Swahili translation services

Swahili translation is priced per word for text and per minute for audiovisual, depending on volume, subject matter and turnaround, with agreeing how times of day are rendered included as part of the brief rather than billed as an extra step. Send your files and we will come back with a free, itemised quote, backed by our Price Match Promise.

Yes. Native Swahili linguists handle every translation, and a second native linguist independently reviews each text, checking every time of day against the source so that none has been carried across as a literal number.

Yes — Swahili translation, subtitling and voice over all come from one team, working to a single glossary and one time convention throughout, so the narrator never says one hour while the subtitle shows another.

It counts the hours from about 7 a.m. rather than from midnight. 7 a.m. is saa moja asubuhi, the first hour of the morning; 8 a.m. is saa mbili; 1 p.m. is saa saba mchana. In practice you add or subtract six hours and name the part of the day.

Wherever a time is spoken or written out in words, the Swahili count applies, so saa mbili asubuhi rather than a literal eight. Figures in on-screen graphics, schedules or bookings can stay as figures, as long as the text around them does not mix the two systems. We agree the convention at the brief.

Yes — audiovisual is our specialisation. We deliver spotted SRT/VTT and timed two-column voice-over scripts, plus translated text when you need it.

A native linguist can check them against the English source. The error is easy to miss because the Swahili is fluent — saa nane reads perfectly well, it just means 2 p.m. instead of 8 a.m. A targeted check of times and schedules is usually the first thing we do with legacy files.

Yes. Swahili is the national language of Kenya and one of its two official languages, and in Tanzania its standard is overseen by BAKITA, the National Swahili Council. We translate into standard Swahili and confirm the market at the brief.

Most short documents are delivered within 24 to 48 hours. Word count, subject complexity and turnaround all move the date, and your project manager will confirm the timeline at the start.

Less than people expect: the document, script or subtitle file, its word count, what the text is actually for, and the date you need it by. A draft is fine — we would rather quote on what exists than wait for a final version that eats your deadline. A named project manager comes back with an itemised quote, normally within four working hours.

More than half of enquiries get a reply within thirty minutes during office hours (Monday to Friday, 9am to 6pm UK time), and the itemised quote normally follows within four working hours. After that you have one dedicated project manager who owns the job from brief to final file — not a ticket queue, and not a different name on every email. If it is easier, call +44 207 095 5730 and ask for them by name.

Yes, and it is one of the commonest reasons people get in touch. Tell us it is for a pitch and you get a figure you can put in front of your own client, itemised so it stands up to being picked apart, with no obligation and no follow-up sales calls if the pitch goes elsewhere. If it lands, the quote still holds and we already know the project.