Sinhalese (Sinhala) interpreters and translators for hospitals, solicitors, universities, employers and families anywhere in the UK: face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, certified translation between Sinhala and English for Sri Lankan documents, and bookings taken 24 hours a day.
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Sinhalese interpreting services
Sinhala has regional accents, and the speech of the south coast, the Kandyan hill country and Colombo differ in words and tone, but they are one language and a trained interpreter handles them all. The bigger question is age and schooling. Younger Sri Lankans in Britain often switch between Sinhala and English without noticing, while a grandparent may use the respectful, fuller forms of an older generation and expect to be addressed with them.
Dhivehi, spoken in the Maldives, is Sinhala's closest relative, yet the two are not understood across the gap without study, so a Maldivian client needs a Dhivehi interpreter. Most Sinhalese interpreting is consecutive. Video works well for Sinhala, since so much of the UK's Sinhala-speaking population, interpreters included, is based in and around London.
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 Sinhalese 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 Sinhalese translation
Documents from Sri Lanka come in Sinhala, Tamil or English, and sometimes in more than one on a single page. Birth, marriage and death certificates from Sinhala-speaking districts, especially older handwritten ones, are the papers we translate most, followed by deeds, police reports and school certificates. Each translator works into their native language: native English speakers take Sinhala into English, and native Sinhala speakers handle English into Sinhala.
Sinhalese names can be long, with an ancestral house name before the given names, and in Sri Lanka they are often cut to initials plus a surname. We spell every name as it appears in the passport and flag any certificate that expands or orders it differently.
- 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 Sinhalese audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Sinhalese translation
For readers in Britain we translate into modern written Sinhala, clear enough for a parent or patient to follow without a dictionary. Government-style formal Sinhala is correct but can feel stiff to someone who left school in Sri Lanka many years ago, so for leaflets, appointment letters and school notices we keep sentences short. Medical and technical terms that Sri Lankans normally say in English can stay in English, in brackets, where that helps the reader.
Sinhalese court and police interpreters
A Sri Lankan defendant, witness or appellant may speak Sinhala or Tamil, and settling which one is the first job, because an interpreter in the wrong language wastes a hearing. For any legal booking we seek Sinhalese interpreters who have worked in legal settings and, where interpreters holding them exist for Sinhala, the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or registration with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). Where the court allows it, a remote interpreter can join by video from elsewhere in the UK.
How to book a Sinhalese 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 Sinhala language
Sinhala is an Indo-Aryan language, spoken mainly in Sri Lanka. It is an official language of Sri Lanka, with Tamil.
Sinhala is written in the Sinhala script.
At the 2021 Census, 13,013 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Sinhala as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Harrow (618 people), the London borough of Hounslow (448) and the London borough of Brent (431). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: Sri Lanka has two official languages, Sinhala and Tamil, so check which one a Sri Lankan client speaks or which one a document is in.
| Name in Sinhala | සිංහල |
|---|---|
| Language family | Indo-Aryan language |
| Where it is spoken | Sri Lanka |
| Writing system | Sinhala script |
| Language code | si |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 13,013 people |
Related languages
Sinhalese interpreters near you
We send Sinhalese 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.
Sinhalese interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Sinhalese 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 Sinhalese interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Sinhalese 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 Sinhalese 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 Sinhala is not written in the Latin alphabet, send us the passport spelling of every name so the translation matches it.
Do you provide Sinhalese 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 Sinhalese interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Sinhalese in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 13,013 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Sinhala as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Harrow (618 people), the London borough of Hounslow (448) and the London borough of Brent (431). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Sinhalese at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
