Prism Linguistics arranges professional Aramaic interpreters and certified Aramaic translation across Canada, mostly for refugee protection work at the Immigration and Refugee Board and for IRCC applications. Most Aramaic speakers here belong to the Assyrian, Chaldean and Syriac churches and trace their roots to Iraq, Syria, Iran and southeastern Turkey. The community is relatively small and dispersed nationwide, with the larger concentrations in and around the Greater Toronto Area and southwestern Ontario.
Last reviewed September 6, 2026 by the Prism Linguistics editorial team
An Aramaic interpreter is asked for most often in an IRB refugee hearing or an IRCC interview, and the first thing to settle is which variety a person speaks. Assyrian Neo-Aramaic and Chaldean Neo-Aramaic are Eastern varieties, while Turoyo, also called Surayt, comes from the Tur Abdin region of Turkey, and speakers of one do not always follow another. We ask for the variety when a booking is made so a claimant is heard in the language they think in rather than in an approximate match.
Beyond hearings, interpreters attend hospital and clinic appointments handled under PHIPA and PIPEDA, legal-aid consultations and settlement meetings anywhere in the country. Many Aramaic speakers also use Arabic, Persian or Turkish, but a witness giving evidence or an older patient describing symptoms is usually more precise in the mother tongue. The interpreter renders each turn in full and stays neutral rather than summarising.
Because the community across Canada is small, most sessions run by telephone or video, which lets us reach the right variety wherever the speaker lives instead of settling for the nearest available person. On-site attendance can be arranged in the larger centres when a suitable interpreter is within reach. We are a private agency, not a court-appointed body.
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.
Certified Aramaic translation turns on one practical fact: Aramaic is written in the Syriac script, in traditional hands such as the older Estrangela and the Eastern Madnhaya used by the Assyrian and Chaldean churches, and it reads right to left with vowels marked as small points. The states these families come from issue civil records in Arabic, Persian or Turkish, so a request for Aramaic translation is often really a request to translate those civil documents, while the genuinely Aramaic papers are church baptismal, marriage and membership certificates.
Names are the recurring difficulty, since a single name can be transliterated several ways across the Assyrian, Chaldean and Turoyo varieties. We keep the spelling consistent with the passport and note alternate forms against the original so a family reunification or permanent residence file reads as one person. Each translation is issued by a certified translator, or supported by a sworn affidavit before a commissioner of oaths where a receiving body prefers one, and acceptance ultimately depends on the receiving institution.
For documents rather than spoken interpreting, see certified Aramaic translation, our full Aramaic 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 Aramaic 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 Aramaic translation in the same cities:
Or browse every city we cover.
Neo-Aramaic dialects are still spoken by Assyrian and Chaldean Christian families, and Canada took in a substantial number after 2003 and again after 2014. Ontario, particularly Toronto and Windsor, has the largest communities. Work tends to be church baptismal and marriage records, Iraqi or Syrian civil documents, and refugee claim narratives for the IRB. The dialects differ enough that we confirm which variety is involved before assigning a linguist, since an interpreter for one is not reliably useful for another.
Yes. We arrange Aramaic interpreters for IRB hearings and IRCC interviews nationwide, usually by telephone or video given the small community, and on site in the larger centres where a suitable interpreter is near. We are a private agency, not a court-appointed body.
The Eastern varieties, Assyrian and Chaldean Neo-Aramaic, and the Central variety Turoyo, or Surayt. We ask which one a speaker uses at booking because they are not always mutually clear, and we match on that rather than assume one covers the rest.
Usually in Arabic, Persian or Turkish, because Iraq, Syria, Iran and Turkey issue civil records in the state language. We translate those, and separately handle Aramaic church records such as a baptismal certificate. Acceptance ultimately depends on the receiving institution.
We provide a certified translation by a qualified translator, or a translation supported by a sworn affidavit before a commissioner of oaths. The receiving institution, such as IRCC, the IRB or a provincial registry, makes the final decision on acceptance.
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 Aramaic interpreter and a firm price.