Face-to-face
Afrikaans interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
African languages
Afrikaans interpreting and translation
Afrikaans is one of South Africa's official languages and is widely used in Namibia. SILA Linguists® provides Afrikaans interpreters and certified translators for legal, healthcare, business and immigration work.
Afrikaans
- Script
- Latin
- Direction
- Left to right
- ISO 639-3
afr
Afrikaans developed at the Cape from the Dutch spoken by settlers from the seventeenth century onwards, shaped by contact with Malay, Portuguese, Khoekhoe and Bantu languages. It is a West Germanic language and remains largely intelligible to Dutch speakers in writing, although its grammar is simpler: verbs do not change for person, and there is a single definite article, die. The characteristic double negative (nie ... nie) is one of its best-known features.
Afrikaans is one of South Africa's main home languages, alongside isiZulu and isiXhosa. It is spoken as a first language by people of many backgrounds, particularly in the Western and Northern Cape. In Namibia it serves as a widely used lingua franca. Outside southern Africa there are established Afrikaans-speaking communities in the UK, Australia, New Zealand, Canada and the Netherlands.
Regional and social varieties include Kaaps (Cape Afrikaans), Oranjerivierafrikaans spoken along the Orange River, and the eastern Cape varieties that underpinned the standard. Standard spelling and vocabulary follow an official word list and spelling rules, which our translators apply consistently.
- Main areas: South Africa
- Also used: Namibia
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How we help
Afrikaans services
Video (VRI)
Secure video interpreting when people are in different places.
Telephone, 24/7
Telephone interpreting 24 hours a day, 365 days a year.
Certified translation
Certified Afrikaans translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Afrikaans interpreting and translation services by SILA Linguists®
Afrikaans is a home language for many South Africans and a lingua franca across Namibia, with large communities settled in the UK, Australia, New Zealand and North America. SILA Linguists® works with Afrikaans interpreters and translators who know both the standard language and everyday varieties such as Kaaps. Many clients speak English well, yet when evidence, health or finances are at stake, speaking Afrikaans removes doubt, and our linguists make sure nothing is lost.
When an Afrikaans interpreter makes the difference
Precision matters most under police caution, in the witness box, in a mental health assessment or when an elderly parent wants to speak in the language they think in. Our Afrikaans interpreters attend courts, tribunals, solicitors' offices, hospitals and care homes face to face, and they are also available by telephone around the clock and by video, either through the SILA Linguists® app or on Teams, Zoom or your own system.
For board meetings, investor briefings, training sessions and conferences we arrange consecutive and simultaneous interpreting, including remote simultaneous interpreting for hybrid events. We never book a Dutch speaker as a substitute: the two languages are related in writing but are not interchangeable in speech. Our interpreters recognise Kaaps and frequent code-switching with English as normal speech, not error, and carry the speaker's meaning across faithfully.
Afrikaans translation, certification and localisation
Our Afrikaans translators handle birth, marriage and death certificates, police clearance certificates, academic transcripts, court papers, contracts and company documents from South Africa and Namibia. Older official records are often bilingual in English and Afrikaans, and we lay out the certified translation so it mirrors the original clearly. Every certified Afrikaans translation carries a signed statement of accuracy and completeness, accepted by HR departments, the courts and other UK authorities. South African documents for Canadian, Australian or New Zealand authorities are certified to their requirements, NAATI-certified translation included where Australia asks.
For businesses selling into southern Africa, our translators localise websites, software, product information and marketing copy into Afrikaans, with diacritics such as ê, ë and ô and the apostrophe in 'n preserved correctly in every file. Where speed matters for high volumes, AI-assisted translation with full human post-editing is also available.
Afrikaans transcription and subtitling
We transcribe Afrikaans interviews, recorded hearings, podcasts, broadcast material and research recordings, delivering time-stamped transcripts and English translations side by side. Media producers can order Afrikaans or English subtitles for documentaries, corporate films and online video.
Sectors we support in Afrikaans
Our vetted, trained and qualified Afrikaans linguists can support immigration and visa advisers, law firms and courts, the NHS and private healthcare, universities checking qualifications, recruiters, mining, engineering and energy companies, insurers and media producers. You deal with one accountable team of vetted linguists who are bound by confidentiality agreements, and personal data is handled in line with UK GDPR. Afrikaans interpreting is also available in Canada, Australia and New Zealand for immigration interviews, courts, hospitals and business meetings.
Good to know
Working with Afrikaans
Interpreting
- Most Afrikaans speakers in the UK and elsewhere also speak English, sometimes fluently. An interpreter is still important when precision matters, such as in court, under police caution, in mental health assessments or when an older relative is more comfortable in Afrikaans.
- Speakers of Kaaps and other non-standard varieties may code-switch freely between Afrikaans and English. An interpreter who recognises these varieties will avoid treating them as errors and will render the speaker's meaning accurately.
- Afrikaans and Dutch are related but not interchangeable. A Dutch interpreter should not be booked in place of an Afrikaans interpreter for spoken work.
- Face-to-face, telephone and video interpreting are all suitable, and conference interpreting can be arranged for events and meetings.
Translation
- Afrikaans uses the Latin alphabet with diacritics including ê, ë, ô and the apostrophe in the indefinite article 'n. Typesetting and data systems must preserve these characters.
- Common documents include birth, marriage and police clearance certificates, academic records and court papers from South Africa and Namibia. Older official documents may be bilingual in English and Afrikaans, which affects how a certified translation is laid out.
- We prepare certified translations accepted by UK authorities including the Home Office, the courts and universities, and by international bodies, as well as transcription and subtitling of Afrikaans audio and video. If your documents are for use in Canada, Australia or New Zealand, we arrange the certification required there, including NAATI-certified translation where Australian authorities require it.
Related languages
Afrikaans and its neighbours
Choose a language to see its page. Getting the right variety matters: tell us the region or dialect if you know it.
Where Afrikaans is often needed
- Immigration and visa applications
- Courts and legal proceedings
- Healthcare and mental health
- Business and contracts
- Education and qualification recognition
- Media transcription and subtitling
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Get in touch
Need a Afrikaans interpreter or translator?
Our bookings team will confirm the details with you and arrange the right linguist. Have the language (and dialect, if you know it), the type of assignment and the date ready.