Kamba interpreting and translation

Kamba interpreting for personal and legal matters

Most Kamba speakers schooled in Kenya are comfortable in Swahili and English, but many prefer Kamba when the subject is personal or emotional: a pregnancy, a bereavement, a family dispute or an account of harm. We ask the client's preference before booking, and we never substitute a Kikuyu interpreter without the client's agreement, since the two languages are related but distinct.

Our Kamba interpreters support asylum and immigration interviews, maternity and hospital appointments, legal advice sessions, court hearings and community outreach. Telephone interpreting is available around the clock every day, and video interpreting runs through the SILA Linguists® app or your organisation's video system; both widen the choice of interpreter considerably. In-person attendance can be arranged for hearings and longer meetings, and a female interpreter is available for maternity and women's health appointments on request.

Kamba translation and certification

Written Kamba uses the Latin alphabet with ĩ and ũ, and the Machakos variety is generally treated as the basis of the written language. We make sure fonts and keyboards produce those letters correctly, because plain i and u can change words. Translation typically covers statements, correspondence, health information and community materials, along with Kamba letters and messages translated into English. Kamba names and place names are kept exactly as your client spells them.

Kenyan certificates are in English, so certification for a Kamba speaker's case usually involves the Kamba-language evidence itself. Our certified translations carry a signed accuracy statement, accepted by UK authorities such as tribunals, the Home Office and colleges, and by recruiters.

Kamba transcription and LADO

We transcribe Kamba interviews and recordings with time stamps, label passages in Swahili or English and supply an English translation. For immigration cases that hinge on someone's background, we can arrange language analysis for determining origin (LADO) through specialist analysts.

Sectors we support in Kamba

Our vetted, trained and qualified Kamba linguists can support asylum and immigration services, the NHS and maternity teams, solicitors and courts, and community outreach programmes. SILA Linguists® keeps every request with one project team, uses vetted linguists and protects your information through NDAs and UK GDPR, so clients and professionals can speak openly.