Prism Linguistics provides professional Wolof interpreters and certified translation across Canada. Wolof is the main lingua franca of Senegal and is widely spoken in the Gambia and parts of Mauritania. Because civil records come in French or English, the Wolof part of a file is usually the interpreting, for Immigration and Refugee Board hearings, IRCC interviews and medical appointments nationwide.
Wolof is broadly uniform across the region, so matching turns less on dialect than on the speaker's country, since Senegal and Mauritania issue records in French and the Gambia in English and the paperwork follows. Tell us the speaker's country when booking; we confirm the preferred language and requirements so the Wolof interpreter and the session are set up correctly from the start.
We arrange interpreters for Immigration and Refugee Board protection hearings, IRCC interviews, legal aid, and hospital and clinic appointments covered by PHIPA and PIPEDA. Interpreters attend on site in the larger centres and join by telephone or video anywhere in Canada, and for sensitive hearings a gender preference can be noted in advance.
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.
Wolof is usually written in the Latin alphabet, and some writers use the Arabic-based Wolofal script, but civil records are not issued in it. Senegal and Mauritania register births, marriages and deaths in French and the Gambia in English, so a family's records are normally translated from French into English, or reviewed where they are already in English from the Gambia.
The French transliteration of a Wolof name can vary between documents, so we keep spellings consistent and note the variants for the officer, and where a rural birth was registered late a sworn affidavit before a commissioner of oaths can accompany a translation. Output comes from a certified translator or is supported by affidavit. Acceptance ultimately depends on the receiving institution.
For documents rather than spoken interpreting, see certified Wolof translation, our full Wolof 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 Wolof 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 Wolof translation in the same cities:
Or browse every city we cover.
Wolof is the most widely spoken language in Senegal and serves as the lingua franca across that country and parts of Gambia and Mauritania, with around 10 million speakers. Although French is Senegal's official language, Wolof dominates in everyday speech and increasingly in trade, music, and media. Our Wolof work is mostly interpreting for IRB, IRCC, healthcare and school matters, alongside translation of the French records Senegal and Mauritania issue. Wolof is written in the Latin alphabet.
Senegal issues civil records in French, so we translate them from French into English; Gambian records are usually already in English. The Wolof need is generally a live interpreter.
Wolof names are transliterated into French in more than one way. We keep the English spelling consistent and note the variants so a registry or IRCC officer can match them.
Yes. Wolof is broadly uniform, but the records differ: French from Senegal and Mauritania, English from the Gambia, which affects what accompanies the file. The interpreting itself is in Wolof across Canada.
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 Wolof interpreter and a firm price.