Masalit interpreting and translation

Masalit by default, not Arabic by assumption

Sudanese or Chadian Arabic is widely used as a second language, and many men who traded or worked in towns speak it well. Women and older people from rural areas may have far less Arabic, and offering Masalit by default avoids answers that are shorter or less precise than the client intends. We never confuse Masalit with Fur or Zaghawa when booking.

Accounts of violence and loss are common in Masalit-language interviews. Our interpreters are used to trauma-informed practice: they keep a steady pace, interpret everything said and do not soften distressing detail. A female interpreter can be requested, which many women prefer when describing what happened to them or attending maternity and women's health appointments. Interpreting is available by telephone at any hour, by video in the SILA Linguists® app or whatever conferencing tool you prefer, and face to face for tribunals, therapy sessions and safeguarding meetings where an interpreter can attend.

Written Masalit, audio versions and certified documents

Masalit has had little written use. Latin-based and Arabic-based spellings exist, but most clients read Arabic, French or neither, so a recorded Masalit audio version is often the most useful format for health advice, safeguarding information or appointment details. Statements given in Masalit are translated into English with names spelled consistently, including both Arabic and Masalit forms of village names where the client uses them.

Sudanese documents are in Arabic, and Chadian documents in French or Arabic. We provide certified English translations, signed to confirm their accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as the Home Office, courts and universities, and by employers. Arabic-language Sudanese papers needed in the United States, Canada or Australia are certified as each authority asks, NAATI included.

Transcription and origin analysis

We transcribe Masalit interview recordings and testimony with timings marked and an English translation supplied, flagging Arabic passages. SILA Linguists® also offers language analysis for the determination of origin (LADO) for applicants from West Darfur and eastern Chad.

Where we can help in Masalit

Our vetted, trained and qualified Masalit linguists can support asylum solicitors and tribunals, trauma and mental health services, maternity teams, social care and safeguarding professionals, and humanitarian agencies working in eastern Chad and with Darfuri families who have resettled further afield. You work with one coordinator and vetted linguists, and every file is protected by NDAs and UK GDPR. Masalit interpreters can support refugee hearings, resettlement services and clinics in the United States, Canada and Australia, mostly by telephone.