Yiddish interpreters and translators for NHS services, social care, schools, solicitors and courts anywhere in the UK. We offer face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting, certified translation between Yiddish and English, and take bookings 24 hours a day.
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Yiddish interpreting services
Most Yiddish bookings are consecutive, with the interpreter working a sentence or two behind the speaker. Families move between London, Manchester, Antwerp, New York and Israel, so a speaker's Yiddish may carry American English words, and many can also read Hebrew, though the Hebrew of prayer and study is not the same as modern Israeli Hebrew. Do not assume a Hebrew interpreter will do.
Give the interpreter the date and time well in advance and check it against the Jewish calendar: Passover, Shavuot, the autumn festivals and every Sabbath rule out appointments for observant clients and many interpreters. Where a man and a woman would otherwise be alone in a room with the interpreter, a door left open or a third person present may be expected.
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 Yiddish 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 Yiddish translation
The Yiddish papers we see are rarely official certificates, which in Britain, Israel and the United States are issued in the local language. They are letters, community newsletters, school reports from Haredi schools, messages offered as evidence, and family papers from before the Second World War written in cursive script. Religious documents such as a ketubah or a get are usually in Hebrew or Aramaic, not Yiddish, and need a Hebrew translator instead.
Each translator translates into their native language. One person may be Yitzchok in Yiddish, Isaac on a passport and something else again in an older record, so we follow the official spelling and note the other forms. Dates on communal documents often follow the Hebrew calendar, and we give the civil date alongside.
- 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 Yiddish audio and video recordings, with an English translation if you need one.
English to Yiddish translation
For Haredi readers, write Yiddish the way their own press writes it. That spelling keeps the traditional forms of Hebrew-origin words and differs from the YIVO standard taught in universities, which can look foreign to a Stamford Hill reader. Keep the language plain and practical, check any images too, since many Haredi publications do not print pictures of women, and consider sharing the draft with a community organisation before it goes out.
Yiddish court and police interpreters
Yiddish comes into UK legal work most often in family proceedings, including disputes over how children are to be schooled and brought up when parents separate and one leaves the Haredi community, as well as in care cases and occasional criminal matters. For a Yiddish legal booking we want an interpreter with legal experience and, provided such interpreters can be found for Yiddish, one holding the Diploma in Public Service Interpreting (Law) or listed on the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). Independence matters as much as skill in a small community, so the interpreter should declare any link with the parties.
How to book a Yiddish 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 Yiddish language
Yiddish is a West Germanic language written in the Hebrew alphabet, spoken mainly in Haredi (strictly Orthodox) Jewish communities in the UK, the United States, Israel and Belgium.
Yiddish is written in the Hebrew alphabet.
At the 2021 Census, 5,356 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Yiddish as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Hackney (3,174 people), Salford (1,037) and the London borough of Haringey (797). Source: Office for National Statistics.
Before you book: In the UK, Yiddish is an everyday language in the Haredi communities of Stamford Hill in Hackney, Salford and Gateshead, where many children grow up speaking it first.
| Name in Yiddish | ייִדיש |
|---|---|
| Language family | West Germanic language written in the Hebrew alphabet |
| Where it is spoken | Haredi (strictly Orthodox) Jewish communities in the UK, the United States, Israel and Belgium |
| Writing system | Hebrew alphabet |
| Language code | yi |
| Main language in England and Wales (Census 2021) | 5,356 people |
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Yiddish interpreters near you
We send Yiddish 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.
Yiddish interpreter and translator FAQs
How quickly can I book a Yiddish 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 Yiddish interpreters work nearby.
How much does a Yiddish 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 Yiddish 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 Yiddish is not written in the Latin alphabet, send us the passport spelling of every name so the translation matches it.
Do you provide Yiddish 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 Yiddish interpreter with the right legal experience and qualifications.
How many people speak Yiddish in the UK?
At the 2021 Census, 5,356 usual residents of England and Wales aged three or over gave Yiddish as their main language. The local authorities with the most were the London borough of Hackney (3,174 people), Salford (1,037) and the London borough of Haringey (797). The census asked for each person's main language, so people who speak Yiddish at home but gave English as their main language are not in that figure. Scotland and Northern Ireland count languages in their own censuses.
