Yoruba interpreting and translation

Yoruba interpreting with the right honorifics

Most Yoruba speakers in the diaspora also speak Nigerian English, but many prefer Yoruba for health, family and legal matters, and older relatives in particular are more comfortable in their first language. Yoruba expects respectful forms, and an interpreter who uses the correct honorific register, especially when the client is older than the professional, keeps a consultation or interview running smoothly. Dialect differences rarely block understanding, but if the client comes from a particular area, or from Benin or Togo, we match accordingly.

Our Yoruba interpreters attend hospitals, maternity units and mental health services, courts, tribunals and solicitors' offices, immigration and family hearings, schools and family support meetings. They can also join by telephone at any hour, every day, or by video through the SILA Linguists® app or the platform you use. For trade missions, business meetings and conferences we provide consecutive, simultaneous and remote simultaneous interpreting, and female or male interpreters can be booked for sensitive appointments.

Yoruba translation with correct diacritics

Yoruba uses dotted letters, ẹ, ọ and ṣ, and tone marks on vowels and n. Correct diacritics are essential for meaning in formal text, though many people write informally without them, so we agree the style with you and check that fonts, websites and print files display combining marks correctly. Health information, school letters, community campaigns and personal statements are typical projects, translated into Yoruba or into English.

Nigerian official documents are normally in English, while those from Benin and Togo are in French. We provide certified translation of French documents and of Yoruba-language evidence, each signed to confirm accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as the Home Office, courts and universities, and by employers. Nigerian records for North American authorities are certified the way each one requires. For brands targeting Nigerian audiences, we adapt marketing copy, websites and social media content into natural Yoruba.

Yoruba transcription and subtitling

We transcribe Yoruba interviews, voice notes, films and broadcasts with time codes and an English version alongside, marking switches into English or Pidgin, and create Yoruba or English subtitles for Nollywood-style drama, adverts and online video.

Sectors we support in Yoruba

Our vetted, trained and qualified Yoruba linguists can support NHS and maternity services, mental health teams, courts and solicitors, immigration and family practitioners, schools, media and marketing agencies, and businesses trading with Nigeria. SILA Linguists® puts one project team on your work and protects your information with confidentiality agreements and UK GDPR. Yoruba interpreters can assist US immigration attorneys, Canadian refugee hearings, courts, hospitals and universities.