Translation & AI

Rohingya translation services: what clients need to know

Translation & AI

Rohingya translation services: what clients need to know

A practical guide for organisations commissioning Rohingya translation — what to expect, how to brief translators, and how to evaluate quality.

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RohingyaLanguage.org
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Who needs Rohingya translation?

Rohingya translation services are used by a wide range of clients:

  • NGOs and humanitarian organisations — communications, training materials, field guides
  • Legal teams — court documents, immigration applications, asylum statements
  • Healthcare providers — patient information, consent forms, health education materials
  • Government agencies — public information, registration documents
  • Media organisations — subtitles, transcription, news content
  • Researchers and academics — linguistic data, qualitative research
  • Technology companies — AI training data, product localisation

What makes Rohingya translation different

Rohingya translation is more complex than translating between two well-resourced languages for several reasons:

  1. Script choice — clients must specify which script (Hanifi, Fonna, or Rohingyalish) the final text should use
  2. Limited translator pool — qualified professional Rohingya translators are few; quality varies significantly
  3. No dominant standard — there is no single standardised written form of Rohingya; translators may make different choices
  4. Technical terminology gaps — medical, legal, and technical terms often require creative solutions
  5. Dialect variation — translation should match the target community (e.g., Cox’s Bazar vs. Malaysia diaspora)

How to brief a Rohingya translation project

A clear brief leads to better results. Include:

  • Target script — Hanifi, Fonna, or Rohingyalish (or multiple)
  • Target audience — who will read this? Their age, education, location?
  • Purpose — what will the translated material be used for?
  • Tone — formal, informal, or educational?
  • Reference materials — any existing glossaries, previously translated materials, or preferred terminology
  • Format — Word document, PDF, for web, for print?
  • Deadline — allow realistic time; rushed translation means lower quality

Quality assurance

For important documents, always request:

  • Review by a second Rohingya speaker — a second pair of eyes catches errors
  • Back-translation — translate back to English to check for meaning errors
  • Community review — for materials targeting the Rohingya community, feedback from a community member is invaluable

Pricing and timelines

Rohingya translation typically costs more than mainstream language pairs due to the limited supply of qualified translators. Expect:

  • Higher per-word rates than common languages
  • Longer lead times for complex documents
  • Premium pricing for urgent turnaround

Avoid very cheap options — unqualified translators produce materials that can mislead or harm the very people they are meant to serve.

Our translation services

RohingyaLanguage.org provides professional translation by qualified Rohingya translators with experience in humanitarian, legal, and medical contexts. Request a quote →