Alsatian interpreters and translators for families, carers, solicitors and genealogists anywhere in the UK, with face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, certified translation between Alsatian and English, and bookings taken 24 hours a day. We will also tell you honestly when a French or German linguist would suit your situation better.
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Alsatian interpreting services
Alsatian belongs to a chain of dialects running along both banks of the Upper Rhine. Most of Alsace speaks Low Alemannic, the far south High Alemannic, and a strip in the north a Franconian dialect nearer to the speech of the Palatinate. That chain matters for booking: someone raised in Baden or northern Switzerland will often follow an Alsatian speaker far better than a Standard German interpreter from Hamburg or Berlin would.
There is no spoken standard, and each village has its own turns of phrase. Consecutive interpreting suits the dialect, because the interpreter can stop and check an unfamiliar word rather than guess. Before the appointment, find out whether the person also reads French or German; written material is easier to go through in one of those.
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 Alsatian 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 Alsatian translation
Family papers are where Alsatian history shows. Between 1871 and 1918 Alsace belonged to the German Empire, so birth, marriage and death registers from those years are in German, while earlier and later ones are in French. The same ancestor can appear as Johann in one record and Jean in the next. Our translators keep both forms and note the change, rather than tidying it away.
Property brings its own paperwork. Alsace and Moselle keep a land register, the Livre foncier, run by the courts under local law that differs from the rest of France, and a UK executor dealing with a house there will meet its extracts. Each translator translates into their native language, and we certify the English version for use with UK banks, solicitors and the Probate Registry.
- 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 Alsatian audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Alsatian translation
Requests to translate English into Alsatian are rare and mostly cultural: a play, a song, a family memoir, a greeting for a twinned town. Spelling is not fixed, although a recommended system, Orthal, was drawn up at the University of Strasbourg, and writers still vary. For anything practical aimed at people in Alsace, such as a letter, a contract or instructions, we would normally advise French, which every reader there can follow.
Alsatian court and police interpreters
In British legal work Alsatian comes up at the edges of a case rather than at its centre: an elderly party to probate proceedings, a witness in a family dispute, a client whose instructions on a French estate must be taken with care. For these bookings we look for Alsatian interpreters with legal experience and, where interpreters holding them exist for Alsatian, the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or registration with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). Qualified dialect interpreters are very few, so we will explain the options, including a DPSI-qualified French or German interpreter, before you commit.
How to book an Alsatian 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 Alsatian language
Alsatian is an Alemannic dialect of German, spoken mainly in Alsace, in north-eastern France.
Alsatian is written in the Latin alphabet.
Before you book: Most Alsatian speakers write in French or Standard German, so documents from Alsace are rarely in Alsatian itself.
| Name in Alsatian | Elsässisch |
|---|---|
| Language family | Alemannic dialect of German |
| Where it is spoken | Alsace, in north-eastern France |
| Writing system | Latin alphabet |
| Language code | gsw |
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Alsatian interpreters near you
We send Alsatian 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.
Alsatian interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book an Alsatian 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 Alsatian interpreters work nearby.
How much does an Alsatian 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 Alsatian 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 Alsatian 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 Alsatian interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
