Interpreters for All Languages – Including Rare Languages and Dialects

Key facts at a glance

• ✓170 languages and dialects, a network of over 1,000 interpreters and translators
• ✓Rare languages from Africa, Asia and the Middle East as well as sign language
• ✓We take dialect and region of origin into account when selecting the interpreter
• ✓Video and telephone interpreting often on the same day – even if no one is available on site
• ✓Relay interpreting via a bridge language when there is no direct language pair

Which languages does RAGUNATHAN provide interpreters for?

RAGUNATHAN provides interpreters and translators for 170 languages and dialects – from widely spoken languages such as Dutch to rare languages such as Kotokoli. A selection:

• East Africa and the Horn of Africa: Amharic, Tigrinya, Tigre, Oromo, Somali, Afar, Saho, Swahili, Luganda, Kinyarwanda, Kirundi
• West and Central Africa: Kotokoli (Tem), Ewe, Mina, Twi, Fante, Ga, Hausa, Yoruba, Igbo, Edo, Wolof, Bambara, Fula, Mandinka, Krio, Lingala, Kikongo, Tshiluba
• North Africa and the Middle East: Arabic and its dialects, Moroccan Arabic, Berber (Tamazight, Tarifit), Aramaic, Hebrew, Kurdish (Kurmanji, Sorani, Badini), Zaza
• Central and South Asia: Dari, Farsi, Pashto, Hindi, Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, Nepali, Tamil, Sinhala, Malayalam, Kazakh, Uzbek, Tajik, Turkmen
• East and Southeast Asia: Vietnamese, Khmer, Burmese, Tagalog, Indonesian, Mongolian, Tibetan
• Europe and the Caucasus: Dutch and Flemish, Albanian, Romani, Yiddish, Georgian, Armenian, Chechen

You will find all languages from A to Z on our Interpreting and Translation pages. Detailed information is also available on Tamil–German interpreters, certified Turkish–German translation and our translation agency for Montenegrin, Serbian, Croatian and Bosnian.

How does RAGUNATHAN find interpreters for rare languages?

For rare languages, RAGUNATHAN draws on a nationwide network of over 1,000 language professionals and selects the interpreter according to language, dialect, region of origin and subject area.

With rare languages, the choice is smaller than with English or Arabic. That is why we ask detailed questions: where does the person being interpreted for come from? Is it a medical consultation, a hearing or a contract? Are several appointments planned? The earlier you make your request, the more likely we are to find someone near you. This is how it works:

1. 01
   State the language and origin

   give the language, country and ideally the region, plus the date, time, location and occasion.

2. 02
   Finding the right person

   we search our network for an interpreter for exactly this language and subject area.

3. 03
   Receive a quote

   you get a no-obligation quote – with a suggestion for video, phone or relay interpreting if needed.

4. 04
   Attend your appointment

   once you accept, the interpreter joins you on site, by video or by phone.

Request an interpreter for my language

Language or dialect: why does origin matter so much?

Many languages consist of dialects or varieties that differ considerably – which is why RAGUNATHAN asks about the origin of the other party with every request.

• Arabic: Modern Standard Arabic is written, but dialects are spoken, such as Syrian, Iraqi or Moroccan Arabic. Anyone looking for a ‘Syrian’ translator usually means the Arabic spoken in Syria. Sometimes Aramaic is meant instead – its classical form, Syriac, is also called Syrisch in German.
• Kurdish: Kurmanji – which includes Badini, widely spoken in northern Iraq – and Sorani are distinct varieties. Kurmanji is usually written in Latin script, Sorani in Arabic script.
• Persian: Farsi from Iran and Dari from Afghanistan are varieties of Persian with differences in vocabulary and pronunciation.
• Hindi and Urdu: In everyday life, speakers of the two usually understand each other well. However, Hindi is written in Devanagari (हिन्दी) and Urdu in Perso-Arabic script (اردو). For translations, the script is decisive.
• Berber: Tamazight has been an official language in Morocco since 2011 and in Algeria since 2016. Tarifit is spoken in the Rif Mountains in northern Morocco.

So when you make your request, please tell us the country and region – for Arabic and Kurdish, ideally the city or province too.

What is relay interpreting – and when does it make sense?

In relay interpreting, the interpreting takes place via a bridge language: one interpreter renders, for example, Kotokoli into French, and a second interpreter renders the French into German.

This makes it possible to cover language combinations for which no professional with a direct language pair is available. Kotokoli, also called Tem, is spoken mainly in Togo as well as in Ghana and Benin. The official language of Togo is French, which makes French the obvious bridge language. Relay interpreting takes a little longer because every statement is rendered twice. We only use it when no direct language pair is available, and we agree it with you in advance.

For written texts, the process is called relay translation: the translation is produced via an intermediate text in a bridge language. For certified translations, we check in advance whether a translator authorised by the court (ermächtigt) is available for the source language.

Sworn or court-authorised – who certifies translations of rare languages?

In Germany, certified translations are produced by translators who have been authorised or sworn by a court – in everyday language, they are often simply called sworn translators.

In North Rhine-Westphalia, under the North Rhine-Westphalia Justice Act (Justizgesetz NRW), interpreters are generally sworn (allgemein beeidigt) and translators are authorised (ermächtigt). The joint database of the federal states' justice administrations at justiz-dolmetscher.de shows who is approved for which language. We also offer certified translations for Vietnamese, Kazakh, Hindi and Dutch, for example. For very rare languages, we check in advance whether an authorised translator is available. Find out more on our page Certified translations.

When is video or telephone interpreting the better choice?

For rare languages, video or telephone interpreting is often the fastest solution, because the right interpreter does not have to live near you.

We interpret by video via Zoom, Microsoft Teams, Jitsi or our own secure video platform. The telephone is suitable for brief consultations at a medical practice, school or authority. Both options are often possible on the same day. For long negotiations, conversations with several participants or very personal matters, however, we recommend an on-site assignment.

Sign language

German Sign Language has been legally recognised as a language in its own right since 2002 (section 6 of the German Disability Equality Act, Behindertengleichstellungsgesetz). We arrange sign language interpreters for appointments on site and by video.

Why RAGUNATHAN?

• Since 1986

  Experience with assignments for authorities, courts, the police, hospitals and businesses.

• ISO 9001:2015

  Processes certified by TÜV SÜD; the owner is a member of the BDÜ – the German Federal Association of Interpreters and Translators.

• 170 languages and dialects

  A network of over 1,000 language professionals – for rare languages and dialects too.

• On site, by video, by phone

  Assignments throughout Germany, by video and phone often on the same day.

Not sure whether we cover your language? Call us on +49 208 99 04 77 (Mon–Fri 8:30 am – 4:30 pm) – we will advise you free of charge.