identification

aqoonsi

an official document that shows or proves who you are

EXAMPLE: I have to show my identification and my insurance card when I go to the doctor's office.

ethnicity

qowmiyadeed

belonging to a large group of people with shared culture, language, and history

EXAMPLE: The students are from all over the world. They have many different religions and ethnicities.

legal alien

shisheeyaha sharciga ah

a person from another country who is here legally

EXAMPLE: Maya is a legal alien. Our government allows her to live and work here although she is from another country.

legal guardian

sharci ilaaliye

a person who takes responsibility for a child when his parents cannot

EXAMPLE: After the child's parents died, I became her legal guardian.

race

jinsi

the group of people a person belongs to due to physical characteristics, such as skin color

EXAMPLE: Ming is from Japan. She looks like a typically Japanese person. Her race is Asian.

declare

shaac ka qaadid

(verb) to say something officially

EXAMPLE: When I signed the form, I declared that everything I wrote on it was the truth.

PO Box

Sanduuqa PO

a mailbox at the post office, not outside the home

EXAMPLE: Someone stole my mail out of my mailbox. I don't want that to happen again, so I rented a PO box at the post office.

penalty

ciqaab

a type of punishment for doing something against the law

EXAMPLE: He lied on the form. His penalty was to pay a $10,000 fine.

perjury

been sheegid

the crime of telling a lie after you promised to tell the truth

EXAMPLE: When she was in court, she lied to the judge. She committed perjury.

response

jawaab celin

an answer or reaction

EXAMPLE: I asked him a question, but he gave me no response.

select

xulasho

(verb) choose

EXAMPLE: There were many choices on the form. I needed to select one.

signature

saxeex

writing your name

EXAMPLE: I needed to put my signature at the bottom of the form.

skip

dhaafin

(verb) to not answer a question on a form

EXAMPLE: We had a test today. I didn't know the answer to one of the questions, so I skipped it. I did not answer that one.

to the best of my knowledge

sida ugu fiican aqoonteyda

truthfully, I think

EXAMPLE: You want to know where your keys are. To the best of my knowledge, you left them on the table at home.

unknown

aan la garaneyn

not known, not familiar

EXAMPLE: I don't know when I was born. My birthdate is unknown.

voluntary

iskaa ah

you can do it if you want to, but you don't have to

EXAMPLE: The form asked about my race, but it said my answer was voluntary. I don't have to tell them my race if I don't want to.

birth certificate

shahaadada dhalashada

a document recording a baby's birth including such information as name, time, place, and parents

EXAMPLE: My baby's birth certificate just arrived in the mail! This document shows all the important information about his birth.

document

waraaqo

a paper with information on it

EXAMPLE: Certificates are important documents. Keep them in a safe place. You will need them in the future.

proof of identity

caddeynta aqoonsiga

something that shows who you are, like a driver's license or a birth certificate

EXAMPLE: When I applied for a social security card, I had to provide proof of identity.