Afrikaans interpreters and translators for families, solicitors, the NHS, employers and immigration advisers anywhere in the UK: face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, certified translation between Afrikaans and English for South African and Namibian paperwork, and bookings taken 24/7.
- 8,000+ linguists
- 350+ languages
- Bookings 24/7, every day of the year
- Free quotes
Afrikaans interpreting services
Spoken Afrikaans varies by region and community more than the written standard suggests. Kaaps, the Afrikaans of Cape Town's coloured communities, mixes in English freely and has its own words; the speech of the Northern Cape along the Orange River sounds different again. Speakers of all of these follow one another comfortably, so an interpreter from any background will usually be understood, but a speaker of Kaaps may relax more with someone who knows it.
Register matters too. Official Afrikaans uses the polite "u" where friends say "jy", and older people are often addressed in the third person, by title rather than "you". A professional keeps that politeness when speaking to the client. Consecutive interpreting suits nearly every appointment.
Face-to-face interpreting
The interpreter comes to you: a hospital ward, a courtroom, a council office, a home visit or a business meeting. It is the best choice when people need to read expressions as well as words, or when the conversation is long or sensitive.
Telephone interpreting
The quickest option to set up. It works well for short calls, triage, appointment reminders and quick checks with a client.
Video interpreting
A Afrikaans interpreter joins by video for remote hearings, consultations and meetings, which helps when there is no interpreter near you.
We also provide medical interpreting and conference interpreting.
Certified Afrikaans translation
Since 2013 South Africa's Department of Home Affairs has issued the unabridged birth certificate as standard, but people born earlier often hold older abridged versions, and many older records are wholly or partly in Afrikaans. We also see marriage certificates, matric and university results, antenuptial contracts, wills and farm title deeds. Each of our translators translates into their native language, and certified translations are accepted for UK use.
Two details catch people out. The South African ID number opens with the date of birth as year, month and day, so check it against the certificate. Surnames such as van der Merwe or du Plessis keep the prefix as part of the family name, and we carry it across exactly as written on the passport.
- Certified translation of birth, marriage and death certificates, passports, driving licences, degree certificates and bank statements, for the Home Office, courts, universities and employers.
- Legal translation: witness statements, court bundles, contracts and immigration papers.
- Document translation of medical reports, letters, leaflets and patient information.
- Urgent translation when a deadline is close.
- Transcription of Afrikaans audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Afrikaans translation
Most Afrikaans speakers in Britain read English perfectly well, so translation into Afrikaans is usually for someone in particular: an older parent, a relative in South Africa or Namibia, a church or community group. We translate into the standard spelling set out in the Afrikaanse Woordelys en Spelreëls, and address the reader as "u" in formal letters. Kaaps is kept for creative or community work where the reader would expect it.
Afrikaans court and police interpreters
Afrikaans comes up in British family courts, employment tribunals and civil claims more often than in criminal trials, and South African documents often come with it: a divorce order, a maintenance order, a marriage contract made before the wedding. When a case needs an interpreter, we choose Afrikaans linguists who have worked in legal settings before and, if any are available for the language, hold the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or appear on the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). Send us the South African papers early, so their translations are ready before the hearing.
How to book an Afrikaans interpreter
- Tell us about the assignment: the date, time and address, or that you need telephone or video; how long it should last; and what it is for, such as a hospital appointment, a hearing or a business meeting.
- Tell us about the speaker: their country or region and, if you know it, their dialect. Mention any preference for a male or female interpreter.
- Get your quote. We email you a quote, with no obligation to book.
Call 0800 2425 125, email info@uklinguisticservices.co.uk or request a quote online.
About the Afrikaans language
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language that grew out of 17th-century Dutch, spoken mainly in South Africa and Namibia. It is one of the official languages of South Africa.
Afrikaans is written in the Latin alphabet.
At the 2021 Census, 7,489 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Afrikaans as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Merton (173 people), Buckinghamshire (155) and Sevenoaks (135). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: Afrikaans speakers can usually read Dutch, but Dutch speakers find Afrikaans much harder going, so a document going into Afrikaans needs an Afrikaans translator.
| Language family | West Germanic language that grew out of 17th-century Dutch |
|---|---|
| Where it is spoken | South Africa and Namibia |
| Writing system | Latin alphabet |
| Language code | af |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 7,489 people |
Related languages
Afrikaans interpreters near you
We send Afrikaans interpreters to appointments across England, Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland, and telephone and video interpreting work wherever you are. Choose a town for its local page.
Afrikaans interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book an Afrikaans interpreter?
We take bookings 24 hours a day, every day of the year. Telephone and video interpreting are usually the quickest to arrange. For a face-to-face appointment, give us as much notice as you can: same-day cover is often possible, but it depends on where you are and how many Afrikaans interpreters work nearby.
How much does an Afrikaans interpreter cost?
The price depends on the type of interpreting (face-to-face, telephone or video), how long the appointment lasts, where it is and how much notice you give. We quote before anything is booked, and quotes are free: call 0800 2425 125 or use our online quote form.
Can you certify Afrikaans translations for a UK visa or immigration application?
Yes. We translate and certify documents such as birth and marriage certificates, passports and police certificates for visa, settlement and citizenship applications. UK Visas and Immigration asks for each translation to confirm that it is accurate and to show the date and the translator's full name, signature and contact details, so tell us when you order that the document is for an immigration application.
Do you provide Afrikaans interpreters for courts, tribunals and police interviews?
Yes. Tell us the setting when you book, for example a Crown Court trial, an immigration tribunal hearing or a police interview under caution, so we can match an Afrikaans interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Afrikaans in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 7,489 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Afrikaans as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Merton (173 people), Buckinghamshire (155) and Sevenoaks (135). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Afrikaans at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
