Prism Linguistics provides certified English translation of the Arabic civil records that Nubian speakers from Egypt and Sudan actually hold, and Nubian interpreters in Nobiin or Kenzi-Dongolawi for asylum interviews, court hearings and medical appointments in Chicago and across the United States.
Nubian Interpreters in Chicago
Our Nubian interpreters in Chicago are professional, experienced linguists who work in asylum offices, immigration and state courts, hospitals and attorneys' offices, and who are assigned by language, Nobiin or Kenzi-Dongolawi, rather than under the single label Nubian.
Nobiin or Kenzi-Dongolawi? They are not the same language. Nobiin, spoken in southern Egypt and by the Mahas and Halfawi of northern Sudan, had around 690,000 speakers on 2023 figures; Kenzi in Egypt and Dongolawi in Sudan are one language under two names with far fewer speakers, and the two are not mutually intelligible, so we ask which group the speaker belongs to. Almost every Nubian also speaks Arabic, and a working-age applicant may prefer an Arabic interpreter; an elderly relative, or an asylum applicant whose account turns on the displacement from the flooded villages, needs Nubian. In-person Nubian interpreters are scarce here, so assignment is usually by phone or video. No state runs a court certification exam in any Nubian language; courts use a qualified Nubian interpreter, and courts come to us for it. Federally funded hospitals must provide one at no cost. At USCIS the Nubian interpreter renders each answer as given.
For an in-person assignment in Chicago we assign a Nubian interpreter based in or near the city. Telephone and video interpreting can usually be arranged the same day. We serve courts, attorneys, hospitals, USCIS applicants and private individuals; we are a private agency, not a court-appointed vendor, and we say so up front.
Nubian Court, Medical and USCIS Interpreters in Chicago
Prism Linguistics supplies experienced Nubian interpreters in Chicago for asylum interviews, court hearings, depositions and medical appointments, matched to Nobiin or Kenzi-Dongolawi and usually working by phone or video, together with certified translation of the Arabic birth certificates and ID cards that go with those cases.
Chicago is the seat of Cook County, and Illinois runs one unified trial court, so there is no separate municipal court. The Circuit Court of Cook County hears felonies in its Criminal Division and larger civil suits in its Law Division, while its Municipal Department, First District, covering the city, takes misdemeanors, traffic offences, evictions, small claims and felony preliminary hearings. Our only office is in New York; a linguist near Chicago covers in-person work.
The most common languages among Chicago Public Schools families are Spanish, Polish, Arabic and Chinese, and the district also publishes in Tagalog, Ukrainian, Urdu and Vietnamese. Beyond that list the city holds one of the world's largest Assyrian communities, speaking Neo-Aramaic, and a Rohingya community with its own culture center. Illinois courts have been documented falling short on Q'anjob'al interpreters, with Mam and K'iche' also in demand and thousands of Mayan speakers living downstate. Rare languages like these are why courts approach Prism.
Local Nubian Interpreting Services in Chicago
Local Nubian interpreting services in Chicago and the surrounding area come from the same nationwide network of Nubian interpreters, so a court, clinic or attorney in any of the cities below books a Nobiin or Dongolawi speaker the same way.
Our only office is in New York. For in-person work in Chicago we assign a Nubian interpreter who is based in or near the city, and the same Nubian linguists cover the surrounding area:
Nubian to English Translation Services in Chicago
Certified Nubian to English translation at Prism starts with a scan of what the family holds, and it is rarely in Nubian. Our Nubian translators handle the Arabic record in full and any statement written in Nobiin or Kenzi-Dongolawi, for USCIS, an immigration judge or an attorney, and read the place names for the history behind them.
Nubian speakers hold Arabic documents. Neither Egypt nor Sudan issues civil records in a Nubian language. An Egyptian Nubian brings a computerised birth certificate and national ID card, in Arabic, from the Civil Status Department of the Ministry of Interior; a Sudanese Nubian from around Wadi Halfa or Dongola brings a birth certificate from Sudan's Civil Registry, also under a Ministry of Interior. We translate the Arabic record in full with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy. The Nubian layer is in the place names. About 50,000 Egyptian Nubians were moved to new villages near Kom Ombo in 1964 when the Aswan High Dam flooded their homeland, so one family's papers can name both a drowned village and a resettlement village, and a Nubian translator who misses that loses the thread of an asylum account. Nubian has no single written form, so where a family has written something in Nubian we ask which script they used.
Every certified Nubian translation is a complete, word-for-word rendering with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy, prepared to meet USCIS requirements. It is done from a clear scan, so a client in Chicago gets the same translator, the same price and the same turnaround as one anywhere else in the country. See certified Nubian translation for the document service in full.
How to Book a Nubian Interpreter in Chicago
- Send the document or the appointment details. A phone photo is fine for a quote; a clean scan is needed for the certified copy. For interpreting, tell us the date, the setting and where the speaker is from.
- Get a fixed price within 60 minutes during business hours, and a named Nubian linguist for interpreting work.
- Receive the translation by email as a signed PDF, with a paper copy by mail on request, or confirm the interpreter and the time.
Get a free Nubian interpreting quote or call +1 (833) 282 8883
About the Nubian Language
Nubian refers to a group of related languages spoken by perhaps 1 million people across northern Sudan and southern Egypt, the historical homeland of the ancient Nubian civilisation, with a written tradition stretching back over a millennium. The major modern varieties include Nobiin, Dongolawi, and Kenzi. The US Nubian-speaking community is small and concentrated in areas that received Sudanese asylum resettlement. Our Nubian translation work is occasional and typically tied to USCIS asylum and refugee documentation.
Nubian Interpreting in Chicago: FAQs
Do you translate Nubian birth certificates?
Nubian families hold Arabic birth certificates, because neither Egypt nor Sudan issues civil records in Nubian. We translate the Arabic record in full with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy, spell names to match the passport, and translate any Nubian-language letter filed with it.
Which Nubian language do your interpreters speak?
Both Nobiin and Kenzi-Dongolawi, but not interchangeably, because the two are not mutually intelligible. Tell us where the family is from and we assign the right one, usually by phone or video. We are a private agency, not a court-appointed vendor.
Do you have an office in Chicago?
No. Our only office is in New York. Nubian translation is done remotely from a scan, so location makes no difference to the document work. For in-person interpreting in Chicago we assign a Nubian interpreter who is based in or near the city, and phone or video interpreting is available anywhere in the United States.
Related Nubian Services
Why Choose Us
We Are Committed to Excellence
Every assignment follows our TEP workflow for written work – translation, editing, proofreading – with a free revision policy, and every interpreting booking is managed by a dedicated coordinator to meet regulatory and client requirements.
Professional Nubian Linguists
Our Nubian interpreters are vetted for fluency, subject-matter expertise and professional ethics, and certified translation work is handled by certified translators who are members of provincial bodies under CTTIC.
We Provide Excellent Customer Service
We are available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year – including American statutory holidays. Confidentiality is protected in line with HIPAA on every assignment.