Face-to-face
Bulgarian interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
European languages
Bulgarian interpreting and translation
Bulgarian is a South Slavic language written in Cyrillic and an official language of the European Union. SILA Linguists provides Bulgarian interpreters and certified translators for public services, legal work and business in the UK, North America, Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
български
- Script
- Cyrillic
- Direction
- Left to right
- ISO 639-3
bul
Bulgarian is the official language of Bulgaria. It is also spoken by historical communities in Moldova and Ukraine and by minorities in neighbouring countries. A large diaspora lives in the UK, Spain, Germany and North America. When Bulgaria joined the EU, Cyrillic became the third alphabet used in official EU documents.
Bulgarian is unusual among Slavic languages. It has almost entirely lost the noun case system and expresses the definite article as an ending (kniga, a book; knigata, the book). Its verb system is rich and includes forms used to report events the speaker did not witness. Dialects are often divided into eastern and western groups, with the standard based mainly on eastern varieties.
Bulgarian and Macedonian are closely related and largely mutually intelligible in writing. Questions about their relationship can be sensitive, so we treat each as a separate language and book interpreters accordingly.
- Main areas: Bulgaria
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How we help
Bulgarian 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 Bulgarian translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Bulgarian interpreters and certified Bulgarian translation with SILA Linguists®
Bulgarian is the official language of Bulgaria, spoken by historical communities in Moldova and Ukraine, by minorities in neighbouring countries and by a sizeable diaspora in the UK, Spain, Germany and North America. As an official EU language, Bulgarian brought Cyrillic into official EU documents alongside the Latin and Greek alphabets. SILA Linguists® provides Bulgarian interpreters, translators and transcribers to hospitals, employers in agriculture and logistics, police, courts, local authorities, schools and businesses across the United Kingdom, North America, Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
Bulgarian interpreting: the right language, and a clear yes
Not every Bulgarian citizen speaks Bulgarian as a first language. Bulgaria has large Turkish-speaking and Romani-speaking communities, and some clients may be more comfortable in Turkish or Romani, so we check the preferred language before booking. In traditional Bulgarian body language a nod can mean no and a shake of the head yes; our interpreters confirm a spoken answer whenever gestures could mislead, for example in consent conversations.
We cover hospitals, maternity and community health services, police interviews, courts and probation, housing and local authority meetings, schools, and workplaces in agriculture, food processing and logistics. Interpreters attend in person, take calls by phone at any hour, and join video sessions through the SILA Linguists® app or your organisation's video system. For EU-related meetings, trade delegations and conferences we provide consecutive, simultaneous and remote simultaneous Bulgarian interpreting.
Bulgarian translation, certification and localisation
Names in Bulgarian passports are transliterated under Bulgaria's official system, while older documents may differ, so we match the passport. Fonts must support ъ, щ and ю, and for printed material aimed at Bulgarian readers we can use Bulgarian-style Cyrillic letterforms. Certified translations of birth and marriage certificates, criminal record certificates, diplomas and court documents carry a signed accuracy statement, accepted by the Home Office, employers and other UK authorities. Bulgarian records for US or Canadian offices carry the certification each asks for.
For businesses, we translate employment contracts, health and safety information, product documentation and marketing, and localise websites and software for Bulgarian users.
Bulgarian transcription and subtitling
Police interviews, phone recordings, voice messages and media in Bulgarian are transcribed with time references, then translated into English. We subtitle training videos for multilingual workforces and media content for Bulgarian audiences. Where a recording mixes Bulgarian with Turkish or Romani, each language is labelled so that nothing is lost.
Sectors we support in Bulgarian
Our vetted, trained and qualified Bulgarian linguists can support NHS and maternity services, agriculture, logistics and food production employers, police, courts and probation, housing teams and councils, schools, and businesses dealing with Bulgaria and the EU. SILA Linguists® provides a single coordinator, and records are handled under confidentiality agreements and UK GDPR. Seasonal recruitment drives and agency workforces can book the same interpreters across sites, keeping instructions consistent. Bulgarian interpreting is available for courts, immigration attorneys, hospitals and business meetings in the United States and Canada.
Good to know
Working with Bulgarian
Interpreting
- Not every Bulgarian citizen speaks Bulgarian as a first language. Bulgaria has significant Turkish-speaking and Romani-speaking communities, and some clients may be more comfortable in Turkish or Romani. Please check the client's preferred language before booking.
- In traditional Bulgarian body language, a nod can mean no and a shake of the head can mean yes. Many people adapt when speaking with foreigners, but interpreters will clarify a spoken yes or no where gestures could cause confusion, for example in consent conversations.
- Bulgarian is often requested in healthcare, employment, housing, police and court settings. Telephone and video interpreting are widely used for Bulgarian, with face-to-face interpreters for hearings and complex medical appointments.
Translation
- Names in Bulgarian passports are transliterated into the Latin alphabet according to Bulgaria's official system. Older documents may use different spellings, so supply the passport and we will match it. Fonts must support the Bulgarian Cyrillic letters ъ, щ and ю; some typefaces offer Bulgarian-style letterforms, which matters for printed material aimed at a Bulgarian audience.
- Our certified translations are accepted by UK authorities including the Home Office, the courts and universities, and by international bodies. In Bulgaria, official translations are generally produced by translators working under arrangements with the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, so documents for use in Bulgaria may need a translation made there. Where a document is needed in the United States or Canada, we arrange the certification the receiving authority expects, whether that is a translator's certificate of accuracy for US immigration authorities or a translator certified by a Canadian provincial association.
Related languages
Bulgarian 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 Bulgarian is often needed
- Hospitals, maternity and community health services
- Employment, agriculture and logistics
- Police, courts and probation
- Housing and local authority services
- Schools and education
- Business, trade and EU matters
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Get in touch
Need a Bulgarian 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.