Pamiri interpreting and translation

Pamiri interpreting by valley and language

Tell us the language and the home valley or village, for example Shughnan, Rushan, Bartang or Wakhan, and we assign an interpreter who speaks that variety. Many people from Gorno-Badakhshan are fluent in Tajik and Russian, and people from Afghan Badakhshan usually speak Dari. Some clients choose one of those for official appointments; others give a fuller, more confident account in their home language. We provide both, and relay through Tajik, Dari or Russian is possible with the client's agreement.

Wakhi has the widest spread of all, from the Wakhan corridor of Afghanistan and Ishkashim in Tajikistan to Gojal in Pakistan and Xinjiang, so its speakers' second languages vary. Pamiri interpreters are rare, so remote work is often the answer: telephone interpreting around the clock and video sessions on the SILA Linguists® app or your own platform. Face-to-face sessions can be arranged for asylum interviews, hospital visits, police interviews and court hearings where an interpreter is available.

Translation and documents from Badakhshan

The Pamir languages have no widely used written standard. Speakers in Tajikistan usually adapt the Tajik Cyrillic alphabet, Latin spellings appear in teaching materials and online, and Arabic-script spellings are used in Afghanistan and Pakistan. Official documents from the region are in Tajik, Dari, Pashto, Urdu or English, so certified translation works from those, signed as accurate, accepted by UK authorities such as courts and universities. Tajik, Dari or Russian documents for North American authorities are certified the way each asks.

Transcription, oral history and LADO

Most Pamiri written work is transcription and translation of recorded interviews, statements and oral history. We time-code each transcript, tag Tajik, Dari or Russian passages and add an English version. Because origin questions arise for people from Afghan and Tajik Badakhshan, SILA Linguists® can arrange LADO and nationality assessment for Pamiri speakers.

Sectors we support in the Pamir languages

Our vetted, trained and qualified Pamiri linguists can support asylum and immigration representatives, healthcare providers, police and courts, families and community groups, and research and oral history projects. A single coordinator manages each booking, linguists are vetted and sign non-disclosure agreements, and UK GDPR protects every recording. Pamiri interpreting is also offered for immigration hearings and health appointments in the United States and Canada, mostly by video.