Bulgarian interpreters and translators for police forces, courts, the NHS, local authorities and employers anywhere in the UK. We cover face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, produce certified translation between Bulgarian and English for official use, and take bookings 24 hours a day, including nights and weekends.
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Bulgarian interpreting services
Standard Bulgarian grew from the eastern dialects, and the clearest line across the country is how one old vowel is said: an easterner says byal for "white" where people in Sofia and the west say bel. Nothing about that stops a conversation, and a professional interpreter adjusts in minutes. Region matters more in another way. A client from the Kardzhali area or the north-east may belong to the Turkish-speaking minority, and people from Roma neighbourhoods may be more at home in Romani, so check before you book.
With a large Bulgarian-speaking population in England, in-person consecutive interpreting is normally realistic for planned appointments, with remote cover for urgent ones.
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 Bulgarian 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 Bulgarian translation
The papers people bring from Bulgaria are fairly predictable: birth and marriage certificates, a certificate of criminal record, a driving licence, diplomas, and the old labour book (trudova knizhka) that records years of employment and can matter for a pension claim. Each translator works into their own native language, so Bulgarian to English is done by a native English speaker.
Bulgarian documents carry a ten-digit personal number, the EGN, whose first six digits encode the date of birth, and full names in three parts: given name, a patronymic from the father's name, and surname. We transliterate names by the official Bulgarian system, in which щ becomes sht and ъ becomes a, but always follow the passport if it spells a name differently.
- 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 Bulgarian audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Bulgarian translation
English to Bulgarian work goes into standard literary Bulgarian, in Cyrillic, whatever dialect the reader grew up with. Informal Bulgarian written in Latin letters is common in text messages, but it has no place in a council letter or a patient leaflet. Formal letters address the reader with the polite plural form, which many Bulgarians expect from an official body and notice when it is missing.
Bulgarian court and police interpreters
Bulgarian comes up across the justice system: magistrates' and Crown Court cases, employment tribunals over unpaid wages, family proceedings, and extradition requests from Bulgaria heard at Westminster Magistrates' Court. We look for Bulgarian interpreters with legal experience, and where interpreters holding them exist for Bulgarian, the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or registration with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). Legal Bulgarian has its own vocabulary for charges, bail and sentence, and a defendant deserves an interpreter who uses it accurately, not a relative or a co-worker.
How to book a Bulgarian 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 Bulgarian language
Bulgarian is a South Slavic language, spoken mainly in Bulgaria. It is the official language of Bulgaria and an official language of the European Union.
Bulgarian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet.
At the 2021 Census, 111,431 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Bulgarian as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Enfield (5,569 people), the London borough of Waltham Forest (4,397) and the London borough of Haringey (4,000). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: Some Bulgarian citizens are Turkish speakers or speak Romani at home, so it is worth confirming the language the person actually uses.
| Name in Bulgarian | български |
|---|---|
| Language family | South Slavic language |
| Where it is spoken | Bulgaria |
| Writing system | Cyrillic alphabet |
| Language code | bg |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 111,431 people |
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Bulgarian interpreters near you
We send Bulgarian 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.
Bulgarian interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Bulgarian 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 Bulgarian interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Bulgarian 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 Bulgarian 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. Because Bulgarian is not written in the Latin alphabet, send us the passport spelling of every name so the translation matches it.
Do you provide Bulgarian 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 Bulgarian interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Bulgarian in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 111,431 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Bulgarian as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Enfield (5,569 people), the London borough of Waltham Forest (4,397) and the London borough of Haringey (4,000). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Bulgarian at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
