Interpreting for authorities

Arabic Interpreter for Youth Welfare and Authorities

Arabic ↔ German

Arabic ↔ English

Arabic interpreting for child and youth welfare, care planning meetings, schools, the AMS, MA 35 and social counselling. Trauma informed, neutral and available at short notice, in Vienna, Graz and by video.

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Your contact

Aliaa Azzouqa, MA

azzouqa@fachdolmetscher.at

I am Aliaa Azzouqa, MA. I interpret for the City of Vienna's MA 11 child and youth welfare service, the youth welfare office in Graz, Caritas and federal ministries, and I know the conversation formats of Austrian public administration.

Arabic interpreter for youth welfare: conversations that concern families

Meetings with the youth welfare office are among the most sensitive appointments a family can face. They are about children, about worries, sometimes about risk. An Arabic interpreter for youth welfare authorities ensures that social workers understand what the family says, and that the family understands what is decided and why.

We work for the City of Vienna's MA 11 child and youth welfare service, the youth welfare office in Graz, Caritas and federal ministries as well as for schools, the AMS public employment service, the MA 35 immigration office and counselling centres. Authorities book us directly, as do families and their legal representatives.

Where we interpret: youth welfare and public authorities

Meetings with authorities follow fixed procedures and use terms that do not exist in Arabic in the same form. We know the formats and, where necessary, explain the concept rather than just the word.

Child and youth welfare

Intake meetings, risk assessments, home visits and parent meetings for MA 11 in Vienna, the youth welfare office in Graz and independent youth welfare providers.

Care planning meetings

Goals, measures and agreements between family and authority. Every wording is rendered so that the family knows what it is signing.

School and kindergarten

Parent meetings, school psychology, special educational needs, school enrolment and conflicts. In child appropriate language when the child is present.

AMS

Counselling sessions, course agreements, support plans and formal notifications at the public employment service.

MA 35 and residence

Appointments about residence permits, family reunification and citizenship at MA 35 and other immigration authorities.

Social counselling

Counselling centres, Caritas, social centres, housing and debt counselling, social assistance and minimum income support.

Custody proceedings

Custody, contact rights and maintenance before the family court: preparation with counsel and certified translation of court orders.

Trauma informed, neutral and child appropriate

Many families who come to the youth welfare office have experienced flight, loss or violence. A conversation about the children can trigger old fears, such as the worry that the authority will take the children away. We interpret so that the professional stays in control of the conversation: calmly, in short segments, with room for questions, and without sharpening or softening the tone.

Neutrality is not coldness. We render everything that is said, in both directions, without advice, without taking sides and without leaving out anything uncomfortable. When a child is in the room we speak in child appropriate language and render what the child says verbatim too. Everything we hear stays confidential, in line with the GDPR, with a signed confidentiality declaration on request.

Role clarification at the start: the interpreter is neither an adviser nor a representative of the authority
First person: we interpret in the first person so that the conversation stays direct
Pauses and clarifying questions for ambiguous terms, transparent to both sides
No information passed to third parties, including within the community

Framework agreements and invoicing for authorities and providers

For authorities, municipal departments, schools and social service providers we keep the administrative effort small. We issue proper invoices with all required details, on request as a monthly consolidated invoice with a list of assignments, file numbers or cost centres. Framework agreements with fixed conditions for recurring assignments are possible.

Short notice availability is often decisive for risk reports and unplanned home visits. For on-site appointments we ask for 48 hours' notice where possible; by video or phone we are frequently reachable much sooner. A laptop or tablet in the meeting room is enough.

Invoice per assignment or consolidated monthly invoice
Quote with hourly rate, travel and preparation shown transparently, on request
On site in Vienna and Graz, video and phone across Austria

Arabic dialects in meetings with authorities

A family from Syria, a teenager from Iraq, parents from Somalia with Arabic as a second language: the Arabic actually spoken in the meeting differs greatly from the Modern Standard Arabic of the news. I am a native speaker with Modern Standard Arabic and Levantine dialect and work across all Arabic dialects. Where a term is understood differently by region, I ask rather than guess.

Administrative terms need explanation too. Custody, risk assessment, contact rights or minimum income support have no direct Arabic equivalents. We render the term and, if the professional wishes, a brief explanation so that the family can make an informed decision.

Document translation for authorities

Administrative proceedings need documents in both languages. We translate decisions, agreements, care plans, summonses and information sheets into Arabic so that families can read what was agreed. In the other direction we translate the Arabic documents authorities require: birth certificates, marriage certificates, custody rulings, school reports and powers of attorney.

Certified translations are produced by court sworn and certified translators and are recognised by Austrian authorities, courts and universities. The receiving office will tell you whether certification is required; where in doubt, we are glad to ask on your behalf.

Book an Arabic interpreter for youth welfare or an authority

For authorities, providers, schools and families.

Send your request

Date, location or video, type of meeting, languages and expected duration, via the form or by e-mail. File number or cost centre if you wish.

Quote and confirmation

An individual quote, usually within a few hours; direct confirmation for framework agreement partners.

Preparation

Brief information on the occasion, the family's origin and whether children will be present. We prepare for dialect and meeting format.

Assignment and invoicing

On site or in the video call, on time. Afterwards an invoice per assignment or a consolidated invoice.

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Request a Quote

Describe your project and we’ll get back to you with a quote, usually within a few hours.

Frequently asked questions about interpreting for youth welfare and authorities

Answers for professionals and families.

As a rule the authority organises and pays for the interpreter for its own meetings; MA 11 and the youth welfare office in Graz work this way too. Families can also book us privately, for example for preparation, for meetings with their lawyer or if they want an interpreter of their own present. When in doubt, ask the office concerned who provides interpreting.

Yes. We then speak in child appropriate language, in short sentences and without jargon, and render what the child says verbatim too. We do not take on the role of a trusted adult, which remains the professional's task, but we make sure the child feels understood.

Yes. On request we issue a monthly consolidated invoice listing assignments, dates, duration, file numbers or cost centres so that accounts can allocate each assignment directly. Framework agreements with fixed conditions for recurring assignments are also possible.

Nothing. We are bound by professional secrecy, work in line with the GDPR and pass no information to third parties, including within the Arabic speaking community. On request we sign your authority's confidentiality declaration or an NDA.

We are neutral, regardless of who books us. We render everything that is said, in both directions, without advice, without omissions and without taking sides. That is exactly what protects both parties: the authority receives the actual statement, the family the actual decision.

By video or phone often within a short time, depending on availability. For on-site appointments we ask for 48 hours' notice where possible. Authorities with a framework agreement have a fixed contact person and short response times.

Yes. We translate decisions, agreements, care plans and information sheets into Arabic, and Arabic birth certificates, marriage certificates, custody rulings and powers of attorney into German. Certified translations are produced by court sworn and certified translators.