Face-to-face
Nigerian Pidgin interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
African languages
Nigerian Pidgin interpreting and translation
Nigerian Pidgin (also called Naija or Pijin) is one of the most widely spoken languages in Nigeria and across Nigerian communities abroad. We provide Nigerian Pidgin interpreters and translators.
In its own words
Naijá
- Script
- Latin
- Direction
- Left to right
- ISO 639-3
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Nigerian Pidgin is an English-lexifier creole. Most of its vocabulary comes from English, but its grammar, sounds and many words come from West African languages such as Yoruba, Igbo and Edo, and from Portuguese and other contact languages. It developed along the coast through trade and has become a first language for many people, especially in the cities of southern Nigeria such as Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt and Benin City, as well as a shared second language across ethnic groups.
It is a language in its own right, not 'broken English', and an English speaker who has never learnt it will miss much of what is said. Tense and aspect are marked with particles such as don, go and dey ('I don chop' means 'I have eaten'), and many idioms have no direct English equivalent. Related but distinct languages include Cameroonian Pidgin (Kamtok), which has its own page, Ghanaian Pidgin and Krio of Sierra Leone. Nigerian Pidgin is also widely used in broadcasting and online media.
- Main areas: Nigeria
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How we help
Nigerian Pidgin 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 Nigerian Pidgin translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Nigerian Pidgin interpreters, transcription and translation at SILA Linguists®
Nigerian Pidgin, also known as Naija, is a first language for many people in Lagos, Warri, Port Harcourt and Benin City, and a shared second language across Nigeria. SILA Linguists® supplies Pidgin interpreters and transcribers to police forces, courts, healthcare and immigration services in Britain and well beyond it, from Canada and the US to Australia and New Zealand. A client may say they speak English, Pidgin or Broken; someone fluent in everyday English can still lose important detail under pressure, and that is exactly where a Pidgin interpreter protects the record.
Interpreting that captures tone as well as words
Our Nigerian Pidgin interpreters attend police interviews, criminal trials, immigration and asylum interviews, mental health assessments and hospital appointments. Telephone interpreting is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, and video interpreting runs over the SILA Linguists® app, or over Teams or Zoom if you prefer; for trials and long interviews we send an interpreter in person.
Pidgin from the Niger Delta differs from Lagos speech, and youth slang moves quickly. Expressions that sound casual in English may carry real weight, so our interpreters render register and emphasis faithfully, which matters when a statement is later read in court. Many also speak Yoruba, Igbo or Edo. Clients from Cameroon speak Cameroonian Pidgin, for which we book separate interpreters. A male or female interpreter is available on request, and consecutive, simultaneous and RSI formats are all possible.
Translation and community campaigns
There is no single official spelling for Pidgin, so we agree a style with you before we begin, choosing an English-like or a more phonetic spelling to suit your audience. Pidgin is especially effective for public health messages, community campaigns, social media and audio content.
Official Nigerian documents are issued in English, so certified translation from Pidgin is usually needed for statements, text messages, social media posts and recordings used as evidence. Each certified translation carries a signed attestation of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as courts and the Home Office. English or Pidgin evidence for North American authorities can be certified as each requires.
Transcription of recordings and messages
We produce time-stamped transcripts with English translation for police interviews, covert recordings, phone calls, WhatsApp voice notes and research interviews, clearly marking where speakers move between Pidgin, English and other Nigerian languages. Subtitles for video content can also be supplied.
Settings for our linguists in Nigerian Pidgin
Our vetted, trained and qualified Pidgin linguists can support police and prosecutors, defence solicitors, criminal courts, NHS mental health teams, immigration advisers, public health bodies and media organisations. At SILA Linguists® a named project manager manages your request, and every linguist is vetted and bound by strict confidentiality terms and UK GDPR, so evidence and personal data are handled with care. Nigerian Pidgin interpreters can assist US and Canadian immigration hearings, police interviews and hospitals, as well as UK courts and services.
Nigerian Pidgin language analysis (LADO): Naija, Kamtok or Krio?
Ghanaian Pidgin language analysis (LADO): Ghana or Nigeria?
Edo (Bini) language analysis (LADO) for Benin City and Edo State
Good to know
Working with Nigerian Pidgin
Interpreting
- Clients may say they speak English, Pidgin or 'Broken'. In police interviews, court cases and health consultations, a person can seem fluent in everyday English but lose detail when questions become technical or stressful. A Pidgin interpreter makes sure that answers are understood correctly, including emphasis and nuance.
- Tell us where in Nigeria the client grew up: Pidgin from the Niger Delta differs from Lagos speech. Clients from Cameroon usually speak Cameroonian Pidgin, for which we provide separate interpreters. Our interpreters often also speak Yoruba, Igbo or another Nigerian language, which helps where a client mixes languages.
- Pidgin is rich in slang that changes quickly, especially among young people in Lagos and the Niger Delta, and some expressions can sound casual or humorous in English when they are not meant that way. Experienced interpreters render tone and register faithfully, which matters when statements are later read in court or cited in a report. Telephone and video interpreting give quick access for short appointments, and face-to-face interpreting is available for trials and long interviews.
Translation
- Nigerian Pidgin has no single official spelling. Some writers use English-like spellings, while others follow more phonetic spelling proposals. Before translation we agree with you which of these styles suits your audience best. Pidgin works particularly well for public health messages, community campaigns and audio content.
- Official Nigerian documents are issued in English, so certified translation from Pidgin is mostly needed for statements, messages, recordings and transcripts. Our transcription service covers recordings that switch between Pidgin, English and other Nigerian languages.
Related languages
Nigerian Pidgin and its neighbours
Choose a language to see its page. Getting the right variety matters: tell us the region or dialect if you know it.
Where Nigerian Pidgin is often needed
- Police interviews and criminal courts
- Healthcare and mental health services
- Immigration and asylum interviews
- Transcription of recordings and messages
- Public health and community campaigns
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Get in touch
Need a Nigerian Pidgin 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.