Serbian interpreters and translators anywhere in the UK, for hospitals, GP practices, solicitors, police forces, courts and companies. We arrange face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting and certified translation between Serbian and English in either alphabet, with bookings taken 24 hours a day.
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Serbian interpreting services
Standard Serbian has two pronunciations. In Serbia itself people say reka, mleko and dete (river, milk, child); Serbs from Bosnia and Herzegovina and from Montenegro say rijeka, mlijeko and dijete, and both forms are correct Serbian. People outside the region sometimes mistake the second for Croatian, but for a Serb from Trebinje or Nikšić it is simply how Serbian is spoken at home. Neither form gets in the way of understanding, and a Serbian interpreter follows Bosnian, Croatian and Montenegrin speakers just as easily. Even so, someone describing a frightening or painful experience usually settles faster with an interpreter who sounds familiar, so tell us where the speaker grew up. Most bookings are consecutive, the interpreter speaking after each question and each answer.
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 Serbian 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 Serbian translation
Each of our translators works into their native language, so a Serbian certificate goes into English with a native English speaker and an English letter into Serbian with a native Serbian one. Most requests are for civil-status and identity papers: birth, marriage and death certificates, which Serbia issues as extracts from its registers, along with certificates of citizenship, diplomas and police records. Those papers usually give names in Cyrillic, while the passport prints the same name in Latin letters.
The two alphabets match letter for letter, so there is always one correct Latin form, and the translation uses the passport's, never an English approximation such as Djordjevic for Đorđević. Civil-status extracts also show the JMBG, the 13-digit personal number that begins with the holder's date of birth; we copy it exactly and check it against the date written out in the text.
- 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 Serbian audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Serbian translation
Two decisions shape a translation into Serbian. The first is the alphabet. Cyrillic is the only script with official status in Serbia, so a document for a court, a registry office or a ministry there should use it; a leaflet for Serbian speakers in Britain can equally be in Latin, the script that dominates Serbian websites and social media. The second is pronunciation: ekavian for readers from Serbia, ijekavian for Serbs from Bosnia and Montenegro. Tell us who will read the text and we will set both.
Serbian court and police interpreters
Serbian comes up in British courts in criminal trials, in family proceedings where a parent or a child lives in Serbia, and in disputes over property left there. For hearings and police interviews we want an interpreter with legal experience, ideally one who holds the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or is registered with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI), where interpreters with those credentials exist for Serbian. Written evidence in Cyrillic should be translated before the hearing rather than read out on the day, so that everyone in court is working from the same English text.
How to book a Serbian 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 Serbian language
Serbian is a South Slavic language, the form of Serbo-Croatian standardised in Serbia. It is spoken mainly in Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Republika Srpska), Montenegro and Kosovo. Serbian is the official language of Serbia and an official language of Bosnia and Herzegovina and Kosovo.
Serbian is written in both the Cyrillic alphabet, official in Serbia, and the Latin alphabet.
At the 2021 Census, 18,006 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian or Montenegrin (one census category) as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Ealing (952 people), the London borough of Barnet (515) and the London borough of Wandsworth (476). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: Serbian is written in Cyrillic and in Latin letters. Official documents from Serbia are normally in Cyrillic, so tell us which script a translation into Serbian should use.
| Name in Serbian | српски / srpski |
|---|---|
| Language family | South Slavic language, the form of Serbo-Croatian standardised in Serbia |
| Where it is spoken | Serbia, Bosnia and Herzegovina (Republika Srpska), Montenegro and Kosovo |
| Writing system | Both the Cyrillic alphabet, official in Serbia, and the Latin alphabet |
| Language code | sr |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 18,006 people |
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Serbian interpreters near you
We send Serbian 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.
Serbian interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Serbian 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 Serbian interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Serbian 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 Serbian 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 Serbian is not written in the Latin alphabet, send us the passport spelling of every name so the translation matches it.
Do you provide Serbian 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 Serbian interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Serbian in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 18,006 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian or Montenegrin (one census category) as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Ealing (952 people), the London borough of Barnet (515) and the London borough of Wandsworth (476). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Serbian at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
