Somali translation services
Written Somali when it serves; spoken when Maay Maay is what people use.
Somali at a glance
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.
Somali has been written in the Latin alphabet since 1972. The written standard is based on Northern Somali, so for Maay Maay-speaking communities a written Standard Somali document may not land — we flag when spoken formats are the better route.
Somali has around 24 million speakers in Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, and the diaspora. We cover the varieties listed here and can match a linguist to a specific region or community on request.
- Native name
- Soomaali
- Script
- Latin alphabet (since 1972)
- Greeting
- Iska warran? (“how are you?” — a common greeting)
- Speakers
- 24M+
- Language family
- Afro-Asiatic, Cushitic
- Spoken in
- Somalia, Ethiopia, Kenya, United States, UK, Sweden
- Dialects and varieties
- Northern Somali (Standard), Benadiri, Maay Maay
Somali translation, for every kind of text
Every project is matched to a linguist who knows the subject, then checked against the source before delivery.
Document translation
Contracts, records, manuals and forms translated between Somali and English by a linguist who knows the subject.
Certified translation
A complete Somali translation with a signed statement of accuracy, for immigration, court and academic submissions.
Website & app localization
Websites, apps and campaigns adapted for Somali-speaking audiences, with terminology kept consistent from one release to the next.
Where Somali translation is needed most
We match each project on language pair and subject, so terminology, names and numbers come through exactly as they should.
- Refugee resettlement
- Healthcare & clinical
- K-12 family liaison
- Asylum & immigration
Often requested alongside Somali
Need something translated to or from Somali?
Send us the files, the language pair and your deadline. We'll reply with a price and turnaround.