Face-to-face
Rohingya interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
Asian languages
Rohingya interpreting and translation
Rohingya is an Eastern Indo-Aryan language spoken by the Rohingya people of northern Rakhine State in Myanmar, many of whom now live in Bangladesh and other countries. We provide Rohingya interpreters and translators with care for each client's situation.
In its own words
Ruáingga
- Script
- Hanifi Rohingya, Latin (Rohingyalish), Arabic and Urdu-based scripts (historical and religious use)
- Direction
- Left to right
- ISO 639-3
rhg
Rohingya belongs to the Bengali-Assamese branch of Eastern Indo-Aryan and is closely related to Chittagonian, spoken across the border in south-east Bangladesh. The two are partly mutually intelligible, and whether they are best described as separate languages or as varieties of one language is still debated, and Rohingya is generally treated as a language in its own right. Rohingya vocabulary includes words from Arabic, Farsi, Urdu, Burmese and English.
Very large numbers of Rohingya people live in camps in Cox's Bazar, Bangladesh, and there are communities in Malaysia, the Middle East, South Asia and resettlement countries. Many Rohingya people have had limited access to formal education, so spoken communication and audio or video materials are often more effective than printed text.
- Main areas: Myanmar (Rakhine State)
- Also used: Bangladesh (Chattogram)
- Other regions
Communities abroad are not shown. Point to an area to see its name.
How we help
Rohingya 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 Rohingya translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Rohingya interpreters, translation and language analysis from SILA Linguists®
SILA Linguists® works with Rohingya interpreters and translators for asylum teams, solicitors, health services, resettlement programmes and humanitarian organisations across Britain, North America, Australia and New Zealand, and further afield. Rohingya speakers may have grown up in northern Rakhine State, spent years in the camps of Cox's Bazar, or lived in Malaysia, the Gulf or Pakistan before arriving. Because Rohingya sits close to Chittagonian yet is not the same, we confirm the client's language and background first, rather than assuming a Bengali or Burmese linguist will be understood.
Rohingya interpreting with care and accuracy
Our Rohingya interpreters attend asylum screenings, substantive interviews, GP and hospital appointments, mental health assessments, solicitors' conferences and resettlement orientation sessions in person. When distance or urgency makes that impractical, telephone interpreting runs around the clock, every day of the year, and video interpreting is available through the SILA Linguists® app or the platform your service already uses.
Many Rohingya clients have lived through displacement and loss, so we brief interpreters to stay calm, neutral and trauma-aware. Women frequently ask for a female interpreter for maternity or gynaecological care and for disclosures of violence, and we arrange that on request. Relay through Burmese or Bengali is used only when you agree and only after checking that the client genuinely follows.
Rohingya translation in writing and in audio
Written Rohingya has no single accepted form. Hanifi Rohingya, a right-to-left script now encoded in Unicode, is used in schools and community publishing, while the Latin-based Rohingyalish spelling is common online. Because many adults read neither, we often recommend recorded audio or video translation for health advice, tenancy rules or consent information, and we discuss the readers before choosing a format.
Identity papers, medical notes and camp registration records held by Rohingya families are usually in Burmese, Bengali or English. We provide certified translation of those documents with a signed and dated statement of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as the Home Office, courts and local authorities, keeping family names consistent across every page. Burmese or Bengali papers needed in the United States, Canada or Australia are certified in the form each authority sets, including NAATI-certified translation for Australia.
Transcription and LADO for Rohingya cases
Recorded interviews, voice notes and video testimony can be transcribed, time-coded and translated into English, with any switches into Burmese, Bengali or Chittagonian clearly marked. This gives legal teams and researchers a reliable written record of what was actually said.
Rohingya is among the languages for which language analysis for the determination of origin (LADO) is requested. SILA Linguists® offers LADO for Rohingya speakers, carried out by specialist analysts, alongside the interpreting and translation a case needs.
Where we can help in Rohingya
Our vetted, trained and qualified Rohingya linguists can support immigration and asylum services, legal aid solicitors, age assessment teams, NHS trusts, mental health practitioners, refugee charities, international NGOs and public health campaigns. Every assignment is covered by a confidentiality agreement and handled under UK GDPR, and a single project coordinator stays with you from the first booking to the final transcript. Rohingya interpreters can assist resettlement services, refugee hearings, hospitals and schools in the US, Canada and Australia, often by video.
Good to know
Working with Rohingya
Interpreting
- Confirm that the client speaks Rohingya. Chittagonian and standard Bengali interpreters are sometimes suggested as alternatives, but understanding can be partial, and for asylum, medical and legal matters a Rohingya interpreter is strongly preferred.
- Many clients have experienced displacement and trauma. Interpreters should be calm, neutral and trauma-aware, and strict confidentiality applies. Some clients may prefer an interpreter of the same gender, particularly women in healthcare settings.
- Video and telephone interpreting are often the most practical options; relay through Burmese or Bengali should only be used with your agreement and after checking the client's understanding.
- Rohingya is one of the languages for which Language Analysis for the Determination of Origin (LADO) may be requested, and SILA provides LADO alongside interpreting and translation.
Translation
- Rohingya has more than one writing system and none is universally used. Hanifi Rohingya, a modern script now supported in Unicode, is written right to left. A Latin-based orthography, often called Rohingyalish, is also used, especially online. Many speakers read neither, so audio translation and recorded messages are often the most effective option.
- Official documents held by Rohingya people are typically in Burmese, Bengali or English, so certified document translation will usually be from those languages. We can produce Rohingya audio, transcripts and written materials in the script you choose, after discussing the intended readers.
Related languages
Rohingya 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 Rohingya is often needed
- Asylum and refugee resettlement
- Language analysis (LADO) and age assessment
- Healthcare and mental health
- Legal advice and courts
- Humanitarian and NGO programmes
- Audio and video public information
Explore more asian languages or see all languages A to Z.
Get in touch
Need a Rohingya 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.