Russian interpreters and translators for the NHS, police, courts, solicitors, employers and families anywhere in the UK, with face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, certified translation between Russian and English, and bookings taken 24/7. We serve speakers from Russia and from across the former Soviet Union, from the Baltic states to Central Asia.
- 8,000+ linguists
- 350+ languages
- Bookings 24/7, every day of the year
- Free quotes
Russian interpreting services
Spoken Russian is remarkably uniform. Someone from Vladivostok and someone from Kaliningrad understand each other without effort, so matching a regional dialect is rarely the issue. What does vary is vocabulary picked up outside Russia: a speaker from Kyiv, Minsk or Tashkent will drop in local words, and a Russian speaker who has lived in Riga for decades may use Latvian terms for official things. A good interpreter hears these and asks rather than guesses.
For clients from Ukraine, Georgia or the Baltic states, remember that the choice of Russian can be political as well as practical. Offer the national language as well and let the client decide. Consecutive interpreting suits most appointments; simultaneous whispering is sometimes used for a defendant in the dock or a delegate at a conference.
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 Russian 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 Russian translation
Typical requests are birth and marriage certificates, divorce decrees, diplomas with their grade supplements, driving licences, bank statements and the old paper work-record book that lists every job a person has held. Our Russian translators each work into their native language, so certified English versions for the Home Office, a UK university or a court are produced by native English speakers. Russia and most of its neighbours issue apostilles, and we translate the apostille stamp along with the document.
Spelling of names is the usual snag. Russian passports have used a transliteration standard since the mid-2010s that turns Yulia into Iuliia, and a Latvian passport adds a Latvian ending, so Aleksandr becomes Aleksandrs. We copy the passport form and list the variants if your papers disagree. For family history, church records from before 1918 follow the old Julian calendar and the pre-reform spelling.
- 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 Russian audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Russian translation
UK readers of Russian come from a dozen countries, so we write in neutral standard Russian and explain British institutions in words, not borrowed from Russia: a GP surgery or a council tenancy has no exact equivalent there. Letters use the capitalised polite "Vy" when addressing one person. Allow extra space in leaflets and forms, because Russian text generally runs longer than the English it comes from.
Russian court and police interpreters
Russian is heard regularly in the criminal and family courts of England and Wales, often from defendants and witnesses who are citizens of Latvia, Lithuania, Estonia or Ukraine rather than of Russia. When a solicitor or court asks us for Russian, we choose interpreters who have done legal work before, and we give preference to holders of the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) and to those registered with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI); Russian is one of the better-covered languages on that register. Before a hearing it is worth confirming that the defendant or witness actually wants Russian, and not their national language.
How to book a Russian 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 Russian language
Russian is an East Slavic language, spoken mainly in Russia, and widely in Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Baltic states and the Caucasus. It is an official language of Russia, Belarus, Kazakhstan and Kyrgyzstan, and one of the six official languages of the United Nations.
Russian is written in the Cyrillic alphabet.
At the 2021 Census, 91,255 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Russian as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the City of Westminster (2,062 people), West Northamptonshire (2,019) and the London borough of Tower Hamlets (1,906). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: Russian is a shared second language for many people from the former Soviet Union. Since 2022 some Ukrainians would rather not use Russian even when they speak it well, so ask before booking.
| Name in Russian | русский язык |
|---|---|
| Language family | East Slavic language |
| Where it is spoken | Russia, and widely in Ukraine, Belarus, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, the Baltic states and the Caucasus |
| Writing system | Cyrillic alphabet |
| Language code | ru |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 91,255 people |
Related languages
Russian interpreters near you
We send Russian 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.
Russian interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Russian 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 Russian interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Russian 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 Russian 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 Russian is not written in the Latin alphabet, send us the passport spelling of every name so the translation matches it.
Do you provide Russian 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 Russian interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Russian in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 91,255 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Russian as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the City of Westminster (2,062 people), West Northamptonshire (2,019) and the London borough of Tower Hamlets (1,906). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Russian at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
