Haitian Creole is not French. This is the single most common and most costly mistake made when booking for Haitian clients. Krèyol ayisyen is a distinct language with its own grammar and orthography. Many Haitians in New York speak little or no French, and a French interpreter sent to a Creole speaker will not be able to do the job — which usually is not discovered until everyone is in the room.
New York’s Haitian community is concentrated in Flatbush, East Flatbush, Canarsie, and Crown Heights in Brooklyn, plus Elmont and Valley Stream on Long Island and Spring Valley in Rockland County.
Some Haitian speakers are also comfortable in French, particularly those educated in Haiti’s formal school system, but this should be confirmed by asking rather than assumed from background.
Common contexts
Personal injury and no-fault claims, 50-h hearings against the City, home health and nursing matters, immigration and asylum, IMEs, and medical appointments.
Coverage and availability
- In person: Manhattan, Brooklyn, Queens, the Bronx, Staten Island, and Long Island (Nassau and Suffolk). We also take in-person assignments in New Jersey and Connecticut
- Remote: phone or video interpreting, available nationwide
- Short notice: accepted
- Hours: 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week
Why firms keep calling us
- 25+ years interpreting in New York legal and medical settings
- NAJIT member — National Association of Judiciary Interpreters and Translators
- 5.0 stars on Google across 17 reviews
- Trusted by attorneys, carriers, SIU teams, and healthcare providers
Book an interpreter
Call (718) 496-9129 or email inquiries@interpret.agency — available 8am to 8pm, 7 days a week. Most bookings take under two minutes.
Related services
- Deposition interpreters in NYC
- Examination under oath (EUO) interpreters
- 50-h hearing interpreters
- Independent medical examination (IME) interpreters
- Field investigation interpreters
- Asylum interpreter services
Other languages we interpret
Spanish · Mandarin · Cantonese · French · Korean · Arabic · Portuguese · Russian · Polish · Ukrainian · Albanian · Punjabi · Wolof · Uzbek · Hindi · Croatian · Soninke