, tone marks and certified documents
Our Igbo translators work in Standard Igbo unless your readers need a particular regional variety. Most published Igbo leaves tone unmarked, but educational, dictionary-style and some legal texts mark tone to remove ambiguity, and we agree this with you beforehand. Fonts must support the dotted vowels and ṅ, and personal names that follow family or church conventions are kept exactly as written.
Nigerian civil records are issued in English, so Igbo translation is more often needed for personal letters, witness statements, health information, school communications and public information campaigns aimed at Igbo-speaking communities. Wherever a document in Igbo must go to an authority, we supply a certified translation with a signed and dated statement of accuracy, accepted by tribunals, universities, the Home Office and other UK authorities. Nigerian records for North American authorities are certified to their rules, with a US certificate of accuracy or Canadian provincial certification.
Igbo transcription and subtitling
We transcribe Igbo and mixed Igbo, Pidgin and English recordings, including police interviews, voice notes, family evidence and research interviews, with timings marked and an English translation supplied. Igbo subtitles can be added to campaign videos, films and online content.
Sectors we support in Igbo
Our vetted, trained and qualified Igbo linguists can support courts, tribunals and police, immigration and family law practitioners, NHS hospitals and mental health teams, schools and children's services, local authorities running public information campaigns, and businesses with Nigerian partners. SILA Linguists® gives you one responsive project team, and confidentiality is covered by signed agreements and UK GDPR. Igbo interpreters can support US immigration attorneys, Canadian refugee and family hearings, hospitals and universities.
Good to know
Working with Igbo
Interpreting
- Many Igbo speakers are fluent in English or Nigerian Pidgin, and some clients may prefer to switch between languages. Agree at the start which language will be used for the session so the record is clear.
- Dialect matching matters most for older clients and for evidence about home areas. Ask which state or town the client comes from.
- Respect and formality are expressed through titles and forms of address, especially towards elders. A trained interpreter will carry this register across rather than flatten it.
- Igbo is well suited to telephone and video interpreting, and on-site interpreting can be arranged for courts, hospitals and longer meetings.
Translation
- Decide whether tone marks are needed. Most published Igbo leaves tone unmarked, but dictionaries, educational material and some legal texts mark tone to remove ambiguity.
- Use fonts that support the dotted vowels and ṅ. Some older documents use different spellings, and personal names may follow family or church conventions that should be kept as written.
- Certified translations of Nigerian documents are usually from English, as Nigerian civil records are issued in English. Igbo translation is more often needed for personal letters, witness statements, health information and community materials.
Related languages
Igbo and its neighbours
Choose a language to see its page. Getting the right variety matters: tell us the region or dialect if you know it.
Where Igbo is often needed
- Courts, tribunals and police interviews
- Immigration and family law
- Hospitals and mental health services
- Schools and children's services
- Public information campaigns
Explore more african languages or see all languages A to Z.
Get in touch
Need a Igbo interpreter or translator?
Our bookings team will confirm the details with you and arrange the right linguist. Have the language (and dialect, if you know it), the type of assignment and the date ready.