Face-to-face
Kirundi interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
African languages
Kirundi interpreting and translation
Kirundi is the national language of Burundi, spoken by nearly all of its people. SILA Linguists® provides Kirundi interpreters and translators, along with support for the French-language documents many Burundian clients hold.
Ikirundi
- Script
- Latin
- Direction
- Left to right
- ISO 639-3
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Kirundi is a Bantu language of the Great Lakes region and an official language of Burundi together with French and English. Like Rwanda, Burundi is a country where almost everyone shares one first language, which gives Kirundi a strong role in national life, from government to radio and church. Kirundi speakers also live in western Tanzania, eastern DRC and in refugee communities across the region and further afield.
Kirundi is very closely related to Kinyarwanda, and the two are largely mutually intelligible. Each has its own standard, vocabulary preferences and spelling, so they are best treated as separate languages for interpreting and translation. Ha, spoken in the Kigoma area of Tanzania, is another close relative.
The language uses the Latin alphabet. Like Kinyarwanda, it is tonal, though tone is not usually written.
- Main areas: Burundi
- Also used: Tanzania (Kigoma)
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How we help
Kirundi 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 Kirundi translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Kirundi interpreting and translation services from SILA Linguists®
Kirundi is the language nearly every Burundian grows up with, official alongside French and English and heard everywhere from government to radio and church. Speakers also live in western Tanzania, eastern DRC and refugee communities across the region and further afield. SILA Linguists® supplies Kirundi interpreters, translators and transcribers for immigration, legal, health, education and social care work in the UK, Canada, the United States, Australia and New Zealand. Although close to Kinyarwanda, Kirundi has its own standard and idiom, so we book Kirundi specialists.
Kirundi interpreters, not substitutes
A Kinyarwanda interpreter may be broadly understood by a Burundian client, but differences in vocabulary and idiom can cause errors in detailed evidence. We therefore book a Kirundi interpreter wherever possible. Many Burundian adults also speak French, and those who have lived in Tanzania or the DRC may speak Swahili, so we clarify the preferred language at the start of every assignment.
Sessions may touch on displacement and political violence. Our interpreters keep strict neutrality, and clients can request a male or female interpreter. We cover asylum interviews and tribunals, solicitors' meetings and court hearings, GP, hospital and mental health appointments, school meetings and social care reviews. Interpreting is available face to face, by telephone at any time of day or night all year, and by video via the SILA Linguists® video app or your organisation's video system, with consecutive interpreting for community and group sessions.
Translation from Kirundi and French
Most Burundian civil and academic documents are issued in French, sometimes with Kirundi elements. Our certified translations render both, with a signed statement of accuracy, accepted by tribunals, the Home Office, recruiters and other UK authorities alike, and we keep names spelled exactly as on the original.
Personal statements, letters, text messages and recorded evidence are commonly in Kirundi itself and need a Kirundi translator rather than a Kinyarwanda one. We translate these into English and also translate health, school and community information into Kirundi for families who read it most comfortably.
Kirundi transcription and language analysis
We produce time-stamped Kirundi transcripts with English translation for interviews, testimony and audio evidence, marking French or Swahili passages. For asylum applicants, language analysis to establish origin (LADO) can help distinguish speakers raised in Burundi from those raised in Rwanda, Tanzania or the DRC.
Where we can help in Kirundi
Our vetted, trained and qualified Kirundi linguists can support immigration and asylum teams, courts and solicitors, healthcare and mental health services, schools and social care providers. SILA Linguists® gives you one dedicated project team, vetted linguists and confidentiality under NDAs and UK GDPR, so even the most sensitive case is handled with care.
Good to know
Working with Kirundi
Interpreting
- Book a Kirundi interpreter for Burundian clients where possible. A Kinyarwanda interpreter may be understood, but differences in vocabulary and idiom can cause errors in detailed evidence.
- Many Burundian adults also speak French and some speak Swahili, particularly those who have lived in Tanzania or the DRC. Clarify the client's preferred language at the start.
- Sensitive interviews may involve displacement and political violence. Clients may request an interpreter of a particular gender, and interpreters should keep strict neutrality.
- Kirundi interpreting is also available remotely by telephone or video.
Translation
- Most Burundian civil and academic documents are issued in French, sometimes with Kirundi. Certified translation is therefore often from French, with Kirundi elements translated as well.
- Personal statements, letters and recorded evidence are commonly in Kirundi itself and need a Kirundi translator rather than a Kinyarwanda one.
Related languages
Kirundi and its neighbours
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Where Kirundi is often needed
- Asylum and immigration, including LADO
- Legal proceedings
- Healthcare and mental health
- Education and social care
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Get in touch
Need a Kirundi 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.