Prism Linguistics provides Sorani Kurdish interpreters and certified translation involving Sorani across Canada. Sorani is the Central Kurdish of northern Iraq and western Iran, written in a modified Arabic-based alphabet, and much of the community here arrived through refugee resettlement, with families in the Greater Toronto Area, Alberta and other centres. Most work is legal, medical and immigration related, on site in the main cities and by telephone or video anywhere in the country.
Last reviewed September 6, 2026 by the Prism Linguistics editorial team
The most important thing to tell us when you book is that you need Sorani specifically, not Kurmanji or Behdini, because these Kurdish varieties are not mutually clear and assigning the wrong one can undo a hearing. Within Sorani there are further differences between the speech of Sulaymaniyah, Erbil and the Iranian Kurdish areas, and in an Immigration and Refugee Board hearing we match a claimant with an interpreter from a compatible variety so testimony is heard as intended.
Interpreters work in IRCC and IRB interviews, Canadian court and tribunal hearings, hospital and clinic appointments covered by provincial privacy rules such as PHIPA and PIPEDA, and school, legal-aid and settlement meetings. In healthcare they give a complete rendering rather than a summary, which matters for consent and history-taking with speakers who have had little schooling in English. On-site interpreting is available in the main centres and telephone or video interpreting anywhere in Canada, often the same day for urgent matters. Requirements vary by province and case type, so we confirm what a specific court will accept, and we are a private agency rather than 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.
Certified translation on Sorani files is shaped by the fact that official records in Iraq are often issued in Arabic and those in Iran in Persian, rather than in Kurdish itself, so a single file may mix scripts. Where a document is in Sorani, it uses the Arabic-based Kurdish alphabet, and we translate the full text into English or French with a signed Certificate of Translation Accuracy, or a sworn affidavit before a commissioner of oaths where the receiving body asks for one.
The documents we handle include birth, marriage and death certificates, national identity and civil status records, school and university records, police clearances and statutory declarations used where conflict has left families without paperwork, prepared for permanent residence, family reunification and citizenship. Names are transliterated to match the passport spelling, with any variant noted for the officer. Acceptance ultimately depends on the receiving institution.
For documents rather than spoken interpreting, see certified Sorani translation, our full Sorani 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 Sorani 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 Sorani translation in the same cities:
Or browse every city we cover.
Sorani is the dominant Kurdish language of Iraqi Kurdistan - the language of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah, and Kirkuk - and the official Kurdish standard of Iraq. About 9 million people speak it. Sorani is written in a Perso-Arabic script (unlike Kurmanji, which uses Latin script in Turkey and Syria), so its written form is closer to Persian or Arabic than to Latin-alphabet Kurdish. Most of our Sorani translation work is IRB refugee-hearing paperwork from Iraqi Kurdistan, alongside the IRCC civil and family-sponsorship documents that have followed the long Iraqi conflict timeline, serving Kurdish communities concentrated mainly in Toronto and Vancouver.
No. Sorani is Central Kurdish and is not mutually clear with Kurmanji or Behdini. Tell us you need Sorani specifically, and where the speaker is from, and we assign a compatible interpreter. This matters most in refugee hearings.
Often Arabic if from Iraq or Persian if from Iran, since official records are commonly issued in those languages rather than in Kurdish. Send us a scan and we will confirm and quote a certified translation into English or French.
Yes. We cover IRCC and IRB interviews, Canadian courts and tribunals, and medical and settlement appointments, in person in the main centres and by phone or video across Canada. We are a private agency, not a court-appointed vendor.
Telephone interpreting is often available the same day. On-site bookings in the main centres usually need a few business days; tell us the city, date, setting and the speaker's variety and we confirm.
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 Sorani interpreter and a firm price.