Tigrinya and Amharic interpreting and translation: a practical guide

Tigrinya and Amharic: two languages, one script family

Tigrinya and Amharic are the principal languages of Eritrea and Ethiopia and belong to the Ethiopic (Semitic) branch of the Afro-Asiatic family. Both are written in the Ge'ez script, an abugida of more than 200 characters that encodes consonant-vowel syllables rather than single letters. For courts, hospitals and authorities in Europe, this matters: a linguist who can read Ge'ez fluently is essential for certified translations of birth certificates, court rulings, medical reports and asylum documents, where a single diacritic can change a name, a date or a diagnosis.

Tigrinya is spoken by more than seven million people, primarily in Eritrea and the Tigray region of Ethiopia. Amharic, with over 30 million speakers, is the working language of the Ethiopian federal government and courts. Although the two languages share a script and significant vocabulary, their grammar, registers and legal terminology differ enough that a native speaker of one is not automatically a reliable interpreter of the other. Adulis assigns linguists by mother tongue, not by script family, so the voice in the room or on the line is always a native speaker of the target language.

Where certified interpreting is required

Tigrinya and Amharic interpreters are most often called for asylum interviews and hearings before migration authorities, family court proceedings involving Eritrean and Ethiopian parties, criminal trials where the accused or a witness has limited German, medical consultations in hospitals and refugee health centres, and notarial appointments for certified translations of personal documents. In each of these settings the interpreter is not a convenience but a legal safeguard: the right to interpretation in criminal and asylum proceedings is protected under the European Convention on Human Rights and German procedural law, and the accuracy of the record depends entirely on the linguist.

Because the stakes are high, Adulis works to institutional standards. Linguists are briefed on the matter and the register in advance, observe professional confidentiality, and use the consecutive and simultaneous modes appropriate to the setting — consecutive for interviews and consultations, simultaneous or chuchotage for longer hearings. For documents, certified translations carry a signed declaration of accuracy and are accepted by courts, registrars and immigration authorities.

On-site, remote and emergency delivery

Interpreting is delivered on site across the EU, the EEA and Switzerland, and remotely worldwide by video (VRI) and telephone (OPI). Remote interpreting is suitable for short consultations, follow-up appointments and urgent matters where a linguist cannot reach the venue in time; on-site interpreting remains the standard for contested hearings and sensitive medical encounters, where presence and body language matter. For urgent requests, a coordinator can confirm a linguist within 45 minutes during office hours, and emergency cover is available on request including weekends.