Chaldean interpreters and translators anywhere in the UK for Iraqi Christian families, solicitors, the Home Office, NHS services and councils, with face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, certified translation between Chaldean and English, and bookings taken 24 hours a day.
- 8,000+ linguists
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Chaldean interpreting services
There is no single spoken standard for Sureth. Someone raised in a Nineveh Plains village speaks it daily; someone raised in Baghdad, where many Chaldean families lived before 2003, may have grown up speaking mostly Arabic at home and use Sureth only with grandparents or in church. So before booking, find out two things: the town or village the family comes from, and the language the client feels strongest in. The Baghdad-raised client may be better served by an Iraqi Arabic interpreter; the villager almost always wants Sureth.
Consecutive interpreting suits nearly every Chaldean booking, since the work is interviews and consultations rather than conferences.
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 Chaldean 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 Chaldean translation
Few people arrive with documents written in Chaldean. Iraqi birth, marriage and identity papers are issued in Arabic, or in Arabic and Kurdish in the Kurdistan Region, so a family who spent years in Ankawa after leaving the Nineveh Plains may hold both. For those an Arabic or Kurdish translator is the right person, and we will tell you so. Church material is different: parish registers, older baptism records and liturgical texts can be in Syriac, or in Arabic written in Syriac letters (Garshuni), and need a translator who reads the East Syriac script.
Our Chaldean translators work only into their native language, so English versions come from native English speakers. Christian given names such as Hanna, Yousif or Behnam can be spelt several ways in English letters, so we follow the passport and point out any document that disagrees with it.
- 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 Chaldean audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Chaldean translation
Translating English into Chaldean starts with a question about readers: can they read the Syriac alphabet? Many Chaldeans in Britain learned to read in Arabic at school in Iraq and met Syriac letters only at Mass. For a health leaflet meant for a whole community, an Arabic version usually reaches more people. A Sureth version in East Syriac script suits parish use, and families who want their own language on the page. Tell us who will read it and we will advise before quoting.
Chaldean court and police interpreters
Chaldean legal work is mostly asylum and immigration: Home Office interviews, witness statements taken by solicitors, and appeals before the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber). For these we look for Chaldean interpreters with legal experience, and ask for the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or registration with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI) wherever an interpreter holding them can be found. Such qualifications are rare in this language, so we check courtroom experience and dialect match with extra care. At the start of any hearing, the interpreter and appellant should confirm that they understand each other.
How to book a Chaldean 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 Chaldean language
Chaldean is a Neo-Aramaic language of the Semitic family, spoken mainly in the Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq and the Chaldean Catholic diaspora.
Chaldean is written in the Syriac alphabet.
Before you book: Most Chaldean speakers from Iraq also speak Arabic, and many follow Assyrian Neo-Aramaic.
| Language family | Neo-Aramaic language of the Semitic family |
|---|---|
| Where it is spoken | The Nineveh Plains of northern Iraq and the Chaldean Catholic diaspora |
| Writing system | Syriac alphabet |
| Language code | cld |
Related languages
Chaldean interpreters near you
We send Chaldean 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.
Chaldean interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Chaldean 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 Chaldean interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Chaldean 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 Chaldean 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 Chaldean is not written in the Latin alphabet, send us the passport spelling of every name so the translation matches it.
Do you provide Chaldean 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 Chaldean interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
