Prism Linguistics provides professional Quichua interpreters and certified translation across Canada, mainly for Immigration and Refugee Board hearings and IRCC interviews. Quichua, the northern Andean form of Quechua spoken mainly in Ecuador and also called Kichwa, is largely an oral language in official life, so document work usually runs through Spanish. Interpreting is where most demand sits.
Last reviewed September 6, 2026 by the Prism Linguistics editorial team
The main call for Quichua in Canada is interpreting, and it counts for most in refugee and immigration files. An Indigenous claimant may speak Spanish as a second language and give a fuller, more accurate account in Quichua, especially about land, family, community and fear of return, so an interpreter who works in the language rather than defaulting to Spanish can change what a hearing hears. We check which variety the speaker uses, because Highland Kichwa and southern Quechua do not swap freely.
Our Quichua interpreters work in Immigration and Refugee Board hearings, IRCC interviews, hospital and clinic appointments under PHIPA and PIPEDA, and legal and community matters. The interpreter renders in the first person and keeps the speaker's wording, joining by telephone or video anywhere in Canada and in person in the larger centres where one is available. Prism is a private agency, not a court-appointed vendor.
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.
The Andean states register births, marriages and deaths in Spanish, so a Quichua speaker's civil documents are almost always Spanish documents, and certified translation renders them from Spanish into English. When a true Quichua text turns up, whether a community or land record, a bilingual certificate from a recent intercultural programme, or a statement taken down and transcribed for a hearing, we carry it into English and mark the variety.
Ecuadorean Highland Kichwa parts from the southern Quechua of Peru and Bolivia in words and spelling, and pinning the variety keeps a translation and a name reading right. Each translation can be issued by a certified translator or carry a sworn affidavit of accuracy before a commissioner of oaths, and acceptance ultimately depends on the receiving institution.
For documents rather than spoken interpreting, see certified Quichua translation, our full Quichua 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 Quichua 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 Quichua translation in the same cities:
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Quichua (Quechua) is the most widely spoken indigenous language family of South America, with around 8 million speakers across Peru, Bolivia, Ecuador, Argentina, and Colombia. There are multiple distinct Quechuan varieties, sometimes mutually unintelligible - including Cuzco Quechua, Bolivian Quechua, and Ecuadorian Kichwa. The Quichua-speaking community in Canada is small, found mainly within the Ecuadorian and Peruvian communities of Toronto and Montreal. Our Quichua translation work is occasional and typically tied to IRCC civil documents and refugee-claim paperwork.
In most cases the documents are Spanish to begin with, because the Andean states record civil events in Spanish, so we move them from Spanish into English. Any real Quichua text we deal with on its own where it shows up.
Quichua, or Kichwa, is the northern Andean branch used mostly in Ecuador, within the broader Quechua family. Highland Kichwa is not the same as the southern Quechua of Peru and Bolivia, so we ask which variety the speaker has.
A great many Quichua speakers hold Spanish only as a second language and speak more fully and exactly in Quichua, which tells at a refugee hearing. We place a Quichua interpreter wherever that is the speaker's stronger language.
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 Quichua interpreter and a firm price.