Swahili translators and interpreters

Bostico International offers Swahili translations and interpreters. Swahili (called Kiswahili in the language itself) is the first language of the Swahili people (Waswahili), who inhabit several large stretches of the Indian Ocean coastline from southern Somalia to northern Mozambique, including the Comoros Islands. Although only 5-10 million people speak it as their native language, Swahili is a lingua franca of much of East Africa and the Democratic Republic of the Congo, is a national or official language of four nations, and is the only language of African origin among the official working languages of the African Union

The Swahili Translators we provide are all mother tongue

We offer bespokelanguage solutions catering for both private individuals and businesses. Our team of qualified and experienced translators will take care of all your African language needs offering you the perfect balance of price and quality all under one roof as a one-stop translation/language solution.

Dialects of Swahili

Modern standard Swahili is based on Kiunguja, the dialect spoken in Zanzibar town. There are numerous other dialects of Swahili, some of which are mutually unintelligible, including the following.

Kiunguja: spoken in Zanzibar City and environs on Unguja (Zanzibar) Island. Other dialects occupy the bulk of the island.
Kitumbatu and Kimakunduchi: the countryside dialects of the island of Zanzibar. Kimakunduchi is a recent renaming of "Kihadimu"; the old name means "serf", hence it is considered pejorative.
Kimrima: spoken around Pangani, Vanga, Dar es Salaam, Rufiji and Mafia Island.
Kimgao: formerly spoken around Kilwa and to the south.
Kipemba: local dialect of the island of Pemba.
Kimvita: the major dialect of Mombasa (also known as "Mvita", which means "war", in reference to the many wars which were fought over it), the other major dialect alongside Kiunguja.
Kingare: subdialect of the Mombasa area.
Chijomvu: subdialect of the Mombasa area.
Chi-Chifundi: dialect of the southern Kenya coast.
Kivumba: dialect of the southern Kenya coast.
Kiamu: spoken in and around the island of Lamu (Amu).
Sheng: a sort of street slang, this is a blend of Swahili, English, and ethnic languages spoken in and around Nairobi in informal settings. Sheng originated in the Nairobi slums and is considered fashionable and cosmopolitan among a growing segment of the population.

Divergent dialects

Kimwani: spoken in the Kerimba Islands and northern coastal Mozambique.
Kingwana: spoken in the eastern and southern regions of the Democratic Republic of the Congo. Sometimes called Copperbelt Swahili, especially the variety spoken in the south.
Comorian language (Shikomor), the language of the Comoros Islands, which form a chain between Tanzania and the northern tip of Madagascar. Often considered a separate language.
Chimwiini was traditionally spoken around the Somali town of Barawa. In recent years, most of its speakers have fled to Kenya to escape civil war. Whether Chimwiini is Swahili or a distinct language is a question that provokes division within each of the following groups: linguists specializing in Swahili, Chimwiini speakers, and speakers of other Swahili dialects.
Kizigua is traditionally spoken in the lower Juba province in Somalia near Kismayo city by the descendents of Bantus who were forced there by 19th century slavery.

Bostico International - We don't just translate, we communicate

Language Group
Afro-Asiatic
Khosian
Niger-Congo
Nilo-Saharan

Pidgins
Hausa based
Swahili based
Zulu based

Creoles
Afrikaans based
Creole Arabic based
Kongo based Krio based
Swahili based Creole

Unclassified Languages
Anlo (Togo)
Bete (Nigeria)
Gibanawa (Nigeria)
Hwla (Togo)
Imeraguen (Mauritania)
Kara (Central African Republic)
Korobore (Burkina Faso)
Kujarge (Chad)
Laal (Chad)
Lufu (Nigeria)
Luo (Cameroon)
Mawa (Nigeria)
Nemadi (Mali/Mauritania)
Rer Bare (Ethiopia)
Sininkere (Burkina Faso)
Weyto (Ethiopia)
Wutana (Nigeria)
Yauma (Angola/Zambia)
Yeni (Cameroon)

Translating and interpreting services for Swahili are available in Bedfordshire, Berkshire, Avon, Buckinghamshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, Cornwall, Cumberland, Derbyshire, Devon, Dorset, Durham, Essex, Gloucestershire, Hampshire, Herefordshire, Hertfordshire, Huntingdonshire, Kent, Lancashire, Manchester, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Middlesex, Norfolk, Northamptonshire, Northumberland, Nottinghamshire, Oxfordshire, Rutland, Shropshire, Somerset, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, Warwickshire, Wiltshire, Worcestershire, Yorkshire