Prism Linguistics arranges professional Acholi interpreters and, where it is needed, certified Acholi translation across Canada. Acholi is a Nilotic language of northern Uganda and South Sudan, and most people who speak it here arrived through refugee and family-reunification routes, so the work is led by hearings and interviews rather than paperwork. The community is small and spread across several provinces, and a good deal of the interpreting is handled nationwide by telephone and video.
Last reviewed September 6, 2026 by the Prism Linguistics editorial team
At the Immigration and Refugee Board an Acholi interpreter often carries testimony about displacement and loss, and keeping the same interpreter across linked sittings helps a witness who is recounting difficult events. For IRCC interviews and legal-aid consultations we confirm with the specific court or tribunal what it requires in advance, because interpreter arrangements differ by province and by case type. Prism is a private agency, not a court-appointed body.
In hospitals and mental-health settings an Acholi interpreter renders each statement in full rather than summarising, which matters when a clinician is taking a history through an interpreter. One matching point runs through all of this work: Acholi belongs to the Luo group and is close to Lango, but it is distinct from the Luo spoken in Kenya, so telling us the speaker's home area avoids a related but wrong variety. Sessions are available in person in the larger centres and by telephone or video anywhere in the country.
Common settings include legal and court interpreting, medical and hospital interpreting, IRCC and Immigration and Refugee Board (IRB) interviews, and police and enforcement work. See all on-site interpreting options or start a free quote.
Uganda conducts official business in English, so an Acholi family's birth, marriage and school certificates usually arrive in English already and need no translation. The certified work that does come up tends to involve handwritten church, clan or local-council letters, or South Sudanese papers filed in support of a claim, which we translate in full into English or French.
Where a civil record was never issued or was lost during the years of conflict, a sworn affidavit before a commissioner of oaths can accompany the translation to set out how a name or date was established. Each translation is issued by a certified translator or supported by that affidavit, and acceptance ultimately depends on the receiving institution such as IRCC or the IRB.
For documents rather than spoken interpreting, see certified Acholi translation, our full Acholi translation services, or general document translation. Every translation moves through our TEP workflow — translation, editing and proofreading by separate linguists — with free revisions.
An interpreter attends in person for hearings, medical appointments and meetings. On-site interpreting
Same-day, often within minutes, for calls, intake and urgent situations. Phone interpreting
Telehealth, remote hearings and sign language, anywhere in Canada. Video interpreting
Simultaneous interpreting for events and multilingual meetings. Conference interpreting
Legal consultations, settlement services and private appointments. Private interpreting
ASL and LSQ interpreting for accessible appointments and events. Sign language
We arrange Acholi interpreters in cities across every province and territory — on site in the major centres and by telephone or video everywhere else:
Need documents translated locally? We provide certified Acholi translation in the same cities:
Or browse every city we cover.
Northern Uganda and South Sudan are home to around 1.5 million Acholi speakers - a Luo language closely related to Lango and Alur in the Western Nilotic subgroup. The Acholi community in Canada is small and concentrated in cities that received South Sudanese and Ugandan refugee resettlement, including Toronto, Calgary, and Winnipeg. Most of our Acholi translation work is refugee documentation for IRCC applications and IRB hearings tied to South Sudan's civil conflicts, alongside the school and healthcare paperwork that comes with refugee resettlement. Acholi is written in the Latin alphabet.
Often not, since Uganda issues records in English. We can review the file and translate only handwritten or non-English parts, or provide a certified statement if a receiving body asks for one.
Acholi is a Luo language of northern Uganda, close to Lango but separate from the Luo of Kenya. Tell us the speaker's home area and we match the right variety.
Telephone interpreting can often be set up quickly, while on-site attendance in the larger centres usually needs a few business days. Because the community is dispersed, many sessions run by video.
A sworn affidavit before a commissioner of oaths can accompany the file to explain how a name or date was established. Acceptance ultimately depends on the receiving institution.
Tell us the language, the setting and the date through our quote form or by phone. We return a written quote with the exact price and turnaround, usually within 60 minutes during business hours, before you commit.
Tell us the setting, the city and the date, and we will confirm a qualified Acholi interpreter and a firm price.