Cantonese interpreters and translators anywhere in the UK, for Hong Kong families and long-settled communities alike. We arrange face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting and certified translation between Cantonese Chinese and English, working from and into Traditional characters, with bookings taken 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- 8,000+ linguists
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Cantonese interpreting services
Most Cantonese bookings are straightforward, but the edges need a question or two. More than half of Vietnam's ethnic Chinese grew up speaking Cantonese, and it is widely spoken among the Chinese of Kuala Lumpur, so people from both places may want a Cantonese interpreter even though neither passport suggests it. Someone from Guangzhou, where schools have taught in Mandarin for decades, may also cope with a Mandarin interpreter, but check before assuming it.
Cantonese has six tones against Mandarin's four, and a change of tone changes the word, so telephone interpreting works best on a clear line and in a quiet room.
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 Cantonese 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 Cantonese translation
Hong Kong paperwork is often partly in English already. Birth certificates normally record the name in both English and Chinese; identity cards print the Chinese name along with its Chinese Commercial Code, a number for each character that shows exactly which characters are meant; and Macau issues much of its paperwork in Chinese and Portuguese. We translate whatever is not in English and certify the translation for UK use. Both territories were already in the Apostille Convention before mainland China joined in 2023, so their documents can carry an apostille.
Our translators work only into their native language. Hong Kong names keep their Hong Kong spelling, surname first, and are never converted to mainland pinyin: Cheung stays Cheung, not Zhang.
- 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 Cantonese audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Cantonese translation
Formal writing in Hong Kong is standard written Chinese in Traditional characters, and that is what an NHS letter, a school report or a council notice should use. Written Cantonese, with its own characters for everyday spoken words, belongs to WhatsApp messages, comics and entertainment pages; readers from elsewhere in China cannot follow it, and in an official letter it looks out of place. For a leaflet aimed at Hong Kong families, a translator from Hong Kong will also choose the words people there actually use.
Cantonese court and police interpreters
Cantonese is needed across the legal system, from a first conference with a solicitor to a Crown Court trial, and the interpreter has to keep up with a witness's own way of speaking, slang and all. We look for Cantonese interpreters with legal experience and, where one can be found who holds it, the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or registration with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). With older defendants and witnesses, do not read too much into good everyday English: someone who has run a business here for fifty years may still give evidence best in Cantonese.
How to book a Cantonese 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 Cantonese language
Cantonese is a Yue Chinese language of the Sino-Tibetan family, spoken mainly in Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong province in southern China, and many overseas Chinese communities.
Cantonese is written in Traditional Chinese characters.
At the 2021 Census, 55,555 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Cantonese Chinese as their main language. The local authorities with the most were Manchester (2,061 people), Birmingham (1,729) and the London borough of Barnet (1,272). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: Spoken Cantonese and Mandarin are not mutually intelligible. Many Hong Kong people who have come to the UK on the BN(O) visa since 2021 speak Cantonese and read Traditional characters, so a Mandarin interpreter or a Simplified-character translation is the wrong match.
| Name in Cantonese | 廣東話 |
|---|---|
| Language family | Yue Chinese language of the Sino-Tibetan family |
| Where it is spoken | Hong Kong, Macau and Guangdong province in southern China, and many overseas Chinese communities |
| Writing system | Traditional Chinese characters |
| Language code | yue |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 55,555 people |
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Cantonese interpreters near you
We send Cantonese 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.
Cantonese interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Cantonese 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 Cantonese interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Cantonese 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 Cantonese 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 Cantonese is not written in the Latin alphabet, send us the passport spelling of every name so the translation matches it.
Do you provide Cantonese 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 Cantonese interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Cantonese in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 55,555 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Cantonese Chinese as their main language. The local authorities with the most were Manchester (2,061 people), Birmingham (1,729) and the London borough of Barnet (1,272). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Cantonese at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
