Lari interpreting and translation

A Lari interpreter, not just a Kikongo one

A Kikongo interpreter from the DRC may understand a Lari speaker in general conversation, but vocabulary and pronunciation differ, and in asylum interviews or court hearings those differences matter. We therefore look for a Lari interpreter first. Tell us the client's home area and other languages, as most Lari speakers also use French and many speak Lingala or Kituba.

Clients often switch to French for dates, numbers and official terms, and interpreters follow that switch faithfully. If a client prefers French or Lingala for a given appointment, we record the choice; relay through French can also be arranged for specialist subjects. Our interpreters attend Home Office interviews, tribunals, GP and hospital appointments, and family and social services meetings in person, and video interpreting is a practical option for most sessions. Phone interpreting is available at short notice, and a female or male interpreter can be arranged.

Translation for Lari speakers

Civil records, judgments and identity documents from the Republic of the Congo are in French, so our certified French to English translations, signed and declared accurate, are what UK authorities usually need and accept.

Lari is written in the Latin alphabet, mostly in church and cultural publications, without one fixed standard. When we translate community information or consent material into Lari, we agree spellings for personal and place names at the outset and keep them consistent. Short recorded versions in Lari can also reach older relatives who read French more easily than their own language, or who prefer to listen.

Transcription and LADO

Much Lari translation work involves recorded speech. Interviews, phone calls and testimony are transcribed with time codes and translated into English, with French and Lingala marked. Where origin in Congo-Brazzaville rather than the DRC is disputed, specialist LADO analysis can be arranged through SILA Linguists®.

Where we can help in Lari

Our vetted, trained and qualified Lari linguists can support asylum and immigration advisers, courts and legal teams, health services and family and social services. A single coordinator handles every request, and our vetted linguists keep every file confidential under signed agreements and UK GDPR.