Malay interpreters and translators for hospitals, universities, solicitors, councils and families anywhere in the UK, whether the speaker comes from Malaysia, Brunei or Singapore. We provide face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, certified translation between Malay and English, and we take bookings 24 hours a day.
- 8,000+ linguists
- 350+ languages
- Bookings 24/7, every day of the year
- Free quotes
Malay interpreting services
Standard Malay, the bahasa baku of schools, television and government, is understood across Malaysia, but everyday speech varies a long way from it. Kelantan and Terengganu on the east coast, Kedah in the north, Sarawak and Sabah on Borneo each have their own sounds and vocabulary. Indonesians will follow most of a conversation in Malay, yet a Malaysian and an Indonesian can trip over the same word: kereta is a car in Kuala Lumpur and a train in Jakarta, and percuma means free of charge in one country and pointless in the other.
Malaysians slip English into Malay constantly, sometimes mid-sentence. A good interpreter renders the whole utterance rather than skipping the English part as if it had been understood. Consecutive interpreting suits nearly every appointment.
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 Malay 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 Malay translation
The paper most Malaysians bring is the MyKad identity card, whose 12-digit number begins with the holder's date of birth in the order year, month, day. Birth certificates come from the National Registration Department, while a Muslim couple's marriage or divorce is recorded by the religious authority of their state, and these papers may carry some Jawi. School results appear on the SPM certificate that universities here ask about.
Each of our translators works into their native language, so a Malay certificate goes to a native English translator. Names are copied exactly as the passport spells them, including abbreviations such as Mohd for Muhammad, and we flag any document where the spelling differs.
- 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 Malay audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Malay translation
For readers from Malaysia, write in the Malaysian standard, not Indonesian: kerajaan for government, hospital rather than rumah sakit, and Malaysian spellings throughout. Public information normally addresses the reader as anda, the neutral polite form, and uses Rumi letters. Jawi only makes sense for a religious readership, such as a mosque notice, and we will say so if you ask for it elsewhere.
Malay court and police interpreters
Malay comes up in UK courts and tribunals mostly through immigration appeals, family proceedings and criminal cases involving students or visitors. For this work we look for Malay interpreters who have legal experience and, where interpreters holding them exist for Malay, the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or a place on the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). Because qualified Malay court interpreters are few, booking as soon as the hearing date is set gives us the best chance of finding one, and a video link can bring in an interpreter from elsewhere in the UK if the court permits it.
How to book a Malay 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 Malay language
Malay is an Austronesian language, spoken mainly in Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and parts of Indonesia and southern Thailand. It is an official language of Malaysia, Brunei and Singapore.
Malay is written in the Latin alphabet (Rumi); the Arabic-based Jawi script is also used.
At the 2021 Census, 8,014 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Malay as their main language. The local authorities with the most were Manchester (433 people), the City of Westminster (411) and Leeds (271). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: Malay and Indonesian are largely mutually intelligible, but spelling and many everyday words differ, so tell us whether a document is for Malaysia or Indonesia.
| Name in Malay | Bahasa Melayu |
|---|---|
| Language family | Austronesian language |
| Where it is spoken | Malaysia, Brunei, Singapore and parts of Indonesia and southern Thailand |
| Writing system | Latin alphabet (Rumi); the Arabic-based Jawi script is also used |
| Language code | ms |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 8,014 people |
Related languages
Malay interpreters near you
We send Malay 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.
Malay interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Malay 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 Malay interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Malay 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 Malay 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 Malay 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 Malay interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Malay in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 8,014 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Malay as their main language. The local authorities with the most were Manchester (433 people), the City of Westminster (411) and Leeds (271). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Malay at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
