Somali· Soomaali
Standard Somali or Maay Maay. We do not treat them as one.
Standard Somali and Maay Maay are separate staffing requests. We connect you with Somali interpreters by phone, video, or on-site — 24/7.
Iska warran?
How Somali shows up in the work.
Somali is essential for any refugee-resettlement or East-African community-services program in the US. We staff both Standard Somali and Maay Maay — they're not always mutually intelligible.
Live language access
Somali communication with the right context in the room.
The speaker, setting, dialect, and communication mode are considered before an interpreter is matched.
Where it's spoken
- Somalia
- Ethiopia
- Kenya
- United States
- UK
- Sweden
Major dialects we cover
- Northern Somali (Standard)
- Benadiri
- Maay Maay
Script & family
- Writing system
- Latin alphabet (since 1972)
- Direction
- Left to right
- Language family
- Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic
What good Somali interpretation takes.
Standard Somali and Maay Maay are separate staffing requests. The two are not always mutually intelligible, and Somali carries a strong oral tradition — spoken interpretation is often the most effective channel for reaching Somali communities.
How we handle Somali
- Interpreters matched to the speaker's dialect and region
- Clinical, legal, and community-register fluency
- Consecutive and simultaneous modes available
- Live coverage around the clock, every day
Three ways to reach a Somali interpreter.
Audio-only Somali for clinics, courts, and contact centers — typically on the line in under a minute.
No app, no camera, no scheduling. The workhorse for short, urgent conversations.
Face-to-face Somali for consent, testimony, and family meetings — where tone and expression carry part of the meaning.
The remote option when you need to see each other, including ASL when that’s the language in the room.
Somali interpreters in the room — depositions, IEP meetings, and events, consecutive or simultaneous.
For the day that has to happen in person, or the event that needs a booth.
Where our Somali interpreters work.
- Refugee resettlement
- Healthcare & clinical
- K-12 family liaison
- Asylum & immigration
Often requested alongside Somali.
Need Somali on the line by tomorrow?
Tell us the setting, the Somali variety you need, and your schedule. We'll come back same-day with a plan.