Face-to-face
Konkani interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
Asian languages
Konkani interpreting and translation
Konkani is the official language of Goa and is spoken along India's west coast and by Goan and Mangalorean communities worldwide. We provide Konkani interpreters and translators matched to community, dialect and script.
In its own words
कोंकणी
- Script
- Devanagari, Latin (Romi), Kannada, Malayalam, Arabic script (Navayath)
- Direction
- Left to right
- ISO 639-3
kok
Konkani is an Indo-Aryan language of India's western coast. It is the official language of the state of Goa and is one of the scheduled languages of the Indian constitution. It is also spoken in coastal Karnataka, especially around Mangaluru, Udupi and Karwar, in southern Maharashtra and in Kerala. Goan Konkani is often distinguished from the wider Konkani grouping.
Konkani is unusual in being written in several scripts. Devanagari is the official script in Goa. Roman script, known as Romi Konkani, has a long tradition among Goan Catholics in newspapers, songs and church life. Konkani speakers in Karnataka often write in Kannada script, those in Kerala in Malayalam script, and the Navayath Muslim community of Bhatkal has used an Arabic-based script.
Speech varies with region, religion and community. Goan varieties include the Bardez, Salcete and Antruz (Ponda) forms; Mangalorean Catholic Konkani and the Konkani of Saraswat communities in Karnataka have their own vocabulary and pronunciation; and Malvani in Maharashtra is sometimes treated as a separate variety. Long contact with Portuguese, Marathi and Kannada shows in the vocabulary. Large Goan and Mangalorean communities live in the Gulf states, in Portugal and in Britain, for example in Swindon, Leicester and west London, and many British Goans hold Portuguese citizenship.
- Main areas: India (Goa)
- Also used: India (Karnataka, Maharashtra, Kerala)
Communities abroad are not shown. Point to an area to see its name.
How we help
Konkani 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 Konkani translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Konkani interpreters and translators from SILA Linguists®
SILA Linguists® provides Konkani interpreting, translation and transcription for healthcare providers, probate and family lawyers, immigration advisers, parishes and schools across the UK, North America, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Konkani is the official language of Goa and is also spoken around Mangaluru, Udupi and Karwar in coastal Karnataka, in southern Maharashtra and in Kerala, with large Goan and Mangalorean communities in the Gulf, Portugal and Britain. A Goan Catholic and a Mangalorean speaker understand each other, but idiom and forms of address differ, so we ask about region and community.
Konkani interpreting for families and care
Goan varieties include Bardez, Salcete and Antruz forms; Mangalorean Catholic and Saraswat Konkani have their own vocabulary; and Malvani is sometimes treated separately. Many speakers also use English, Marathi, Kannada, Hindi or Portuguese, yet older Goans often prefer Konkani for medical and legal conversations even when their everyday English is good.
Our Konkani interpreters work face to face in hospitals, care homes, GP surgeries and solicitors' offices, where family ties are often central to care planning and end-of-life discussions. Video interpreting suits most appointments and links clients with interpreters in other countries, while telephone interpreting, available 24 hours a day and 365 days a year, is ideal for short calls and reminders.
Choosing the script for Konkani translation
Konkani is unusual in being written in several scripts. Devanagari is official in Goa; Romi Konkani in Roman letters has a long tradition among Goan Catholics; readers in Karnataka often use Kannada script, those in Kerala Malayalam script, and the Navayath community of Bhatkal an Arabic-based script. We settle the script first and, for mixed audiences, can produce two versions. Devanagari and Kannada text is checked for correct conjuncts and vowel signs before print.
Indian documents are usually in English, Marathi or Hindi, while older Goan civil registration records may be in Portuguese. We provide certified translation from whichever language the document uses, with a signed statement of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as probate and family courts, the Home Office and universities, and by employers.
Konkani transcription
Family recordings, oral histories, parish media and recorded interviews in Konkani are transcribed with time stamps and translated into English, with switches into English, Portuguese or Kannada marked. Hymns, prayers and feast-day recordings from Goan and Mangalorean parishes are handled by transcribers who know the devotional vocabulary.
Settings for our linguists in Konkani
Our vetted, trained and qualified Konkani linguists can support healthcare and social care, family and probate law, nationality and immigration applications, church and community organisations and education. SILA Linguists® coordinates each project through one team, with vetted linguists bound by confidentiality agreements and UK GDPR.
Good to know
Working with Konkani
Interpreting
- Tell us whether the speaker is from Goa, coastal Karnataka or elsewhere, and their community if known, so we can match the right linguist. A Goan Catholic speaker and a Mangalorean speaker can understand each other, but vocabulary, idiom and forms of address differ.
- Many Konkani speakers also speak English, Marathi, Kannada, Hindi or Portuguese. Older Goans may be more comfortable in Konkani for medical and legal conversations even when they manage day-to-day English well, so ask the client.
- Family and community ties are often central in healthcare, social care and end-of-life conversations. Video interpreting suits most appointments and can link clients with interpreters in other countries when needed. Telephone interpreting is practical for short calls such as appointment reminders.
Translation
- The script decision comes first. Devanagari suits official and Goan state readers; Romi suits many Goan Catholic readers in Goa and the diaspora; Kannada script suits most Konkani readers in Karnataka. For public information aimed at a mixed community, consider two versions.
- Devanagari and Kannada need fonts with full conjunct and vowel-sign support; check typeset files before printing.
- Indian documents are normally issued in English, Marathi or Hindi. Older Goan civil registration records may be in Portuguese, because Goa was under Portuguese administration for centuries and Portuguese-era civil law still shapes some Goan family records. We provide certified translation, accepted by UK authorities including the Home Office, the courts and universities, and by international bodies, from whichever language the document uses.
Related languages
Konkani 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 Konkani is often needed
- Healthcare and social care
- Family and probate matters
- Immigration and nationality applications
- Church and community organisations
- Education
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Get in touch
Need a Konkani 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.