Greek interpreters and translators for NHS trusts, law firms, shipping companies, councils and families anywhere in the UK, offering face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, certified translation between Greek and English, and bookings taken 24/7, including evenings and weekends.

  • 8,000+ linguists
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Greek interpreting services

Most bookings are consecutive: a clinician or solicitor speaks, then the interpreter renders it, a few sentences at a time. Business meetings and site visits sometimes call for whispered interpreting instead, with the interpreter sitting beside one or two listeners. The main question to settle before the day is where the speaker learned their Greek. An Athenian, a Cretan and a Cypriot understand one another in writing and in careful speech, but rural and elderly speakers from Cyprus can be hard to follow for someone raised on the mainland. Pontic Greek, brought to Greece by families from the Black Sea coast and the former Soviet Union, is further apart again, and many Pontic speakers also use Russian. If you know the client's background, tell us, and we will match it.

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 Greek 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 Greek translation

Typical documents from Greece are birth and marriage certificates from the local registry office, the family status certificate that settles inheritance and marriage questions, degree certificates, and court or tax papers. Anything drafted before the late 1970s may be in Katharevousa, the formal register official writing used until Demotic Greek replaced it in 1976, with older grammar and vocabulary that a translator has to know. Each of our translators works into their native language, so Greek to English goes to a native English speaker.

Names need care. Greek surnames change form for women, so the daughter of a Papadopoulos is Papadopoulou, and identity cards and certificates also record the father's first name. Latin spellings vary as well (Georgiou or Yiorgiou), so we follow the passport and point out any mismatch between your documents.

  • 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 Greek audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.

English to Greek translation

For readers in the UK we translate into Standard Modern Greek, written in the single-accent monotonic system that has been the norm since the early 1980s. That suits readers from Greece and from Cyprus alike, whatever they speak at home. Public-facing material such as patient leaflets or council letters should address the reader with the polite plural, which older Greek readers expect and younger ones accept without a second thought.

A translator checking a printed document

Greek court and police interpreters

Greek comes up in family proceedings where one parent lives in Greece or Cyprus, in probate disputes over property on the islands, and in London's commercial courts, where shipping and charter disputes have long involved Greek parties and witnesses. For legal work we look for Greek interpreters with courtroom or solicitor experience and, where such qualified interpreters are available for Greek, the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or registration on the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). Witness statements should be read back to the client in Greek before signature.

Greek court interpreters

How to book a Greek interpreter

  1. 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.
  2. 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.
  3. 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 Greek language

Greek is an Indo-European language that forms a branch of its own, spoken mainly in Greece and Cyprus. It is the official language of Greece, an official language of Cyprus and an official language of the European Union.

Greek is written in the Greek alphabet.

At the 2021 Census, 76,675 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Greek as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Enfield (5,116 people), the London borough of Haringey (3,098) and the London borough of Barnet (2,928). Source: Office for National Statistics.

Before you book: Greek Cypriots speak a distinct dialect but write Standard Modern Greek, which is what official documents from Cyprus use.

Greek at a glance
Name in GreekΕλληνικά
Language familyIndo-European language that forms a branch of its own
Where it is spokenGreece and Cyprus
Writing systemGreek alphabet
Language codeel
Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021)76,675 people

Related languages

Greek interpreters near you

We send Greek 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.

Greek interpreter and translator FAQs

How quickly can I book a Greek 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 Greek interpreters work nearby.

How much does a Greek 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 Greek 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 Greek is not written in the Latin alphabet, send us the passport spelling of every name so the translation matches it.

Do you provide Greek 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 Greek interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.

How many people speak Greek in the UK?

At the 2021 Census, 76,675 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Greek as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Enfield (5,116 people), the London borough of Haringey (3,098) and the London borough of Barnet (2,928). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Greek at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.

Need a Greek interpreter or translator?

Some of our clients