Face-to-face
Serbian interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
European languages
Serbian interpreting and translation
Serbian is a South Slavic language written in both Cyrillic and Latin script. SILA Linguists provides Serbian interpreters and certified translators for legal, healthcare, immigration and business work.
српски
- Script
- Cyrillic, Latin
- Direction
- Left to right
- ISO 639-3
srp
Serbian is the official language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina, and widely spoken in Montenegro. It also has official status in Kosovo and is a recognised minority language in Croatia, Hungary, Romania and North Macedonia. Large Serbian communities live in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the United States, Canada and Australia.
Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian and Montenegrin are based on the same Shtokavian dialect group and are largely mutually intelligible, with differences in vocabulary, spelling and some grammar. Each standard belongs to its own speakers, and their preferences should be respected. Serbian has two accepted pronunciations: ekavian (mleko, milk), usual in Serbia, and ijekavian (mlijeko), used by many Serbian speakers in Bosnia and Herzegovina, Montenegro and Croatia.
Serbian is unusual in using two scripts. Cyrillic is the official script in Serbia, while Latin is also very widely used. The two alphabets correspond letter for letter, following the nineteenth-century reforms of Vuk Karadžić.
- Main areas: Serbia
- Also used: Bosnia & Herzegovina, Montenegro
Communities abroad are not shown. Point to an area to see its name.
How we help
Serbian 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 Serbian translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Serbian interpreting and translation services from SILA Linguists®
Serbian is the official language of Serbia, one of the three official languages of Bosnia and Herzegovina, widely spoken in Montenegro and official in Kosovo, and a recognised minority language in Croatia, Hungary, Romania and North Macedonia. Large Serbian communities live in Germany, Austria, Switzerland, the United States, Canada and Australia. SILA Linguists® provides Serbian interpreters, translators and transcribers to courts, police and solicitors, healthcare and social care, immigration and family practitioners, employers, investors and human rights and war crimes investigators.
Serbian interpreters matched to the client's standard
Serbian, Bosnian, Croatian and Montenegrin share the Shtokavian base and are largely mutually intelligible, but we ask the client which language they consider their own and match the interpreter's standard for formal work. Speakers from Bosnia and Herzegovina or Montenegro may prefer an interpreter who uses ijekavian forms. Serbian uses formal vi and familiar ti, and older clients in particular expect respectful address, which our interpreters observe.
We provide Serbian interpreting for courts, police interviews and solicitors' meetings, hospitals and social care, immigration and family hearings, and construction and transport workplaces. Sessions are available face to face, by telephone at any hour and by video through the SILA Linguists® app or the software you normally use for calls. Our experienced interpreters are prepared for witness interviews in human rights and war crimes investigations, and we provide consecutive, simultaneous and remote simultaneous interpreting for business and investment negotiations and conferences.
Serbian translation in Cyrillic or Latin
Tell us which script you need. Official documents from Serbia are often in Cyrillic, while business and online material frequently uses Latin. Names follow the client's passport transliteration, and vocabulary follows Serbian usage, for example januar rather than the Croatian month names. Certified translations of birth and marriage certificates, police certificates, diplomas and court judgments carry our signed declaration of accuracy, accepted by recruiters, the courts, universities and other UK authorities. Serbian papers bound for authorities in the United States, Canada or Australia are certified as each requires, NAATI included for Australia. In Serbia, official translations are usually certified by court interpreters appointed by the Ministry of Justice, so check what a Serbian authority requires.
For investors and employers, we translate contracts, company documents and technical material, and localise websites in either script.
Serbian transcription and subtitling
Witness interviews, archive recordings, police interviews and media in Serbian are transcribed with timestamps and a parallel English text, and we subtitle documentaries and testimony for human rights and educational projects.
Sectors we support in Serbian
Our vetted, trained and qualified Serbian linguists can support courts, police and solicitors, healthcare and social care, immigration and family practitioners, construction, transport and employment, business and investment, and human rights and war crimes work. SILA Linguists® provides one coordinator and vetted Serbian linguists, working under NDAs and UK GDPR. Serbian interpreting is available for courts, hospitals and family matters in the US, Canada and Australia.
Good to know
Working with Serbian
Interpreting
- Ask the client which language they consider their own, and book accordingly; for formal work we match the interpreter's standard to the client's. Speakers from Bosnia and Herzegovina or Montenegro may prefer an interpreter who uses ijekavian forms.
- Serbian interpreting is common in courts, healthcare, immigration and family matters. We provide face-to-face, video and telephone interpreting, and conference interpreting.
- Serbian uses formal vi and familiar ti, and older clients in particular may expect formal address from professionals. Interpreters keep the speaker's level of formality and will ask for clarification where a regional word or expression could be misunderstood.
Translation
- Tell us which script you need. Official documents from Serbia are often in Cyrillic, while business and online material is frequently in Latin. Names should match the client's passport transliteration, and vocabulary should follow Serbian usage, for example Serbian month names such as januar rather than Croatian forms.
- In Serbia, translations for official use are usually certified by court interpreters (sudski tumači) appointed by the Ministry of Justice. Our certified translations are accepted by UK authorities including the Home Office, the courts and universities, and by international bodies; for documents going to Serbian authorities, check whether a translation by a Serbian court interpreter is required. If your documents are for use in the United States, Canada or Australia, we arrange the certification required there, from a translator's certificate of accuracy for US immigration authorities to NAATI-certified translation for Australia.
Related languages
Serbian 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 Serbian is often needed
- Courts, police and solicitors
- Healthcare and social care
- Immigration and family applications
- Construction, transport and employment
- Business and investment
- Human rights and war crimes work
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Get in touch
Need a Serbian 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.