Kunama interpreting and translation

Kunama interpreters who know Gash-Barka

Most Kunama adults who went to school learned Tigrinya, and many picked up some Arabic, but fluency varies greatly. An older farmer from a village near the border may manage a short conversation in Tigrinya and still lose detail in a long asylum interview. We ask the person which language they want before booking and suggest you record the answer on the file.

Asylum accounts from Kunama speakers often turn on village names in Gash-Barka, routes into Ethiopia or Sudan and years spent in camps. Our interpreters know that geography and render names precisely. We cover Home Office interviews, appeals, solicitors' conferences, GP and maternity appointments and resettlement meetings, in person where possible, by phone at any hour, or by video in the SILA Linguists® video app or a secure platform of your choice. Women attending maternity appointments can ask for a female interpreter, and relay through Tigrinya is available only with the client's agreement.

Kunama translation and Eritrean documents

Kunama is written in the Latin alphabet used in Eritrean schools for mother-tongue teaching, but personal and place names are spelled in different ways, so our translators follow the forms on the client's passport or residence documents. We produce Kunama versions of leaflets and letters and, where reading is limited, recorded audio messages for community services.

Eritrean certificates and records are usually issued in Tigrinya, Arabic or English. We supply certified translations of those documents, each signed to confirm accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as the Home Office, courts and universities, and by employers.

Transcription, LADO and nationality assessment

Interview recordings and audio evidence in Kunama are transcribed with timings marked and an English translation supplied, with Tigrinya or Arabic segments marked. Because origin is often contested for applicants from the Eritrea and Ethiopia border, SILA Linguists® offers language analysis for determining origin (LADO) and nationality assessment.

Sectors we support in Kunama

Our vetted, trained and qualified Kunama linguists can support immigration solicitors, asylum caseworkers, tribunals, GP practices and maternity services, and refugee resettlement teams. One coordinator manages your requests, linguists are vetted, and everything remains confidential under NDAs and UK GDPR.