Shan interpreting and translation

Shan interpreters in work, health and justice

Labour rights disputes, migrant worker welfare, medical history taking, police interviews, court hearings, asylum and resettlement appointments and school meetings all call for Shan interpreters. We provide face-to-face attendance, video interpreting through the SILA Linguists® app or your platform, and telephone interpreting day and night, every day of the year.

Many Shan speakers from Myanmar know some Burmese, and those who have worked in Thailand may speak Thai, but neither should be assumed. Under pressure, a second language often fails exactly when the details matter. Pronunciation varies between northern and southern Shan State and the Tai varieties of the Chinese border, so we ask where the client grew up. Female or male interpreters can be booked on request.

Shan script and certified translation

Shan is written in its own script, adapted from the Burmese alphabet and reformed in the twentieth century to show tones. It sits in the Myanmar Unicode block with Shan-specific characters, and text typed in legacy fonts can turn into gibberish on screen. Our translators work in modern Unicode Shan, and we proof the final layout of leaflets, posters and letters before delivery.

Identity papers, work permits and employment records held by Shan speakers are usually in Burmese or Thai. We provide certified translation from either language with a signed declaration of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as courts, and by employers, and keep names consistent across a whole case file. We arrange NAATI-certified translation for Australian authorities and attach a certificate of accuracy for US immigration.

Transcription and LADO for Shan speakers

Recorded interviews, phone calls and voice messages in Shan are transcribed verbatim with timings and translated into English, with switches into Burmese or Thai labelled. For protection claims that turn on origin, language analysis for the determination of origin (LADO) is available through specialist analysts.

Where we can help in Shan

Our vetted, trained and qualified Shan linguists can support migrant worker support organisations, employers and labour inspectors, NHS services, police forces and courts, asylum and resettlement providers, and schools working with Shan families. One team manages your request from the first call, and every vetted linguist is bound by confidentiality agreements and UK GDPR. Shan interpreting is offered to US and Australian resettlement agencies, employers, hospitals and courts as well as UK services.