Freelance Polish Interpreter and Translator

About the role

Polish is widely spoken in communities across England, Wales, Scotland and Northern Ireland, and assignments arise in every part of the UK. Most clients need standard Polish, but interpreters who follow regional speech from Silesia, Podhale or the eastern borderlands, and who know how UK-born children of Polish families mix the two languages, give a better service.

Typical work includes GP and hospital appointments, maternity care, employment tribunals, police interviews, family court hearings and council housing or benefits meetings. Translation requests often involve birth and marriage certificates, school records, employment contracts and medical reports for people settled in the UK.

What you will do

• Interpret consecutively in police, court and tribunal settings, following the rules set by each client.
• Translate Polish civil status documents, such as birth and marriage certificates, for official use in the UK.
• Interpret accurately and impartially, following the professional code of conduct and keeping all information confidential.
• Research subject-specific vocabulary before assignments, particularly for medical and legal bookings.
• Translate and proofread documents carefully, querying unclear source text rather than guessing.
• Transcribe and translate audio and video recordings, such as interviews and calls, if you have the skills for transcription work.

What we are looking for

• Native or near-native fluency in Polish and English, spoken and written.
• A recognised interpreting or translation qualification, such as the DPSI or DPI, or equivalent experience. Membership of CIOL, ITI or NRPSI is welcome but not required.
• Familiarity with Polish legal and administrative terms (for example, akt urodzenia, PESEL, ZUS) and their nearest UK equivalents.
• A current DBS check, or willingness to obtain one, for assignments that require it.
• The right to work in the UK for on-site UK assignments.
• A dependable internet connection and a confidential space for remote interpreting.

What we offer

• Flexible freelance work that fits around your schedule.
• A mix of remote (video and telephone) and on-site assignments.
• Fair pay for your expertise and time.
• Professional development to keep your skills current.
• A supportive operations team to help with bookings and questions.
• Varied work across sectors, from healthcare and law to government and business.

Polish work with SILA Linguists®

SILA Linguists® is a language services company providing interpreting, translation and transcription across the UK, North America, Australia, New Zealand and beyond, in more than 350 languages and dialects. As a Polish linguist with us, you can take on the full range of work we offer in Polish:

• Polish interpreting of every type: face-to-face, telephone (OPI) 24 hours a day, 365 days a year, video (VRI) through the SILA Linguists® app or the client's platform, consecutive, simultaneous, conference and remote simultaneous (RSI), community and escort interpreting.
• Polish translation of documents into and out of English, from letters, medical reports and school records to contracts, research and websites.
• Certified Polish translation with a signed statement of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as courts, the Home Office, universities and employers.
• Polish transcription of audio and video recordings, with time stamps, translation of the transcript and subtitling.

Our vetted, trained and qualified linguists work in legal, police and court settings, immigration and asylum matters, NHS and private healthcare, social care, schools and universities, charities and business. Every assignment is covered by confidentiality agreements and UK GDPR.

Questions

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