Wherever you are in the UK, we can provide Sylheti interpreters and translators for GP practices, hospitals, adult social care, housing teams and solicitors. Interpreting is face-to-face, by telephone or by video; certified translation between Sylheti and English is done in written Standard Bengali; and we take bookings 24 hours a day.
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Sylheti interpreting services
Book a Sylheti speaker, not a Bengali speaker who "understands Sylheti". The two sound very different: Sylheti has lost most of the aspirated consonants of Bengali, turns p into an f sound and k into something like the ch of Scottish "loch", and uses tone in ways Standard Bengali does not. Understanding also runs mostly one way. People from Sylhet grow up with Standard Bengali at school and in the media, so they can usually follow it, while someone from Dhaka or Kolkata may find Sylheti hard going. The interpreter has to speak it back, too. Sessions are consecutive, and telephone interpreting suits short calls such as test results or a changed appointment.
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 Sylheti 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 Sylheti translation
Bengali papers are translated into English by native English speakers, and English into Bengali by native Bengali speakers, because a translator should only ever write in their native language. The documents that come from Bangladesh are mostly birth registration certificates; the nikah nama, the Muslim marriage register completed by a licensed Kazi, including the agreed mahr, or dower; and land papers such as deeds (dolil) and records of rights (khatian). Land and revenue papers can carry dates in the Bengali calendar, which runs 593 or 594 years behind the Gregorian one, so we give both.
Names need care. Many men's names on older papers begin with Md. (Muhammad) and many women's with Mst. (Mosammat), and Muhammad itself may be spelt Mohammad or Mohammed. Bangladesh's passport office once issued a notice against abbreviations such as Md and Mst in passports, so a birth certificate and a passport can disagree; we follow the passport and point out the difference.
- 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 Sylheti audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Sylheti translation
Translations for Sylheti-speaking readers go into Standard Bengali as it is written in Bangladesh rather than West Bengal, and the difference shows in everyday words: a Bangladeshi reader expects pani for water where a Kolkata translator might write jol. Keep sentences short, and give doses, dates and phone numbers in the Western digits printed on a UK medicine box as well as in Bengali numerals. If the reader does not read Bengali comfortably, no translation will do the job; a telephone call with a Sylheti interpreter who goes through the letter with them will.
Sylheti court and police interpreters
The risk in court is an interpreter qualified in Bengali who is not fluent in the witness's Sylheti, a gap that may only show under cross-examination. For police interviews, criminal and family hearings and conferences with counsel we look for native Sylheti speakers with legal experience and, where they can be found for Sylheti, the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or NRPSI registration. Interpreter directories such as the CIOL's list the language as "Bengali (Sylheti)", so search under that name. A brief exchange between interpreter and witness before the hearing starts shows the court whether the two understand each other.
How to book a Sylheti 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 Sylheti language
Sylheti is an Indo-Aryan language closely related to Bengali, spoken mainly in the Sylhet Division of north-eastern Bangladesh and the Barak Valley of Assam in India.
It once had a script of its own, Sylheti Nagri, but today its speakers read and write Standard Bengali.
At the 2021 Census, 199,495 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Bengali (a census category that includes Sylheti and Chatgaya) as their main language, one of the ten most common main languages in England and Wales. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Tower Hamlets (32,772 people), the London borough of Newham (21,407) and Birmingham (13,903). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: Sylheti is the home language of most British Bangladeshi families, particularly in Tower Hamlets, Camden, Birmingham and Oldham. Documents go into Standard Bengali, while conversations with older relatives often need a Sylheti speaker.
| Language family | Indo-Aryan language closely related to Bengali |
|---|---|
| Where it is spoken | The Sylhet Division of north-eastern Bangladesh and the Barak Valley of Assam in India |
| Writing system | Rarely written today; Bengali script is used |
| Language code | syl |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 199,495 people |
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Sylheti interpreters near you
We send Sylheti 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.
Sylheti interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Sylheti 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 Sylheti interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Sylheti 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 Sylheti 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.
Do you provide Sylheti 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 Sylheti interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Sylheti in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 199,495 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Bengali (a census category that includes Sylheti and Chatgaya) as their main language, one of the ten most common main languages in England and Wales. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Tower Hamlets (32,772 people), the London borough of Newham (21,407) and Birmingham (13,903). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Sylheti at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
