Somali is considered an East Cushitic ethnic language, primarily spoken in Somalia. The language is derived from a group of Afro-Asiatic languages spoken alongside Arabic and Italian. Located in eastern Africa, Somalia is bordered by the Indian Ocean and the Gulf of Aden. As such, it contains similarities to languages in neighboring regions, so call CIT to work with a Somali interpreter or translator who knows the difference.
CIT is available to assist you with your Somali needs in any realm. We can assist you in providing an in-person interpreter, over-the-phone interpreter and/or a document translation. Our qualified and professional linguists are available to assist you in breaking the communication barrier in industries like education, business, manufacturing, law, technology and countless more. No matter what setting you need a Somali translator or interpreter in, we can provide an expert.
Cal Interpreting & Translations (CIT) is a professional language service provider offering Somali translation and interpretation services across all major industries. We support communication in over 200 languages, with a specialized focus on certified Somali translation and interpreter support. Our services are customized to meet specific industry requirements, including legal, healthcare, immigration, education, government, and business sectors. We offer access to court-certified interpreters, ensure HIPAA compliance, uphold strict confidentiality standards, and meet all USCIS translation requirements.
Somali is part of the Cushitic branch of the Afro-Asiatic language family and features two primary dialects: Af Maay and Af Maxaa. These dialects differ significantly in both structure and usage, making native-level fluency essential for accurate communication. CIT supports the Somali-American community, immigrant populations, and refugee programs by providing Somali language services tailored to regional dialects and cultural contexts. Effective Somali interpretation and translation require not only linguistic fluency but also cultural competence to ensure respectful and accurate communication. Somali is both an official and national language of Somalia and is also widely spoken in Ethiopia, Kenya, and Djibouti.
Somali is closely related to other Cushitic languages within the Afro-Asiatic family, including Oromo, Afar, Beja, Saho, and Sidamo, languages spoken throughout Ethiopia, Djibouti, Eritrea, and Sudan. These languages share core linguistic traits such as gendered nouns, case-based grammar, and complex verb conjugation systems. Somali is also distantly related to Semitic languages such as Amharic, Arabic, and Hebrew, which form another branch of the Afro-Asiatic family.
The Somali language is classified into three dialects – Northern, Central and Coastal. When looking deeper into the background of the language, most consider the dialects to be forgotten as they are from extremely exotic geographical areas.
Northern Somali – Spoken by 60% of the Somalian population. Northern Somali is where they are considered to speak proper Somali. Somalia is divided into three (3) linguistic regions which are Northern Somali proper, Darod group, and Lower Juba group.
Central Somali – Simultaneously referred to as the Rahanweyn Somalis, Central Somalia is divided into two (2) groups: the Digil and Maay. Digital consists of dialects known as Tunni, Garre, Dabarre, and Jiddu, which is considered the most ungraspable and the hardest to understand. Maay is made up of the Northern and Bur Hakaba dialects.
Coastal Somali – Known as the Benadir Coast, the dialects of Somali spoken in this region are split between two (2) dialects: Benadir and Ashraf. The Benadir coast stretches from Hoboyo to the South of Merca. The Benadir dialect of the Somali language consists of the Northern and Southern language, whereas the Ashraaf dialect is made up of the Shingani and Lower Shabelle.
Professional Somali translators at CIT are qualified to provide certified Somali translations for a wide range of official and legal purposes. These translations are often required for USCIS applications and play a vital role in legal cases, immigration processes, medical care, academic evaluations, and access to essential public services. Our certified Somali translation services include:
CIT frequently translates documents such as birth and marriage certificates, asylum applications, academic transcripts, medical records, legal contracts, business documents, and driver’s licenses. Many of our Somali translators are certified by the American Translators Association (ATA), and all translations are carried out under strict confidentiality protocols and HIPAA compliance, when applicable.
To ensure accuracy and consistency in technical content, CIT Somali translators utilize translation memory tools and terminology management systems. These technologies enhance efficiency and maintain consistency across recurring terms, particularly in legal, medical, and government translation projects. Our team has extensive experience translating legal documents, medical device materials, and business content tailored to the needs of clients across various industries.
CIT’s Somali interpreter services support real-time communication across a variety of settings, including legal, medical, immigration, educational, and business environments. Each Somali interpreter is trained in both simultaneous and consecutive interpreting, ensuring accurate and effective spoken language support in any scenario.
CIT offers Somali interpreting services in a variety of formats to meet diverse client needs:
Remote interpreting
Over-the-phone interpreting (OPI)
Our Somali interpreting services cover a broad range of settings, including:
Court interpreting – Provided by court-certified interpreters for use in judicial proceedings
Legal interpreting – For depositions, attorney consultations, and client interviews
Healthcare interpreting – Performed in hospitals and clinics in full compliance with HIPAA regulations
Immigration interpreting – For USCIS interviews, asylum hearings, and legal screenings
Educational interpreting – Supporting communication with Somali-speaking students and families in schools and universities
Conference interpreting – For multilingual events in both public and private sectors
Government interpreting – Ensuring language access for civic services and public agencies
Somali interpreting services are essential for providing language access, facilitating real-time communication between service providers and Somali-speaking individuals. Our interpreters work in diverse settings, including courtroom proceedings and hospital emergency rooms, where clear and accurate communication is critical.
CIT offers Somali translation and interpreting services to clients across a wide range of sectors, each with unique language access requirements:
Law firms rely on certified Somali translations for legal documents and court-certified interpreters for courtroom and legal proceedings.
Hospitals depend on Somali healthcare interpreting and certified medical translation services, both strictly adhering to HIPAA compliance and confidentiality standards.
Immigration attorneys utilize certified Somali translation and interpreting services to meet USCIS translation requirements.
Schools and universities benefit from educational translation and interpreting services that facilitate communication with Somali-speaking families during admissions, parent meetings, and IEP processes.
Government agencies require reliable government translation and interpreting services to meet accessibility standards and effectively serve diverse Somali-speaking communities.
Nonprofit organizations utilize Somali language services to support refugee programs, case management, legal clinics, and access to essential healthcare, food, and housing services.
Anyone who has attempted to learn the Somali language can testify to the difficulty of learning the language. There are a few ways that the Somalian language uses to indicate the location of the interest or focus. For instance, the usage of the words baa, ayaa, and waxaa puts the attention on the nouns and phrases. The word waa pulls the attention to the verbs and verb phrase. Typically, in the Somalian language, sentences are formed in the order of Subject, Object, Verb. Nouns provide the tone, both feminine and masculine, of the sentence.
Absolutive case – known as the basic form of Somalian nouns where the word maintains the vowel
Nominative case – part of the sentence where the article takes the vowel; in cases of multiple nouns, only the last noun is to take the ending of the word
Genitive case – expressed by the tonal change of the word, including the feminine nouns that consist of the final consonant of the root word
Vocative case – designated by the suffixes and change in tone
Gender – usually obvious in its existence and does not require a rule
Pronouns are simple and comprised of short and objective forms of the noun.
Verbs – demonstrates a mood composed of four tenses, uses only with a modal verb and formed by an ending.
Infinitive/Verbal nouns – created through the suffix
Organizations choose CIT because we deliver Somali translation and interpreting services that adhere to the highest standards of certification, compliance, and cultural competency. As a comprehensive language service provider supporting over 200 languages, we offer tailored solutions for legal, medical, immigration, educational, government, and nonprofit sectors. Our certified Somali translations are completed by ATA-certified translators, and our interpreters are qualified to provide court-certified interpreting in all formats. We are dedicated to expanding language access, facilitating real-time communication, and supporting Somali-American communities, immigrant populations, and refugee programs nationwide.
To request certified Somali translation or to schedule interpreter services, contact Cal Interpreting & Translations. We offer Somali language solutions tailored to meet the specific needs of courts, hospitals, immigration offices, educational institutions, government agencies, and nonprofit organizations. Contact us today for a free quote and let our team help you overcome language barriers by providing expert translation and interpreting services with unmatched professionalism.
No matter what your needs may be, we can and are ready to assist you now. We have translators and interpreters standing by 24/7.
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Thank you for always being able to handle emergency interpreting assignments with ease. About Urgent Requests
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