Mandarin interpreters and translators anywhere in the UK, for NHS trusts, universities, law firms, police forces and companies trading with China and Taiwan. We offer face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, certified translation between Mandarin and English in Simplified or Traditional characters as your reader needs, and bookings 24/7.
- 8,000+ linguists
- 350+ languages
- Bookings 24/7, every day of the year
- Free quotes
Mandarin interpreting services
Mandarin goes by different names depending on where the speaker grew up: Putonghua on the mainland, Guoyu in Taiwan and Huayu in Singapore and Malaysia. The grammar is shared, but pronunciation and everyday words drift apart. Speakers from Taiwan usually merge the zh, ch and sh sounds into z, c and s, and hardly use the -r ending that marks Beijing speech. A trained interpreter handles all of this, although for a long or emotional appointment it is worth asking for someone from the same side of the Taiwan Strait.
Consecutive interpreting suits clinics, interviews and small meetings. For a delegation visit or a conference, ask us about simultaneous interpreting.
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 Mandarin 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 Mandarin translation
Mainland Chinese paperwork has habits of its own. A university degree comes with two separate documents, a graduation certificate and a degree certificate, and a person can hold one without the other, so check which you have been sent; overseas employers and universities often ask for a verification report from CHSI, the service China's Ministry of Education designates for it, as well. Documents for use abroad are usually issued as notarial certificates, and since 7 November 2023, when China joined the Apostille Convention, they are authenticated with an apostille instead of consular legalisation.
Each of our translators translates only into their native language, so the English version is written by a native English speaker. We copy the 18-character identity number exactly, including a final X, which stands for ten in the check digit and is not a typing error.
- 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 Mandarin audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Mandarin translation
English to Mandarin really means English to written Chinese, and the reader decides which kind. Students and families from the mainland read Simplified characters and mainland vocabulary; a reader from Taiwan expects Traditional characters and Taiwan's own words, which differ more than people expect: software is ruanjian in Beijing and ruanti in Taipei, and the internet is wangluo in one and wanglu in the other. If your readers include both, two versions will serve them better than one compromise.
Mandarin court and police interpreters
Mandarin names are harder to pin down by ear than they look. The language has only about 400 distinct syllables once tones are set aside, so a spoken surname such as Zhang or Li can belong to several different characters, and an officer or clerk writing it down should ask for the characters or copy them from the passport. For legal work we look for Mandarin interpreters with legal experience and, where people holding them are available, the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or a place on the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI).
How to book a Mandarin 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 Mandarin language
Mandarin is a Chinese language of the Sino-Tibetan family, spoken mainly in mainland China, Taiwan and Singapore. It is an official language of China (as Standard Chinese, or Putonghua), Taiwan and Singapore, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
Mandarin is written in Simplified Chinese characters in mainland China and Singapore, and Traditional characters in Taiwan.
At the 2021 Census, 30,820 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Mandarin Chinese as their main language. The local authorities with the most were Birmingham (1,017 people), Manchester (952) and the London borough of Tower Hamlets (771). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: For a translation, tell us whether the reader is from mainland China (Simplified characters) or Taiwan (Traditional characters). Most Chinese students and professionals in the UK come from the mainland.
| Name in Mandarin | 普通话 |
|---|---|
| Language family | Chinese language of the Sino-Tibetan family |
| Where it is spoken | Mainland China, Taiwan and Singapore |
| Writing system | Simplified Chinese characters in mainland China and Singapore, and Traditional characters in Taiwan |
| Language code | zh |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 30,820 people |
Related languages
Mandarin interpreters near you
We send Mandarin 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.
Mandarin interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Mandarin 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 Mandarin interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Mandarin 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 Mandarin 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 Mandarin is not written in the Latin alphabet, send us the passport spelling of every name so the translation matches it.
Do you provide Mandarin 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 Mandarin interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Mandarin in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 30,820 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Mandarin Chinese as their main language. The local authorities with the most were Birmingham (1,017 people), Manchester (952) and the London borough of Tower Hamlets (771). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Mandarin at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
