Tama Interpreter

Prism Language Solutions arranges Tama interpreters for asylum and credible fear interviews, immigration court preparation, state court matters and medical appointments across the United States, almost always by phone or video because the pool of Tama linguists here is very small. We check that the speaker’s language is Tama and not a related language of the same group, and we book Arabic only when the speaker asks for it.

Tama has around 63,000 speakers in Dar Tama, the area around Guéréda in Chad’s Wadi Fira province that runs across the border into Darfur. It belongs to the Taman group of Nilo-Saharan languages alongside Mararit, Miisiirii and Sungor, and it is not related to Arabic, whatever the neighbors speak in the market.

• 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

Tama Interpreter or Arabic Interpreter

Chadian and Sudanese Arabic serve as trade languages across the region, so a Tama speaker who worked in markets may handle an intake in Arabic well enough for a scheduler to close the request. The difficulty appears later, when the questions reach what happened in the village, and the account comes through a second language under pressure.

The decision is the speaker’s. Put the question of which language to use for the interview to the speaker directly. Where the answer is Arabic, we staff an Arabic interpreter and say so on the booking; where it is Tama, we look for Tama and accept that this usually means a video or phone line.

Tama, Mararit or Miisiirii: Checking the Interpreter Request

Registration staff in a camp or detention facility often write Tama for any language of the group, because it is the name they have heard. Mararit and Miisiirii are separate languages, and Miisiirii, though sometimes listed as a Tama dialect, is linguistically distant. Within Tama itself there are several dialects, including Orra, Girga, Haura, Erenga and Mileere, though the northern and southern forms are close.

So we check the home area before assigning. If the only available linguist speaks a neighboring language of the group rather than Tama, we say that plainly before the date and let the attorney decide, instead of letting the limit appear halfway through an interview.

Tama Asylum and Credible Fear Interpreter

Credible fear screenings run by phone or video from detention, which is also how Tama is most practically staffed. Affirmative asylum interviews are staffed by the applicant, with 8 CFR 208.9(g) setting the minimum for the interpreter: 18 or older, fluent in English and the applicant’s language, and not the attorney, a witness or a representative of the government the applicant fled. USCIS monitors by phone.

Where the account involves violence against a woman, ask at booking whether she wants a female interpreter; with so few Tama interpreters we cannot promise one, and we would rather tell you in advance than have an applicant find out in the room. Every Tama answer is rendered as given, and a gap is flagged rather than filled. Booking runs through USCIS interview interpreting.

Tama Interpreter for Immigration Court and State Courts

No state runs a Tama certification exam, so a court qualifies the interpreter on the record, and we supply the interpreter’s background and exact language in advance. Immigration courts arrange hearing interpreters through their contractors, often on a telephone line. Attorneys retain us for the client meetings, declaration drafting and witness preparation where the case is really built, and state courts book us directly through court interpreting.

Tama Medical Interpreter by Phone and Video

Refugee health screenings, forensic medical evaluations supporting an asylum claim and mental health intake are the medical settings where Tama comes up. A provider taking federal health funds owes the patient language assistance at no charge under 45 CFR 92.201, which is worth saying when a clinic proposes to use a relative. Our first choice is video remote interpreting, so the interpreter can see the patient; phone interpreting covers scheduling and short follow-ups.

Tama Interpreter Booking and Cost

Because Tama is so rare in the US, the most useful thing you can do is book as soon as a date exists. Send the date, the setting, the speaker’s home area and any gender preference through the quote form, or call +1 (833) 282 8883, and we reply with who is actually available rather than confirming and improvising later. On the rare occasion someone can attend in person, the guide is the typical US market range of $45 to $95 an hour with a two-hour minimum; the written quote, sent within 60 minutes in business hours, sets the price.

Chadian records in French or Arabic and Sudanese Arabic certificates are handled as translation work, and Tama statements or recordings go to Tama translation.

Questions we get asked