Face-to-face
Mon interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
Asian languages
Mon interpreting and translation
Mon is the language of the Mon people of lower Myanmar and of long-established Mon communities in Thailand. SILA Linguists supplies Mon interpreters and translators who understand how Mon, Burmese and Thai sit side by side in their clients' lives.
In its own words
ဘာသာမန်
- Script
- Mon (Myanmar Unicode block)
- Direction
- Left to right
- ISO 639-3
mnw
Mon belongs to the Monic branch of the Austroasiatic family, which makes it a distant relative of Khmer and Vietnamese rather than of Burmese or Thai. Its closest living relative is Nyah Kur, a small Monic language of central Thailand. In Myanmar, Mon is spoken mainly in Mon State and in neighbouring parts of Kayin State, Tanintharyi Region and Bago Region. In Thailand, Mon villages are found in several provinces west and south of Bangkok, where many families have lived for generations.
Mon has one of the oldest written traditions in mainland South-East Asia, and the Burmese script developed from it. Modern Mon uses a Brahmic script whose letters overlap with Burmese but include extra characters and different spelling conventions. Dialects are usually grouped as central (around Mawlamyine), northern (around Bago) and southern (around Ye), with differences mainly in pronunciation and vocabulary.
- Main areas: Myanmar (Mon State)
- Also used: Myanmar (Kayin State, Tanintharyi, Bago)
- Other regions
Communities abroad are not shown. Point to an area to see its name.
How we help
Mon 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 Mon translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Mon language interpreters and translators from SILA Linguists®
Mon is one of the oldest written languages of mainland South-East Asia, the source from which the Burmese script developed, and a member of the Austroasiatic family rather than a relative of Burmese or Thai. SILA Linguists® provides Mon interpreters and translators to health services, legal advisers, resettlement teams and schools across Britain, North America, Australia and New Zealand, and further afield. Speakers come from Mon State and neighbouring regions of Myanmar or from long-settled Mon villages in Thailand, and we ask which side of the border a client grew up on.
Mon interpreting, face to face and remote
Hospital and GP appointments, immigration and legal advice, resettlement services, community programmes and parents' meetings are typical settings for our Mon interpreters. We offer face-to-face interpreting, video remote interpreting (VRI) through the SILA Linguists® app, and telephone interpreting (OPI) around the clock, 365 days a year.
Most Mon speakers from Myanmar also speak Burmese, and those from Thailand usually speak Thai. A client happy to use Burmese at a short appointment may want Mon when the subject is personal, medical or painful, so we encourage you to ask. Central, northern and southern Mon, around Mawlamyine, Bago and Ye, differ mainly in pronunciation and vocabulary, and words for modern institutions vary across the border. Relay through Burmese or Thai is possible for multi-party meetings if the client chooses, and a female or male interpreter can be requested.
Mon translation and certified documents
Modern Mon uses a Brahmic script whose letters overlap with Burmese but include extra characters and different spelling conventions. For leaflets, consent forms and public notices in Mon we check that fonts display those letters correctly in Unicode and avoid older encodings that break on mobile phones. Audio versions can be recorded for listeners who prefer them.
Identity papers, school certificates and court documents held by Mon speakers are usually in Burmese or Thai. Certified translation into English from those languages includes a translator's signed accuracy statement, accepted by UK authorities, universities and international bodies. Burmese or Thai documents needed by authorities in the United States, Canada or Australia are certified to their requirements, including through NAATI-certified translators.
Mon transcription and language analysis
We transcribe recorded interviews, oral histories and community meetings in Mon with timings and an English version alongside, marking passages in Burmese or Thai. In asylum cases where origin is disputed, language analysis (LADO) can be arranged with specialist analysts.
Sectors we support in Mon
Our vetted, trained and qualified Mon linguists can support hospitals and primary care, immigration lawyers, resettlement and community services, schools, and councils publishing public information in Mon. You deal with one coordinator, our linguists are carefully vetted, and signed NDAs and UK data protection law apply throughout. Mon interpreters can support resettled families in the US, Canada and Australia at clinics, schools, courts and immigration appointments.
Good to know
Working with Mon
Interpreting
- Most Mon speakers from Myanmar also speak Burmese, and those from Thailand usually speak Thai, often as their stronger language for official matters. Ask the client which language they prefer. Someone happy to use Burmese at a short appointment may want Mon when the subject is personal, medical or emotionally difficult.
- Tell us whether the speaker grew up in Myanmar or Thailand and, if known, the home district. Words for modern institutions differ across the border, because Mon borrows from Burmese on one side and from Thai on the other.
- Mon interpreting is available face to face, by video (VRI) and by telephone (OPI) around the clock. Relay through Burmese or Thai is an option clients may choose for multi-party meetings, while direct Mon interpreting keeps the client's own words intact.
Translation
- Identity papers, school certificates and court documents held by Mon speakers are normally in Burmese or Thai, so certified translation into English usually starts from those languages. SILA's certified translations are accepted by UK authorities including the Home Office, the courts and universities, and by international bodies. Where a document is needed in the United States, Canada or Australia, we arrange the certification the receiving authority expects, from a translator's certificate of accuracy for US immigration authorities to NAATI-certified translation for Australia.
- For leaflets, consent forms and community notices in Mon, we check that fonts display the Mon-specific letters correctly in Unicode and avoid older non-standard encodings that turn into broken text on phones. Audio versions can be recorded for people who prefer listening to reading.
Related languages
Mon 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 Mon is often needed
- Healthcare and hospital appointments
- Immigration and legal advice
- Resettlement and community services
- Schools and parent meetings
- Public information in Mon
Explore more asian languages or see all languages A to Z.
Get in touch
Need a Mon 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.