Persian interpreters and translators anywhere in the UK, in Iranian Persian and in Dari, for the NHS, councils, schools, solicitors and courts. Choose face-to-face, telephone or video interpreting, order a certified translation between Persian and English, and book at any hour: we take bookings 24 hours a day.
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Persian interpreting services
Linguists describe Persian as pluricentric: one language with three mutually intelligible standard forms, Iranian, Afghan and Tajik. That is why a Persian interpreter can often manage a short, simple exchange with a speaker of another variety, and why it is still worth matching the variety for anything long, legal or clinical.
Afghan Dari has regional forms of its own. Hazaras speak Hazaragi, a group of Dari dialects with a distinctive accent and a share of Mongolian vocabulary, which speakers of Kabul Dari understand readily; if your client is Hazara, tell us, so the interpreter comes ready for 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 Persian 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 Persian translation
We follow the native-language rule: a Persian document is translated into English by a native English speaker, and English goes into Persian only with a translator who is a native speaker of the variety the reader uses. Dates are where Iranian and Afghan papers part company. Both countries used the Solar Hijri calendar, but Iranian documents name the months Farvardin, Ordibehesht and so on, while Afghan ones use the zodiac names Hamal, Sawr, Jawza and the rest.
Since March 2022 the Taliban authorities have dated official correspondence by the lunar Hijri calendar instead, as they did between 1996 and 2001, so a recent Afghan document needs checking before its dates are converted. The tazkira, the Afghan identity document, comes as an older paper certificate or, since 2018, an electronic card, and we translate either.
- 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 Persian audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Persian translation
Decide first who will read the translation. Material for Afghan families belongs in Dari, with Afghan words such as paysa for money, and material for Iranians in Iranian Persian, where the same word is pul: the script is shared, the vocabulary is not. Numbers need the Persian digit shapes as well, because Persian writes 4, 5 and 6 differently from Arabic, and a typesetter working from Arabic fonts can get them wrong.
Persian court and police interpreters
Iran and Afghanistan were both among the six nationalities with the most asylum claims in the UK in the year to June 2026, so a good deal of Persian legal interpreting happens in solicitors' offices, where statements are taken, and in the First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), where appeals are heard. Whatever the hearing, criminal and family cases included, we look for a Persian interpreter who has done legal work in the client's own variety and, where Farsi or Dari interpreters with them are available, holds the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or is on the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI).
How to book a Persian 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 Persian language
Persian is a south-western Iranian language of the Indo-European family, spoken mainly in Iran, Afghanistan (as Dari) and Tajikistan (as Tajik). It is the official language of Iran, and an official language of Afghanistan (as Dari) and Tajikistan (as Tajik).
Persian is written in the Perso-Arabic script, which runs from right to left; Tajik uses Cyrillic. Varieties include Iranian Persian (Farsi), Dari and Tajik.
At the 2021 Census, 87,713 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Persian or Farsi as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Barnet (8,442 people), Birmingham (4,143) and the London borough of Ealing (3,807). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: Iranian Farsi and Afghan Dari are written the same way but sound different and use different everyday words. Iranians usually want a Farsi interpreter and Afghans a Dari one.
| Name in Persian | فارسی |
|---|---|
| Language family | South-western Iranian language of the Indo-European family |
| Where it is spoken | Iran, Afghanistan (as Dari) and Tajikistan (as Tajik) |
| Writing system | Perso-Arabic script, which runs from right to left; Tajik uses Cyrillic |
| Language code | fa |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 87,713 people |
Related languages
Persian interpreters near you
Persian is needed well beyond north London and Birmingham. The Afghan resettlement schemes worked through councils across the UK, including councils in Leicestershire, Rutland and Cumberland, so Dari speakers may need an interpreter in places with no established Afghan community, and a video interpreter may be the practical answer there.
Persian interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Persian 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 Persian interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Persian 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.
Does the Persian dialect matter when booking an interpreter?
It can. Persian varieties include Iranian Persian (Farsi), Dari and Tajik. Tell us where the speaker is from, or the dialect they use, so the interpreter is a good match for them.
Can you certify Persian 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 Persian is not written in the Latin alphabet, send us the passport spelling of every name so the translation matches it.
Do you provide Persian 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 Persian interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Persian in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 87,713 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Persian or Farsi as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Barnet (8,442 people), Birmingham (4,143) and the London borough of Ealing (3,807). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Persian at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
