Government Translation and Interpreting

Government and public sector

Government translation and interpreting for departments, councils and public bodies

A public service that people cannot understand is only open to some of them. The letter explaining a benefit decision, the leaflet about school places, the council tax reminder: if a resident cannot read it, the service has not reached them. We translate and interpret for government departments, local authorities and other public bodies, and we know how important accuracy is in the government sector.

Every linguist goes through a rigorous selection process before joining our network, and almost all our government translation and interpreting is done by native-speaking linguists with experience of the sector. Our quality standards mean government clients consistently receive the highest-quality work. Our client list, which includes the Home Office, HM Courts and Tribunals Service and the Department for Work and Pensions, shows our commitment to accuracy and reliability.

What we translate for the public sector

Government work ranges from press releases and information leaflets to entire websites. It typically includes:

• Press releases and public statements
• Information leaflets and letters
• Websites and online forms
• Consultations and surveys
• Housing, benefits and council tax letters
• Social care assessments and care plans
• School admissions and SEND documents
• Public health campaigns

It helps to write the English with translation in mind. Short sentences, one point per sentence, no idioms, and dates written out in full (12 March 2026, not 12/03/26) make every translated version clearer. And if the English is likely to change after sign-off, wait for the final version. Changes made after translation mean doing the work twice.

Translating a website

We translate entire websites, and a translated site has to be built properly as well as written well. Each language version needs its own web address and the right language code in its HTML, so that screen readers pronounce it correctly and search engines know what they are looking at. Right-to-left languages such as Arabic, Urdu and Farsi need a layout that mirrors, not just text that runs the other way. Page titles, descriptions, form labels, error messages and image text all need translating, not only the body copy, and the translated pages have to meet the same accessibility standard as the English ones.

An automatic translation widget is no substitute for the pages that matter. Nobody checks what it produces, and it can get names, dates and legal terms wrong. Our website localization page explains how we handle whole sites.

Interpreting for public services

Our interpreters work in council offices, housing and homelessness assessments, social care and safeguarding visits, school meetings, jobcentres and tribunals, face to face or by telephone and video. We also provide interpreters for departmental trips overseas, and we can arrange local interpreters in the country you are visiting.

For safeguarding work, check that the interpreter does not know the family. In small communities it happens, and it can stop someone speaking freely. Book enough time, too. An assessment through an interpreter takes longer, and rushing it is how things get missed.

Security-cleared linguists for sensitive work

For sensitive work we can provide security-cleared linguists to ensure absolute discretion. When you ask for a quote, tell us how the material is classified (most government information is OFFICIAL, and some carries the OFFICIAL-SENSITIVE marking) and the level of clearance your department requires, such as BPSS or SC. We will only put forward linguists who hold it.

Equality duties, Welsh and British Sign Language

Language is not itself a protected characteristic under the Equality Act 2010, but it is closely bound up with race and national origin, and the public sector equality duty in section 149 asks public bodies to think about who can and cannot use a service. In Wales, the Welsh Language Standards set out when public bodies must deal with people in Welsh, and we translate into and out of Welsh. The British Sign Language Act 2022 recognised BSL as a language of England, Wales and Scotland, and Scottish public bodies publish BSL plans under the BSL (Scotland) Act 2015.

Which languages to publish in

National figures only go so far. At the 2021 Census, Polish, Romanian, Punjabi and Urdu were the most common main languages after English in England and Wales, but every council's picture is different. Harrow has more Romanian speakers than any other local authority, Sandwell more Punjabi speakers, Peterborough more Lithuanian speakers, and Rushmoor, which includes Aldershot and its Gurkha community, more Nepali speakers. Check your own area's census figures before you decide which languages to publish in.

We cover more than 350 languages and dialects, including Arabic, Somali, Tigrinya, Pashto and Ukrainian. The full list is on our languages page.

Questions from public bodies

Can you handle documents that contain personal data?

Yes, and in public sector work they usually do. If your organisation needs a data processing agreement in place before you send anything, tell us when you ask for a quote.

Can you turn round urgent public information quickly?

Yes. For announcements and notices that cannot wait, see our urgent translation service.

Can you provide interpreters for visits abroad?

Yes. We provide interpreters for departmental trips overseas. Tell us the countries, dates and the kind of meetings, and whether the interpreter should travel with your team or meet you there.