Nepali interpreters and translators for Gurkha families, the NHS, councils, solicitors and the Home Office anywhere in the UK, with face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, certified translation between Nepali and English, and bookings taken 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
- 8,000+ linguists
- 350+ languages
- Bookings 24/7, every day of the year
- Free quotes
Nepali interpreting services
The Nepali of Kathmandu radio, school textbooks and government offices is understood across Nepal and by Nepali speakers in India and Bhutan, so regional variety is rarely what stands in the way. Background matters more. Fewer than half the people of Nepal grew up with Nepali as their mother tongue, and many Gurkha families are Gurung, Magar, Rai, Limbu or Tamang. For most of them Nepali is a fluent second language, but a grandparent who grew up in a hill village may think and speak more easily in the family's own language. Ask before you book, and tell us if it is another language of Nepal that is needed.
Consecutive interpreting suits nearly every Nepali booking, in person for long or sensitive appointments and by video when time is short.
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 Nepali 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 Nepali translation
Papers from Nepal are dated in Bikram Sambat, whose new year falls in mid-April, so the first task on a birth registration, a marriage registration or a citizenship certificate is to give every date correctly in the Western calendar as well. The citizenship certificate, the nagarikta, is issued from the age of sixteen and is the document most often asked for. Names come from Devanagari, and the same surname can be spelt Shrestha or Srestha in English letters, so we follow the passport and point out any mismatch between your documents.
Each of our translators works into their native language: Nepali into English with a native English speaker, English into Nepali with a native Nepali speaker. Certified translations are prepared for UK solicitors, universities, employers and the Home Office.
- 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 Nepali audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Nepali translation
Health leaflets, council letters and school notices should be written in plain standard Nepali, addressed politely with tapai throughout. The literary style of newspaper editorials, heavy with Sanskrit vocabulary, loses many older readers. Some English words, such as GP, appointment or benefit, are used as they are by Nepalis in the UK and are clearer left in English with a short Nepali gloss. Devanagari needs the right fonts to display, so ask for a PDF as well as the editable file.
Nepali court and police interpreters
Nepali interpreters are needed in UK courts and tribunals for criminal trials, family proceedings, employment claims and immigration appeals, often for someone whose English copes with daily life but not with cross-examination. For these bookings we look for Nepali interpreters with legal experience and, where interpreters holding them are available for Nepali, the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or registration with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). If the person's first language is Gurung, Magar, Limbu or another language of Nepal, raise it well before the hearing, since the court may need to decide whether Nepali is enough.
How to book a Nepali 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 Nepali language
Nepali is an Indo-Aryan language, spoken mainly in Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills in India. It is the official language of Nepal and an official language of Sikkim.
Nepali is written in Devanagari.
At the 2021 Census, 74,368 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Nepalese as their main language. The local authorities with the most were Rushmoor (8,571 people), the Royal Borough of Greenwich (5,854) and Reading (4,147). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: The UK's Nepali-speaking community has close links with the Gurkhas and is especially large around Aldershot and Farnborough in Hampshire. Some older family members speak Gurung, Magar or Rai at home.
| Name in Nepali | नेपाली |
|---|---|
| Language family | Indo-Aryan language |
| Where it is spoken | Nepal, Bhutan, and Sikkim and the Darjeeling hills in India |
| Writing system | Devanagari |
| Language code | ne |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 74,368 people |
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Nepali interpreters near you
We send Nepali 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.
Nepali interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Nepali 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 Nepali interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Nepali 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 Nepali 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 Nepali is not written in the Latin alphabet, send us the passport spelling of every name so the translation matches it.
Do you provide Nepali 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 Nepali interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Nepali in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 74,368 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Nepalese as their main language. The local authorities with the most were Rushmoor (8,571 people), the Royal Borough of Greenwich (5,854) and Reading (4,147). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Nepali at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
