Shilluk interpreting and translation

Shilluk interpreters, not Dinka or Nuer substitutes

Shilluk is a Luo language, closest to Anuak and Päri and further from its Nilotic neighbours Dinka and Nuer, so a Shilluk speaker is best served by a Shilluk interpreter. Many Chollo people also speak Arabic, often Sudanese or Juba Arabic, and younger people may have been schooled in English; we ask the client which language they want for a long interview.

Clan and place names come up constantly in personal histories, and a short briefing before an asylum or LADO-related interview helps the interpreter handle them accurately. Telephone and video interpreting both work well: phone sessions are available at all hours, and video takes place through the SILA Linguists® app or the video service your team already uses. In-person interpreting is arranged for court hearings, probation appointments and mental health sessions where possible, and a male or female interpreter can be requested.

Written Shilluk and certified South Sudanese documents

The Latin-based orthography uses extra letters such as ø, ŋ and ɛ, which need fonts that display them correctly. Published reading material is limited, so for health leaflets or consent forms we often provide an audio version alongside the text. We also translate Shilluk statements and letters into English. Where a Chollo client tells their story through songs, proverbs or clan histories, our translators keep those passages intact and add a short note explaining their meaning.

Documents from South Sudan are usually in English or Arabic. We certify translations of Arabic records with a signed statement of accuracy, accepted by the Home Office, the courts, colleges and other UK authorities, and keep Shilluk names spelled the same across every page. Arabic or English papers for the United States, Canada or Australia are certified to their requirements, including NAATI-certified translation.

Transcription and origin analysis

Interview recordings and testimony in Shilluk are transcribed with timestamps and a parallel English text, with Arabic passages marked. SILA Linguists® provides language analysis for determining origin (LADO) for applicants from the Upper Nile region.

Where we can help in Shilluk

Our vetted, trained and qualified Shilluk linguists can support asylum caseworkers, GP practices and mental health services, courts and probation, community organisations and humanitarian agencies. You have one coordinator, vetted interpreters and confidentiality assured through NDAs and UK GDPR. Probation officers and therapists working with the same client over months can ask for the same interpreter each time. Shilluk interpreting is available for refugee hearings, hospitals and schools in Australia, the US and Canada as well as in Britain.