Sanapaná interpreting and translation

Interpreting in Sanapaná, Guarani or Spanish

Many Sanapaná people also speak Paraguayan Guarani and Spanish, and in some families Guarani is now used more than Sanapaná. Before booking we therefore ask which language the person prefers. A relay arrangement through Spanish or Guarani is also possible, with a Sanapaná interpreter working into one of them and a second interpreter into English.

Consultation meetings deserve time for collective discussion, and our interpreters are briefed not to hurry the community towards an answer. Video calls are usually the most practical way to reach suitable linguists, run through the SILA Linguists® app or a platform you choose, and telephone sessions can be arranged at any time for shorter matters such as a clinic appointment. Legal meetings are interpreted consecutively, and the client may ask for a female or male interpreter.

Translation and certified translation

Sanapaná has a limited written tradition based on the Latin alphabet. For most written communication, Spanish or Guarani, backed by spoken explanation in Sanapaná, reaches more readers, and we can prepare the written text and record the explanation. Short texts in Sanapaná can still be valuable for community identity and education, and we translate them with community review.

Land titles, court papers and identity documents from Paraguay are issued in Spanish. Our certified English translations of them carry a signed accuracy statement, accepted by UK authorities such as courts, the Home Office and universities, and by international bodies.

Transcription for land claims and documentation

Sanapaná communities share with their Enxet neighbours a long history of land claims, some heard by the Inter-American Court of Human Rights, and recorded testimony can be crucial. We transcribe community meetings, interviews and narratives with time codes and an English version, labelling Guarani and Spanish passages and flagging uncertain words. Documentation projects can agree transcription conventions with us in advance, including how to mark words that Sanapaná shares with Angaité.

Where we can help in Sanapaná

Our vetted, trained and qualified Sanapaná linguists can support lawyers and human rights organisations, community consultations, health services, language documentation teams and researchers. A single SILA Linguists® coordinator manages each project, and every linguist is bound by an NDA and UK GDPR.