Hassaniyya is a variety of Arabic spoken across the western Sahara, principally in Mauritania, where it is the everyday spoken language, and in Western Sahara, with further speakers in southern Morocco, Mali, Senegal and Algeria. The name comes from the Beni Hassan, Arab tribes who moved into the region from the fifteenth century and whose speech gradually displaced the local Berber languages. Traces of that contact remain: Hassaniyya carries a layer of vocabulary from Zenaga Berber that sets it apart from other Arabic dialects. Several million people speak it, and like other Arabic varieties it differs enough from Modern Standard Arabic that the two are used side by side, the standard form for writing and formal settings, Hassaniyya for daily life. It is normally written in the Arabic script.
Prism Linguistics provides Hassaniyya translation, interpreting and transcription across the UK in 300+ languages. Whether you need a certified document for the Home Office, a court interpreter, an NHS appointment or a business meeting, our vetted native-speaker linguists are ready to help.
Tell us about your project and we’ll reply within 1 working hour with pricing and turnaround.
Get a free quote