Latvian interpreters and translators anywhere in the UK, working with the NHS, police forces, courts, solicitors, councils and employers. We provide face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, certified translation between Latvian and English for Home Office, court and banking use, and we take bookings 24 hours a day.
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Latvian interpreting services
Standard Latvian, the language of Latvian schools, television and government, is built on the dialects of central Latvia, and anyone educated there will follow it. The east is different. In Latgale, Latgalian has its own spelling and literature, and people from that region often mix Latgalian, Latvian and Russian in everyday talk. When the speaker is older or comes from the Latgale countryside, tell us, and we will look for an interpreter who is comfortable with the regional speech.
Most appointments are interpreted consecutively, a few sentences at a time. Latvian suits remote work well: short GP calls, benefit enquiries and housing queries can be done by phone, and video works for longer meetings where the interpreter needs to see documents or a whiteboard.
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 Latvian 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 Latvian translation
The Latvian documents we see most are birth and marriage certificates from a civil registry office, school-leaving certificates and diplomas, driving licences, court judgments on divorce or child arrangements, and employer references. Every translation is done by a translator working into their native language: native English linguists for Latvian into English, native Latvian linguists for the reverse. We certify the translation for use by the Home Office, UK courts, universities and banks.
Watch the diacritics. A passport prints Bērziņš in full but the machine-readable strip at the bottom says BERZINS, and UK systems often keep only the stripped form. Latvian dates are also written year first, as in "2019. gada 14. marts", which we convert to day, month and year.
- 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 Latvian audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Latvian translation
For anything official, write in standard Latvian with the polite form of address, Jūs, which in letters is traditionally given a capital letter. Public bodies writing to Latvian residents sometimes ask for a Russian version as well, because a share of their readers will find it easier; that is worth considering for health leaflets and tenancy information, less so for a letter to one named person whose preference you know.
Latvian court and police interpreters
Latvian interpreters are needed in magistrates' and Crown Courts, employment tribunals and family proceedings, and at Westminster Magistrates' Court, which hears extradition requests, including those sent by Latvia. For any legal booking we look for Latvian interpreters who have legal experience and, where interpreters with those credentials exist for Latvian, the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or a place on the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). Before a hearing, check the defendant's preferred language again, since a switch to Russian halfway through a case causes delay.
How to book a Latvian 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 Latvian language
Latvian is a Baltic language of the Indo-European family, related to Lithuanian. It is spoken mainly in Latvia. Latvian is the official language of Latvia and an official language of the European Union.
Latvian is written in the Latin alphabet, with diacritics.
At the 2021 Census, 38,359 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Latvian as their main language. The local authorities with the most were Peterborough (1,805 people), Boston (1,132) and Derby (1,024). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: About a third of Latvia's population speaks Russian at home, so a Latvian national may need a Russian rather than a Latvian interpreter.
| Name in Latvian | latviešu valoda |
|---|---|
| Language family | Baltic language of the Indo-European family, related to Lithuanian |
| Where it is spoken | Latvia |
| Writing system | Latin alphabet, with diacritics |
| Language code | lv |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 38,359 people |
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Latvian interpreters near you
We send Latvian 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.
Latvian interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Latvian 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 Latvian interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Latvian 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 Latvian 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 Latvian 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 Latvian interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Latvian in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 38,359 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Latvian as their main language. The local authorities with the most were Peterborough (1,805 people), Boston (1,132) and Derby (1,024). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Latvian at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
