Why Rohingya interpretation is different
Rohingya interpretation is a specialised field. Many organisations underestimate its complexity and make assumptions that lead to poor outcomes — including using Chittagonian or Bengali speakers as substitutes, working with unqualified community members, or failing to brief interpreters on sensitive topics.
This guide covers best practice for organisations working with Rohingya interpreters.
Finding a qualified Rohingya interpreter
What to look for
A qualified Rohingya interpreter should:
- Be a native or near-native Rohingya speaker
- Have formal interpreter training or significant professional experience
- Understand interpreter ethics — confidentiality, accuracy, impartiality
- Have experience in your specific sector (legal, medical, protection, etc.)
- Be aware of dialect variation — Cox’s Bazar, Malaysia, and Gulf community Rohingya may differ slightly
What not to use as a substitute
- Chittagonian speakers — closely related but not interchangeable; especially problematic in legal and medical contexts
- Bengali interpreters — too distant linguistically; Rohingya speakers may not understand standard Bengali
- Untrained community members — even fluent speakers without interpreter training introduce serious accuracy and confidentiality risks
- Children of the affected person — never use family members, especially children, as interpreters in protection or medical contexts
Before the session: briefing your interpreter
A good pre-session briefing takes 5–15 minutes and dramatically improves outcomes.
Cover:
- Topic and purpose — what the session is about, why it matters
- Sensitive content — warn about trauma, legal jeopardy, medical procedures, or distressing topics
- Mode — consecutive (most common), simultaneous, or sight translation
- Terminology — any technical terms they should be prepared for
- Confidentiality — remind them of obligations
- What to do if they don’t know a word — they should flag it, not guess
During the session
- Speak in short sentences — pause regularly to allow interpretation
- Direct address — speak to the Rohingya speaker, not to the interpreter (“How are you feeling?” not “Ask him how he feels”)
- One person speaks at a time
- If something seems unclear, ask for clarification — don’t assume
- For legal or medical sessions, record or take notes where appropriate and permitted
After the session: debrief
Interpreters working in trauma, protection, or legal contexts need debriefing. Secondary trauma is a real risk. Ask:
- How are you doing?
- Was there anything in the session that was particularly difficult?
- Is there anything we should do differently?
Dialects and variation
Rohingya spoken in different communities may vary:
- Cox’s Bazar — the largest population; “standard” refugee community Rohingya
- Malaysia — some vocabulary differences from long-established diaspora
- Gulf states — some influence from Arabic and Urdu
- Arakan diaspora — those who left earlier may have slightly different speech
For most purposes the differences are manageable, but for very sensitive legal or medical work it is worth checking your interpreter’s background matches the community member’s.
Scripts and written materials
If you are distributing written materials, ask the interpreter — or the community member — which script they can read:
- Hanifi — many community-educated adults
- Fonna/Arabic — madrasa-educated speakers
- Rohingyalish — widely readable by younger speakers
Do not assume literacy in any script — literacy rates vary significantly.
Professional interpretation services
For accredited, professional Rohingya interpretation in legal, medical, or official settings, see our interpretation services page.