A small Philippine language, taken seriously: Gaddang interpreters for court, USCIS and hospital work across the US, plus certified translation of Philippine records.
Prism Linguistics provides Gaddang interpreters, almost always by phone or video, for naturalization and USCIS interviews, court hearings and medical appointments anywhere in the United States, with an Ilocano or Tagalog interpreter offered when that is the honest fit, together with certified English translation of the Philippine records and supporting papers a family from Isabela or Nueva Vizcaya files.
Last reviewed September 2, 2026 by Sarah J, Prism Linguistics
A Gaddang interpreter is one of the rarer requests we take, and we treat it as a real one. Gaddang is spoken along the Cagayan and Magat rivers in Isabela and Nueva Vizcaya, in the northern Philippines, by perhaps 30,000 people, nearly all of whom also speak Ilocano and Tagalog. Our one office is in New York, our interpreters are assigned by location, and for a language this small the assignment is almost always by phone or video.
The person who needs Gaddang rather than Ilocano is usually the oldest person in the room. A petitioner in Los Angeles or Honolulu handles the interview in English; the parent being petitioned for, from Solano or Bayombong, will describe a childhood or a diagnosis in Gaddang because that is the language it happened in. Younger speakers have shifted to Ilocano and Tagalog far enough that the language is classed as definitely endangered, so the pool of interpreters is small and mostly older too.
Gaddang, Ga'dang, Ilocano: we sort out which before we assign. Forms come in reading Gadang or Ga'dang, and the Ga'dang of the Nueva Vizcaya uplands is a related but distinct language whose speakers are not served by a lowland Gaddang interpreter. We ask the family's town. Then we ask the practical question: would an Ilocano interpreter, far easier to place in person, serve this speaker honestly? Often yes. When the answer is no, we book Gaddang and say plainly that it will be remote.
No state certifies interpreters in Gaddang, so a court qualifies one on the record and, given how few exist, usually does so by phone or video. The request is typically a guardianship, probate or family matter where an elderly Gaddang speaker is a party or witness and the court's own roster runs out at Tagalog. That is where a private agency earns its place. We serve courts and attorneys as a private agency rather than a court-appointed vendor, and we tell the clerk in advance whether the interpreter will be Gaddang or Ilocano.
A hospital in Daly City or Honolulu will find Tagalog on staff and assume the job is done. For a Gaddang-speaking elder describing pain, dizziness or a lifetime of medication, it is not. Federally funded providers must supply an interpreter in the language the patient understands at no cost, and a Gaddang interpreter on a video cart at the bedside meets that where nothing else will. For a routine visit with a bilingual family present, we say so and suggest Ilocano instead.
The USCIS request is nearly always a naturalization interview for an applicant old enough, and resident long enough, to be exempt from the English test, who still answers the civics and eligibility questions through an interpreter. The applicant may bring their own. We supply a Gaddang speaker briefed to render every answer as spoken, or an Ilocano interpreter where the applicant is comfortable in it and the family wants someone in the room.
There is rarely a Gaddang document. The Philippine Statistics Authority issues birth, marriage and death certificates in English and USCIS takes them as issued; the local civil registrar's English copy fills in when the PSA record is missing or wrong. Translation enters with the supporting papers, a barangay certification, an affidavit of two disinterested persons, a baptismal record from a parish in Isabela, and those are in Tagalog or Ilocano far more often than in Gaddang. The occasional Gaddang letter or handwritten declaration goes to a Gaddang translator. Whichever language it is, the certification names the source, the document is translated complete, names are spelled to the passport, and a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy is attached. Details at certified translation; for the mainstream Philippine document set see the Tagalog page.
Tell us the date, the city and the setting, or send a clear scan of the document. We reply with a fixed price and, for interpreting, a named linguist. Call +1 (833) 282 8883, email info@prismlinguistics.com, or use the quote form and you will hear back within 60 minutes during business hours.
Our only office is in New York, and our Gaddang interpreters work nationwide. For in-person work we assign someone based in or near the city. These are the areas where Gaddang work is concentrated; the full list of 288 cities is below it.
Prism Linguistics is rated 4.6 out of 5 across 67 client reviews for its interpreting and translation work in the United States. That is the company-wide figure; we do not publish a separate rating per language because there is no honest way to measure one. If a Gaddang assignment ever falls short, tell us and we put it right.