Krio Interpreter

Prism Language Solutions supplies Krio interpreters for court hearings, medical appointments and USCIS and asylum interviews across the United States, in person where a Krio linguist is near the venue and by phone or video everywhere else. Krio is the creole language of Sierra Leone, with a grammar of its own, and we book it as a language in its own right rather than letting an English interpreter stand in.

The American Community Survey counts a little over 34,000 people born in Sierra Leone living in the United States, and the heaviest concentration is around Washington, in Maryland suburbs such as Landover, Lanham and Silver Spring. That is where most in-person Krio work lands. The rest of the country is covered by video, which for a language this size is often the fastest honest answer.

The mistake with Krio is made before anyone calls us. A clerk hears English words in a Sierra Leonean’s speech, marks the file English, and moves on. Krio borrows most of its vocabulary from English, but tense, aspect and negation work differently, so a person can follow half a question and answer the half they caught. Put the choice to the person who will be speaking, and book the language they pick for giving evidence.

Certified translations prepared to meet USCIS requirements
Human linguists only, matched to the subject
Fixed written quote within 60 minutes in business hours
One office in New York, linguists in every state

Krio Interpreter or English Interpreter: Which to Book

If the person handles English at work and says so, English may be fine for a benefits call. For anything recorded and relied on, the test is different: can they follow a compound question from a stranger at speed, with no chance to ask for it again? A courtroom and an asylum interview both fail that test for many people who are perfectly comfortable in everyday English.

We would rather you book Krio and have the person decline it on the day than find out from a transcript that an answer meant something else. The cost difference on a two-hour appointment is small next to a continuance. Where the person tells you their first language is Mende or Temne rather than Krio, say so, because we book those separately on the Mende and Temne side.

Krio Asylum Interview Interpreter

Affirmative asylum applicants have been responsible for their own interpreter again from 13 September 2023, with USCIS listening in through a contract monitor on the phone. Under 8 CFR 208.9(g) the interpreter has to be at least 18 and fluent in English and the applicant’s language, and cannot be the attorney, a witness in the case or a representative of the applicant’s government. A cousin who speaks both is allowed on paper and is a poor choice in practice.

What the officer needs is the account exactly as given. Our Krio interpreters render each answer whole, in the order it was said, including the false starts and the corrections, because those are part of how credibility is judged. Book when the interview notice arrives, not the week before, and give the date and the asylum office location in the USCIS interview interpreting request.

Krio Court Interpreter for State and Immigration Courts

No state court system runs a certification exam in Krio. A judge who needs one qualifies the interpreter on the record, from training and experience, and federal courts would place a Krio interpreter in the professionally qualified or language skilled category rather than the certified one. Before the hearing, the clerk gets a short note of the Krio interpreter’s training and court history, so the voir dire takes minutes.

In immigration court the government arranges the hearing interpreter itself. Attorneys retain us for everything around that hearing: client preparation, the declaration, witness interviews and a second pair of ears on what was said on the record. For criminal, family and civil matters in state court, the court or counsel books us directly through court interpreting.

Krio Medical Interpreter for Hospitals and Clinics

A provider that takes federal health funding owes a Krio-speaking patient language assistance at no charge under 45 CFR 92.201, and may not lean on a relative except in an emergency. That rule matters most with older Sierra Leonean patients, who are often brought in by an adult child who then does the talking. The child means well. The clinician still hears a summary.

Video handles a follow-up or a medication review. For a new diagnosis, a consent conversation or a mental health assessment, we try to place someone in the room, which is realistic around Washington and Baltimore and harder elsewhere. The medical interpreting page covers how hospitals book us.

Krio Interpreting by Phone and Video

Most Krio assignments outside the Washington area run remotely. Pick video remote interpreting when the Krio interpreter needs to see the speaker, as in testimony or a psychological evaluation. Phone interpreting works for scheduling, intake and short attorney calls. Urgent Krio calls reach an intake desk that is staffed 24 hours a day, though a session planned a week out is easier to fill with the right person.

Krio Interpreter Cost and What to Send

As a guide, in-person Krio work sits in the typical US market range of $45 to $95 an hour, with a two-hour minimum; your written quote is the figure that counts, and it comes back within 60 minutes in business hours. Send the date, the city or the platform, the setting and the expected length through the quote form, or call +1 (833) 282 8883. If the case also has Krio statements, messages or recordings that need certifying, those go through Krio translation.

Ready to start? Send the document or the booking details through the quote form, call +1 (833) 282 8883, or email info@prismlinguistics.com. You get a fixed written price within 60 minutes during business hours.

Questions we get asked

Is Krio just broken English?

No. Krio is a creole with its own grammar, drawing words from English, Yoruba, Igbo and Portuguese. A listener who knows only English catches familiar words and misreads the grammar around them, which is why a Krio interpreter is booked for testimony, asylum and medical decisions.

Can USCIS provide a Krio interpreter for my asylum interview?

Not for an affirmative asylum interview. The applicant has brought the interpreter since 13 September 2023, and that person must be at least 18 and fluent in English and Krio. USCIS supplies only a monitor who listens by phone. Book a professional Krio interpreter as soon as the interview notice arrives.

Do you have Krio interpreters outside the Washington area?

Yes, by video and phone anywhere in the country, and in person where a Krio linguist is within reach of the venue. Tell us the city and date and we say at quote stage which of those it will be.

Is there a certified Krio court interpreter?

Nobody holds one: Krio has no court interpreter exam in any state. Judges qualify the interpreter on the record instead, and we provide the interpreter’s training and court experience in advance for that purpose.