Bosnian interpreters and translators for GP practices, hospitals, adult social care, solicitors and courts anywhere in the UK. We arrange face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting and certified translation between Bosnian and English, including records issued in either of the country's scripts, and we take bookings 24/7.
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Bosnian interpreting services
Three peoples live in Bosnia and Herzegovina and they do not all name their language the same way. Bosniaks usually call it Bosnian, while Bosnian Croats tend to say Croatian and Bosnian Serbs Serbian, even when they grew up in the same town. The simplest thing is to ask the client what they call their language and pass that on to us. Speakers from the Sandžak, on the border of Serbia and Montenegro, often hold Serbian or Montenegrin passports but speak and identify with Bosnian.
The spoken language is ijekavian, the variety of the south, and a good interpreter handles regional accents from Krajina to Herzegovina without trouble. Consecutive interpreting suits nearly every booking; for long therapy or care assessments, keeping the same interpreter helps.
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 Bosnian 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 Bosnian translation
The country is split into two entities, the Federation of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Republika Srpska, plus the Brčko District, and each runs its own administration. Certificates from Republika Srpska are frequently printed in Cyrillic, those from the Federation in Latin letters. A birth record is headed izvod iz matične knjige rođenih, and most papers show the 13-digit JMBG personal number.
Many families lost originals in the war and carry certificates reissued years later, so dates of issue and dates of events rarely match; we translate both exactly as printed. Each translator works into their native language, and the certified English translation keeps names in their Bosnian spelling as they appear in 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 Bosnian audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Bosnian translation
For Bosniak readers, write in the Bosnian standard, in Latin script, with its own spellings such as kahva for coffee and hljeb for bread. If the audience is the wider community from Bosnia and Herzegovina, including people who call their language Croatian or Serbian, tell us, and we can suggest a neutral wording or separate versions. Health leaflets for older readers read best in plain, short sentences.
Bosnian court and police interpreters
Bosnian is needed in UK criminal and family courts, in coroners' inquests, and at tribunals dealing with benefits or employment. For someone who lived through the war, being questioned in a courtroom can be hard. For legal work we look for Bosnian interpreters with experience of legal settings and, where interpreters holding them exist for Bosnian, the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or registration with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). Video links are available where the court permits remote attendance.
How to book a Bosnian 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 Bosnian language
Bosnian is a South Slavic language, the form of Serbo-Croatian standardised in Bosnia and Herzegovina. It is spoken mainly in Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Sandzak region of Serbia and Montenegro. Bosnian is an official language of Bosnia and Herzegovina, alongside Croatian and Serbian.
Bosnian is written in the Latin alphabet, and also Cyrillic.
At the 2021 Census, 18,006 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian or Montenegrin (one census category) as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Ealing (952 people), the London borough of Barnet (515) and the London borough of Wandsworth (476). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian and Montenegrin are mutually intelligible, but official documents should go into the standard the receiving body expects, and people often prefer an interpreter who uses their own.
| Name in Bosnian | bosanski |
|---|---|
| Language family | South Slavic language, the form of Serbo-Croatian standardised in Bosnia and Herzegovina |
| Where it is spoken | Bosnia and Herzegovina, and the Sandzak region of Serbia and Montenegro |
| Writing system | Latin alphabet, and also Cyrillic |
| Language code | bs |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 18,006 people |
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Bosnian interpreters near you
We send Bosnian 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.
Bosnian interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Bosnian 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 Bosnian interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Bosnian 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 Bosnian 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 Bosnian 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 a Bosnian interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Bosnian in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 18,006 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian or Montenegrin (one census category) as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Ealing (952 people), the London borough of Barnet (515) and the London borough of Wandsworth (476). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Bosnian at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
