Poqomchi' interpreting and translation

Poqomchi' or Q'eqchi'? Confirming before we book

Poqomchi' and Q'eqchi' are both common in Alta Verapaz, and non-specialists sometimes confuse the names. Our first step is to confirm that the client speaks Poqomchi', and then to ask for their home municipality so we can match the eastern or western variety. Many Poqomchi' speakers also understand or speak Q'eqchi' as well as Spanish, but for legal or medical work we avoid substitutions unless the client is clearly comfortable with them, and we record what was agreed.

Video is often the most practical option, with the interpreter appearing on the SILA Linguists® app or on your own conferencing system; for short calls, a telephone interpreter can be connected at any hour. Asylum interviews, solicitor meetings and clinic appointments are interpreted consecutively. If the subject is personal, the client can ask for a female or male interpreter.

Translation and certified translation

Poqomchi' uses Guatemala's official Mayan alphabet, with apostrophes marking glottalised consonants. Written materials include school texts and religious publications, which help our translators keep terminology familiar to readers. We translate health information, school letters, programme materials and personal statements in both directions.

Guatemalan identity documents and civil records are issued in Spanish, so certification is done from Spanish. Each English translation carries a signed statement of accuracy, and UK authorities accept it, whether a tribunal, the Home Office or a university, as do employers.

Transcription and language analysis

Recorded interviews and evidence in Poqomchi' are transcribed with time codes and an English rendering, and any switches into Q'eqchi' or Spanish are labelled. For asylum cases in which origin is disputed, specialist language analysis for the determination of origin (LADO) can be commissioned through us.

Settings for our linguists in Poqomchi'

Our vetted, trained and qualified Poqomchi' linguists can support hospitals and community health services, immigration and asylum advisers, courts and solicitors, schools and community programmes in Alta Verapaz and abroad. SILA Linguists® keeps one coordinator on each case, and every linguist is bound by a non-disclosure agreement and UK GDPR. Tell us the municipality and whether Q'eqchi' is also spoken at home, and we will plan the right support, whether that is one interpreter or a relay team for a longer hearing.