Susu Interpreter Services

Prism Linguistics provides Susu interpreter services UK-wide for speakers from Guinea and northern Sierra Leone, mostly by video or telephone. Susu has little recorded demand in Britain and few face-to-face interpreters, so remote work is often the realistic route when French, Krio or English cannot carry a solicitor's, clinician's or officer's questions.

Get a Susu interpreter quote or call +44 (0) 20 3880 6688

• UK-wide Susu cover
• Face-to-face, telephone or video
• Fixed quote, usually within the hour (office hours)
• Published price ranges
• Since 2017

Settings we interpret in NHS and private healthcare · courts and tribunals · police · local authorities · solicitors · businesses · private appointments

How we work UK GDPR · client terms · published price ranges · purchase-order invoicing for NHS and public bodies

Asylum claims by Guinean main applicants have risen four years in a row. The Home Office asylum data tables show 43 main applicants in 2021 and 138 in 2025, with another 68 in the first half of 2026. In the year to June 2026, 69 Guinean main applicants were refused at first decision and 24 granted refugee status.

None of this counts Susu speakers, since the tables record nationality and a Guinean claimant may speak Pular or another language altogether. Susu also has no row of its own in the 2021 Census main-language tables for England and Wales, so there is no UK total, and we won't invent one.

Susu interpreting services: face-to-face, telephone and video

Susu interpreting services put a trained interpreter between a Susu speaker and an English speaker, relaying each turn of a spoken exchange both ways, in the room or by phone or video. It is consecutive work, as with the rest of our interpreting services.

With Susu the hard part often comes first: establishing that Susu is the language. Paperwork may spell it Soso, Soussou or Susoo, all names Glottolog records for the language. The GOV.UK migrant health guide on interpretation suggests a language chart, such as those the NRPSI and the Refugee Council publish, when a patient cannot name their language.

English to Susu interpreter (and Susu to English)

The person you book is your English to Susu interpreter and your Susu to English interpreter at once, switching direction at every turn. In an asylum statement, the Susu answers going into English are written down and may later be tested at appeal. At a hospital discharge it flips: instructions about tablets need to reach the patient in Susu they can repeat back.

Relatives often offer to step in. The GOV.UK guide says a professional interpreter should always be offered ahead of family or friends, and that children are not appropriate interpreters, however quickly they picked up English.

Susu court interpreters and HMCTS work

A Susu court interpreter renders every question, answer and ruling in full, taking no side. Under the GOV.UK rules on interpreters at a court or tribunal, a criminal defendant is given one, a prosecution witness gets one through the prosecuting agency, and a defence witness asks the defence solicitor. Family courts supply one where children, domestic abuse or forced marriage are involved; civil courts for possession and committal hearings. A relative may interpret only with the judge's prior approval.

If an asylum refusal is appealed, the hearing is at the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), and some tribunal appeal forms ask for the interpreter directly. Much Susu work happens outside the hearing: statements, counsel conferences, a refusal letter read paragraph by paragraph (see legal interpreting). Write Susu on every form, not just Guinea or French, and add the client's home region. Prism Linguistics is a private language-services provider and does not present itself as a court-appointed supplier.

Susu interpreters for NHS, police, solicitors, councils and business

The Home Office figures point to immigration casework as one likely reason to need a Susu interpreter; healthcare interpreting is another.

Solicitors and asylum caseworkers

Statements and appeal preparation. Credibility rests on consistency, so ask for the same Susu interpreter each time where you can.

Susu NHS interpreter

GP registration, A&E and antenatal care. Under NHS England's primary care guidance interpreting is free at the point of delivery, and patients should not be asked to bring their own interpreter.

Susu medical interpreter in mental health

Therapy after trauma. The GOV.UK guide says an interpreter should be given the chance to decline a distressing session, so brief them beforehand.

Susu police interpreter

PACE Code C requires the custody officer to arrange an interpreter without delay for a detainee who does not understand English. Code C also provides for live-link interpretation, which can be the practical route for a language as rare as Susu (see police interpreting).

Children's services and councils

Where child protection is a concern, the GOV.UK guide advises face-to-face interpreting, with separate interpreters for parent and child. Susu business interpreting requests are rare.

Face-to-face, telephone or video: which one fits?

Ask who is free before you decide how. Susu interpreters in Britain are spread thinly, so a video interpreter is normally the quickest good match, and the client still sees a face. Phone interpreting handles a quick update. Keep face-to-face interpreting for hearings and child-protection work.

Susu interpreting modes at a glance

Mode	Best for	Typical notice
Susu telephone interpreter	Rescheduling, a pharmacy query, one quick detail.	A day or more is safer; same day subject to availability
Susu video interpreter	Asylum statements, counselling, outpatient follow-ups, remote hearings.	Several working days where possible, subject to availability
Susu face-to-face interpreter	Tribunal hearings, child-protection meetings, a distressed first-time client.	A week or more; in some areas it may not be possible

Lead times for Susu bookings

Susu is a rare language in UK public-service interpreting, so send a hearing or clinic date the day you get it. If a short practical call cannot wait, some clients manage in French, Krio or English, but only the client can judge that; for evidence or a diagnosis, hold out for Susu.

Qualified, professional Susu interpreters: what to look for

Bilingual is not the same as trained. Ask any Susu interpreter or agency about:

DPSI (Diploma in Public Service Interpreting)

A Level 6 diploma from CIOL Qualifications, regulated by Ofqual. CIOL's DPSI page notes some languages run only with enough candidates, so ask which language and specialism was sat.

NRPSI listing

The National Register of Public Service Interpreters renews registration yearly. Ask whether the interpreter is listed for Susu and is current.

Enhanced DBS

Commonly expected in custody, on wards and around children; your organisation will have its own rule.

The right language and the right person

Susu rather than Yalunka or Pular, and a woman if the client would talk more openly to one.

On our side, every Susu interpreter we send is professionally qualified and background-checked; court-experienced interpreters cover hearings, with Enhanced DBS where the setting requires it.

Susu dialects and varieties: why it matters at booking

Glottolog lists no separate Susu dialects, so the main booking risk is its nearest relative. Glottolog places Susu in the Mande family and groups it with Yalunka, a distinct language, in a two-member Susu-Yalunka family. Susu carries the code sus in both ISO 639-2 and ISO 639-3, the label a case system may show.

Sierra Leone counts the two peoples separately. In the 2015 census report on population structure from Statistics Sierra Leone, the Susu made up 2.9% of the population and the Yalunka 0.7%. Susu reached 20.8% in Kambia District, which borders Guinea, while the Yalunka were concentrated in Koinadugu. Those are ethnic groups, not languages, but ask the client's district all the same.

How to book or hire a Susu interpreter

Tell us the brief

By phone, email or the quote form, send the date, time, venue or link, length and purpose, the client's country and home area, their name for the language, and any preference for a woman or a man.

We match and price

We search for a Susu interpreter suited to the setting and price the job at a fixed figure, normally within the hour during UK office hours, telling you straight away if video is the only realistic route.

Confirm and the interpreter attends

When you confirm, we pass the interpreter the background they need; they then dial in, log on or turn up at the venue, and we invoice the organisation or take a card payment from a private client.

Book a Susu interpreter

Find a Susu interpreter near me: cities and towns across the UK

Wherever you are, the nearest Susu interpreter is often the one on your screen. No official source shows where Susu speakers live in Britain, so this page names no towns. A video link works in any postcode, while an in-person visit hinges on where the right interpreter lives.

How much does a Susu interpreter cost in the UK?

The price of a Susu interpreter depends on mode, length, notice, travel and setting. Our 2026 interpreting price guide lists telephone work at £1.10 to £2.50 a minute, video at £60 to £120 per 30-minute session, and in-person attendance at £40 to £75 an hour plus travel (two-hour minimum, three in court). Susu, as a rare language, sits at the upper end, and video often works out cheaper than a long journey. Use the Susu interpreter quote form and a fixed price comes back, normally within the hour during UK office hours. NHS patients should not be paying, so ask the practice or hospital to book.

Confidentiality and GDPR for Susu interpreting

Susu interpreters keep everything heard on an assignment confidential, with personal data processed under UK GDPR. In a language community this small, a client may worry that the interpreter knows their family. Give us any names to avoid and we will choose someone outside that circle, remotely if need be.

Need a Susu translator instead?

Interpreting covers speech. For written material in Susu, see Susu translation services, our Susu document translation service, or the Susu language services page for all our work in the language.

Susu interpreting FAQs

How much does a Susu interpreter cost in the UK?

Expect 1.10 to 2.50 pounds a minute for a Susu interpreter by telephone, 60 to 120 pounds per 30-minute video session, or 40 to 75 pounds an hour plus travel in person. We quote a fixed price, normally within the hour during UK office hours, and as a rare language Susu usually sits towards the top of each range.

How quickly can you book a Susu interpreter?

Give as much notice as you can. Telephone or video Susu sessions are usually the quickest to arrange, same day only subject to availability, while a face-to-face booking needs a week or more and may not be possible in every area.

Are your Susu interpreters qualified for court and tribunal work?

We send court-experienced Susu interpreters to hearings, all professionally qualified and background-checked, and you may ask what qualification they hold and whether they are on the NRPSI. We work as a private language-services provider and are not a court-appointed supplier.

Do you provide Susu interpreters for NHS appointments?

Yes, for GP practices, hospital clinics, maternity and mental health services, usually by video because in-person Susu cover is limited. NHS interpreting should cost the patient nothing, so ask the practice or hospital to arrange it.

Can I book a Susu interpreter by telephone or video?

Yes, and for Susu a remote booking is usually the fastest, because it draws on interpreters anywhere in the country. Telephone suits brief calls; video suits statements, counselling and longer consultations.

Can I request a female Susu interpreter?

You can ask, and we will try. With a language this rare in the UK it may mean working by video or allowing extra notice, and if it cannot be done we say so immediately.

Do you cover Susu interpreting across the whole UK?

Yes, in England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland. Video and telephone work anywhere; attendance in person depends on how far a suitable interpreter has to travel.

Is a Yalunka interpreter the same as a Susu interpreter?

No. Yalunka is closely related to Susu but is classed as a separate language with its own ISO 639-3 code. For legal or medical work, ask for Susu by name and tell us the client's country and home district.

About the Susu language

Susu is a Mande language spoken in Guinea, Sierra Leone, Guinea-Bissau and Senegal, and Glottolog pairs it with Yalunka as its closest relative. Glottolog, drawing on Ethnologue, rates Susu as not endangered and describes it as a developing language.