Middle Eastern and Central Asian

Georgian interpreting and translation

Georgian is the official language of Georgia and the main literary language of the Kartvelian family. We provide Georgian interpreters and translators for courts, government, healthcare, business and immigration work.

  • Flag of Georgia
In its own words

ქართული

Script
Georgian (Mkhedruli)
Direction
Left to right
ISO 639-3
kat

Georgian belongs to the Kartvelian family, a small group of languages native to the South Caucasus that is not related to Indo-European, Turkic or Semitic languages. Its relatives are Mingrelian (Megrelian), Svan and Laz. Mingrelian and Svan speakers in western Georgia use Georgian as their written and official language, and Laz is spoken mainly in north-eastern Turkey.

Georgian has one of the oldest continuous literary traditions in the region, with texts from the fifth century. It is the state language of Georgia under the constitution, and Abkhaz also has official status in Abkhazia. Communities of Georgian speakers live in Russia, Turkey, Azerbaijan (the Ingilo of Saingilo) and Iran (Fereydan), and there are growing diaspora communities in Greece, Italy, Spain, Germany, the United Kingdom and North America.

Georgian is written in its own alphabet, Mkhedruli, with 33 letters in modern use. It has no upper and lower case: the separate Mtavruli letter forms are used today for headings and capitals in design, but not for ordinary sentence capitalisation. Two older scripts, Asomtavruli and Nuskhuri, survive in church use and remain part of Georgia's heritage.

The language is known for its clusters of consonants, its ejective sounds and a complex verb that can mark subject, object and indirect object in one word. Dialects such as Kartlian, Kakhetian, Imeretian, Gurian, Adjarian and Rachan are mutually intelligible, and the standard language is based on central dialects around Tbilisi.

  • Main areas: Georgia

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How we help

Georgian services

SILA Linguists®

Georgian interpreting and translation services by SILA Linguists®

SILA Linguists® provides Georgian interpreters and translators for courts, immigration advisers, hospitals, universities and businesses throughout the UK, North America, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Georgian belongs to the Kartvelian family, unrelated to its neighbours, and is written in its own Mkhedruli alphabet. Most speakers use the standard language comfortably, but we still ask whether a client comes from Adjara, Abkhazia, a Mingrelian or Svan-speaking area, or a Georgian community in Turkey or Iran, so the interpreter is ready for local words.

Georgian interpreters for legal, medical and business work

Our Georgian interpreters work in person at court hearings, solicitors' meetings, police interviews, immigration appointments and hospital clinics, by telephone around the clock every day of the year, and by video through the SILA Linguists® app or your platform. For energy, trade and investment negotiations, delegations and conferences, we provide consecutive and simultaneous Georgian interpreting, including remote simultaneous interpreting (RSI).

Many Georgians over forty also speak Russian, and younger people often speak English, yet formal proceedings should use the language the client chooses. Polite Georgian uses the plural form and titles such as batono and kalbatono, and our interpreters keep that courtesy in formal settings. A female or male interpreter can be requested for sensitive appointments.

Georgian translation and certified documents

We translate birth and marriage certificates, diplomas and transcripts, court decisions, police certificates, company registration papers, contracts and technical documentation, into and out of English. Names and place names are checked against Georgia's national romanisation system, as used in passports, so spellings match across every document in a file.

Georgian has no upper and lower case, and its words often run longer than their English equivalents, so our designers allow for this in brochures, websites and software interfaces. Certified Georgian translations come with our signed declaration of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as courts, immigration officials and universities, and by employers and professional bodies, including when a Tbilisi diploma needs to be recognised. Georgian records for American applications come with a certificate of accuracy, and Canadian authorities can receive a provincially certified translation.

Transcription and subtitling

We transcribe Georgian interviews, hearings, research recordings and media content with time stamps and English translation, and subtitle films, documentaries and corporate video. Where speakers switch to Russian, transcribers mark each language clearly. Asylum and immigration bundles that include recorded statements or phone evidence can be transcribed and translated within the same project as the written documents.

Sectors we support in Georgian

Our vetted, trained and qualified Georgian linguists can support courts and law firms, immigration services, the NHS, universities, energy and engineering companies, logistics and trade bodies. SILA Linguists® coordinates every assignment through one project team, with vetted linguists who sign confidentiality agreements and comply with UK GDPR. Georgian interpreters can join US immigration proceedings, Canadian refugee hearings, business meetings and hospital appointments.

Good to know

Working with Georgian

Interpreting

  • Georgian speakers are usually comfortable with the standard language, so dialect mismatch is rarely a problem. Tell us if the speaker comes from Adjara, Abkhazia, South Ossetia or a Mingrelian- or Svan-speaking area, or from a Georgian community in Turkey or Iran. The interpreter can then prepare local vocabulary.
  • Many Georgians over about forty also speak Russian, and younger people increasingly speak English. Formal proceedings should use the client's chosen language. Polite address uses the plural form and titles such as batono (sir) and kalbatono (madam), and interpreters keep this register in formal settings.
  • Georgian interpreting is available face to face, by video, by telephone and for conferences. Simultaneous and consecutive interpreting suit business negotiations, legal hearings and delegations.

Translation

  • Georgian translation needs fonts that cover the Mkhedruli alphabet, and layouts must allow for words that are often longer than their English equivalents. Proofreading should include names and place names, which are transliterated using Georgia's national romanisation system in passports and official records.
  • Georgian birth, marriage, education and court documents can be provided as certified translations, accepted by UK authorities such as the Home Office, courts and universities, and by international bodies. Georgia is a party to the Hague Apostille Convention, and where notarisation is needed it is arranged with a partner after translation. Where a document is needed in the United States or Canada, we arrange the certification the receiving authority expects. That means a translator's certificate of accuracy for US immigration authorities, or a translator certified by a Canadian provincial association.
Related languages

Georgian 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.

  • Legal and court proceedings
  • Immigration and visa applications
  • Healthcare appointments
  • Business, energy and trade
  • Education and recognition of qualifications
Get in touch

Need a Georgian 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.

Call our bookings team+44 (0)333 339 8218
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