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Kirundi Interpreters

Professional Kirundi interpreting, virtual or in person, for the settings where getting it wrong has consequences — asylum interviews, hearings, attorney meetings, medical appointments and school meetings.

Kinyarwanda is the nearest substitute for Kirundi, and using it should be the client’s call

Can a Kinyarwanda interpreter cover a Kirundi speaker? It is the nearest alternative, but it should be agreed with the client rather than assumed. Kirundi is Burundi’s national language and an official one; Glottolog groups it with Ha, Hangaza and Shubi of western Tanzania in a small “Rundic” cluster, which sits beside Kinyarwanda in the same group of Bantu languages.

Close relatives are not the same language, and the gap that does not matter in a clinic waiting room can matter in a sworn account. For a hearing, a declaration or a detailed medical history, ask the client whether they are comfortable with a Kinyarwanda interpreter and record the answer; for a short practical appointment it may be the sensible way to get someone on the line. The Kirundi pool in the United States is very small, so give us as much lead time as you can, and we confirm whether we can staff Kirundi itself, or a relay, before you book.

Many US Kirundi speakers spent decades in camps in Tanzania

Burundian resettlement to the United States began in earnest in May 2007, when the US government, the UN refugee agency and IOM started moving about 8,500 Burundian refugees from Tanzania to cities such as Atlanta and Phoenix. Thousands were “1972 Burundians”, who fled ethnic violence that killed an estimated 200,000 people that year, and their children born in exile; the UN described it as one of the world’s most protracted refugee situations.

The ICMC, reporting from the operation in 2007, found most of the group spread across camps in north-western Tanzania, many displaced twice more (from Rwanda in 1993 and from Congo in 1996–97), and a large majority who had spent their entire lives in exile. A client born in a Tanzanian camp may never have lived in Burundi and may be as comfortable in Swahili, the language Tanzania adopted to unite its many languages, as in Kirundi. Ask which language they want to give their account in, and do not assume English as a fallback: the ICMC found the group knew more French than English.

In Burundian cases, ethnicity can shape who should interpret

The 1972 killings that created the oldest Burundian refugee population were ethnic violence, which the ICMC describes as the first genocide in the Great Lakes region. A witness describing ethnic persecution may not give a full account through an interpreter they identify with the other side, and may not say so. Ask the client privately whether they have a preference and tell us when you book.

Do not assume that a member of the client’s own community is a neutral choice either: in a small community the interpreter may know the family, or be known to it. Where testimony is involved, tell us if the client would rather the interpreter join by phone or video from elsewhere.

Kirundi is a limited-availability language

There are comparatively few qualified Kirundi interpreters working in the United States, and the ones there are get booked. That is why Kirundi carries the 25–30% limited-availability rate, and why lead time matters more here than with a common language: a week is comfortable, two days is a gamble.

We would rather tell you that before you book a hearing date than after. If your date is fixed and close, say so when you enquire and we will tell you honestly whether we can staff it rather than accepting and hoping.

The standard-availability languages are: Spanish, Portuguese, French, Mandarin, Cantonese, Arabic, Russian, Korean, Vietnamese, Haitian Creole, Polish, Italian, German, Japanese, Hindi, Urdu, Persian, Turkish, Ukrainian, Tagalog, Bengali, Punjabi, Gujarati, Tamil, Armenian, Greek, Hebrew, Romanian, Serbian, Bosnian, Somali and Nepali. Every other language we offer carries the 25–30% limited-availability rate. If a language is not on that list it is not because we cannot do it — it is because the pool of qualified interpreters in the United States is small enough that we will not promise a date without checking.

By video, by phone or in person

Virtual interpreting runs on Zoom, Google Meet or Microsoft Teams, or over the telephone. It is quicker to arrange, costs less and carries no travel charge, and it suits appointments, calls and most meetings.

In person is what venues with their own rules tend to expect, and the right choice when documents are being signed or several people are speaking at once. Tell us the platform, or the city and the venue, when you send the request.

Where interpretation is used

The settings differ in what they demand of the interpreter, which is worth saying because they are frequently priced as though they were the same work:

• Asylum and immigration interviews. USCIS asylum interviews require the applicant to bring an interpreter, and the interview can be rescheduled if the interpreter does not appear or is not competent — which makes this the setting where getting it right matters most.
• Attorney–client meetings and declarations. Preparing testimony, taking a statement, going through documents.
• Depositions and hearings. Where the record is being made and accuracy is examined afterwards.
• Medical appointments. Note that hospitals receiving federal funding generally must provide language assistance themselves, so ask before you hire.
• School meetings. IEP meetings and parent conferences — districts also have their own obligations here.
• Business meetings and signings, such as real estate closings.

Each setting has its own page — who has to provide the interpreter, what the meeting asks of one and what it costs: see interpreters by setting.

What it costs

Rates are per interpreter, per hour, and billed from the scheduled start time rather than from when everyone actually arrives.

• Virtual — $80 per hour, one-hour minimum. Zoom, Google Meet, Teams or telephone.
• In person — $110 per hour, two-hour minimum.
• Limited-availability languages — add 25–30%. Which languages those are is listed below rather than left vague.
• Travel for in-person work — $0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location.

How the travel charge works out

Travel is charged at $0.70 per mile from the interpreter's location, which means you can work it out rather than wait for a quote: a 20-mile round trip is $14, a 60-mile round trip is $42, a 150-mile round trip is $105. There is no separate call-out fee on top.

We will not pretend to know in advance where the interpreter will be coming from — that depends on the language, the date and the venue. What we do is confirm the interpreter and the exact travel figure before you book, so it is never a surprise on the invoice. Virtual assignments carry no travel charge at all, which is one reason most of what we do is virtual.

How booking an interpreter works

• You send the request with the form below: the language, the setting, the format, the date and how long it should last.
• We confirm before you commit: the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one. We reply the same business day, and no payment is taken at this stage.
• You confirm, and the interpreter is booked for your date.

What we will tell you before you book

Two things, both of which occasionally cost us the booking. Whether the venue supplies its own interpreter. Immigration court provides one. Hospitals receiving federal funding generally must provide language assistance. School districts have obligations of their own. If yours does, you should not be paying us — ask them first.

And whether we can actually staff your date. For a limited-availability language on short notice the honest answer is sometimes no, and we would rather say it than accept a booking we cannot fill. Interpretation is not translation: see certified translation at $24.95 per page if what you need is a document rendered in writing.

What to have ready

The more of this comes in the first message, the fewer exchanges before you have a price:

• The language, the date, the start time and how long it should run.
• Virtual or in person: the platform, or the city and the venue.
• The setting and the subject matter.
• How many people need interpreting for.
• Any credential the venue requires of the interpreter.

Request an interpreter

Tell us the date, the language and the setting and we will come back with the interpreter, the exact price and the travel figure if there is one — before you commit to anything.

Sources

The facts on this page about the language and its speakers in the United States were checked against these sources on October 28, 2026.

• Constitute Project — Constitution of the Republic of Burundi (2018), Article 5
• Glottolog — Rundi (rund1242), Rundic and West Highlands Kivu groups
• UN News — UN refugee agency assists resettlement of Burundians in the US (May 18, 2007)
• International Catholic Migration Commission — “Congratulations, you have been admitted to America” (2007)
• United Nations, Africa Renewal — Swahili gaining popularity globally (December 9, 2021)

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