Twi Interpreter

Prism Language Solutions supplies Twi interpreters for court hearings, depositions, medical appointments and USCIS interviews across the United States, in person, by phone or by video. Asante Twi is our default, and we match Akuapem or Fante speakers to their own variety when the speaker’s home town calls for it.

The American Community Survey for 2015 to 2019 estimated about 178,400 Ghanaian immigrants in the US, with the Bronx the largest single county at around 19,500, followed by Prince William County in Virginia, Franklin County in Ohio, Cook County in Illinois and Essex County in New Jersey. The Census Bureau began coding Akan separately from other African languages only in 2016, so older language figures hide much of this community.

English is Ghana’s official language, which shapes who calls us. The working-age client is often comfortable in English. The Twi request comes for a parent who joined the family later, for a witness whose office English will not hold under cross-examination, or for a patient who wants to hear a diagnosis in the language of home. When someone asks for Twi, take it seriously.

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

Twi Interpreter for Naturalization and USCIS Interviews

Older Ghanaian parents are a large part of our Twi USCIS work. Under the 50/20 and 55/15 rules, a parent aged 50 with 20 years of permanent residence, or aged 55 with 15 years, is exempt from the English requirement and may take the civics test in Twi, but USCIS expects the applicant to bring an interpreter fluent in both languages. A grandchild is not the ideal choice, however willing.

Adjustment interviews for a sponsored parent or spouse, and the occasional asylum interview, make up the rest. Our interpreters render the question as asked and the answer as given, without explaining or improving either. Some older applicants find that abrupt, so we suggest the family explain it beforehand. Book through USCIS interview interpreting.

Asante Twi, Akuapem or Fante Interpreter

Akan has three literary traditions. Asante Twi, from the Kumasi region, is what most Ghanaians in the US speak. Akuapem is the older written standard, the basis of the nineteenth-century Akan Bible. Fante is the coastal variety with its own spelling history. Speakers of one follow the others in conversation, and Akan is tonal, so under the pressure of testimony or a medical history, vocabulary and tone differences start to cost precision.

For that reason we ask the home town. Kumasi and the Ashanti Region point to Asante Twi; Cape Coast and the Central Region point to Fante. Where a Fante-speaking witness is testifying, we look for a Fante interpreter and tell you plainly if the nearest option is Asante Twi. Related bookings are on the Akan page.

Twi Court Interpreter for Criminal, Family and Civil Cases

Twi has no state court certification exam, so ours are qualified by the judge after questioning on the record, and we give the clerk their training and experience in advance. We cover arraignments, family court, civil trials, depositions and arbitration, with the courts or counsel booking directly under court interpreting.

Recorded evidence is common in Twi cases: phone calls, voice notes and videos. If a recording will be played in court, have it transcribed and translated before the hearing through Twi translation, so the interpreter is not asked to render audio live from the witness stand.

Twi Medical Interpreter

Hospitals and clinics that take federal health funding owe a Twi-speaking patient an interpreter at no cost under 45 CFR 92.201, and should not rely on family outside an emergency. The instinct in many families is to let a grandchild interpret, and a grandchild will soften a prognosis out of love. That leaves the physician treating a patient who has not heard the diagnosis.

Phone interpreting covers a pharmacy question or a routine review. For a new diagnosis, consent to a procedure, obstetric care or a mental health assessment we send someone in person where we can. Hospitals can see how bookings work on medical interpreting.

Twi Interpreter Cost and Booking

In-person Twi is easiest to arrange around New York, northern New Jersey, the Washington suburbs, Columbus and Chicago, where the community is. Elsewhere we use video remote interpreting or phone. As a guide, a Twi interpreter in the room is priced within the typical US market range of $45 to $95 an hour, two hours minimum, and our written quote within 60 minutes in business hours is the fixed price.

Send the date, venue, setting, expected length and, where it matters, the speaker’s home town via the quote form, or call +1 (833) 282 8883.

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

My father speaks Fante. Will a Twi interpreter do?

In casual talk, usually yes. Testimony and a medical history are different, since a speaker under strain reaches for the words of his own variety, so we look for a Fante interpreter first once we know the home town, and say so if only Asante Twi is free.

Can my mother take the citizenship civics test in Twi?

If she qualifies for the 50/20 or 55/15 exemption, yes, and she must bring an interpreter fluent in English and Twi to the interview. We can supply that interpreter; book once the interview notice arrives.

Is there a certified Twi court interpreter?

Nobody can hold one, since no state tests Twi court interpreters. Qualification happens on the record, and we send the interpreter’s background beforehand so that takes minutes.