Face-to-face
Syriac interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
Middle Eastern and Central Asian
Syriac interpreting and translation
Syriac is a literary form of Aramaic, used for centuries as the written and liturgical language of several Middle Eastern churches. Modern spoken Aramaic varieties are often called Syriac too, so we confirm exactly which one is needed.
In its own words
ܠܫܢܐ ܣܘܪܝܝܐ
- Script
- Syriac (Estrangela, Serto/West Syriac, East Syriac)
- Direction
- Right to left
- ISO 639-3
syc
Classical Syriac developed from the Aramaic of Edessa (modern Şanlıurfa) and became a major written language of the Middle East from around the first centuries AD. It remains the liturgical and scholarly language of churches including the Syriac Orthodox Church, the Assyrian Church of the East, the Chaldean Catholic Church, the Syriac Catholic Church and the Maronite Church. Classical Syriac is treated as a language in its own right.
The communities who use Syriac speak modern Aramaic, or Neo-Aramaic, varieties as their home languages. The main ones encountered in interpreting are Assyrian Neo-Aramaic and Chaldean Neo-Aramaic (often called Sureth or Soureth), spoken in northern Iraq, north-western Iran, north-eastern Syria and the diaspora, and Turoyo (Surayt), from the Tur Abdin region of south-eastern Turkey. These varieties are related to Classical Syriac but are not the same language, and they differ markedly from one another.
Community names are a sensitive matter. People may identify as Assyrian, Chaldean, Aramean or Syriac, and may call their language Sureth, Suryoyo or Aramaic. We use the name the client uses.
- Main areas: Iraq (Nineveh, Duhok), Syria (Al-Hasakah), Türkiye (Mardin)
- Also used: Lebanon, Iran (West Azerbaijan)
Communities abroad are not shown. Point to an area to see its name.
How we help
Syriac 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 Syriac translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Syriac and Neo-Aramaic interpreting and translation with SILA Linguists®
Classical Syriac is the liturgical and scholarly language of the Syriac Orthodox, Assyrian, Chaldean, Syriac Catholic and Maronite churches, while the people who use it speak modern Aramaic at home: Assyrian and Chaldean Neo-Aramaic (Sureth) from northern Iraq, north-western Iran and north-eastern Syria, or Turoyo (Surayt) from Tur Abdin in south-eastern Turkey. SILA Linguists® provides interpreters, translators and transcribers for these communities and for churches, universities and public services in the UK, North America, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. We start by asking which community and region the person comes from, and what they call their language.
Interpreting for Sureth and Turoyo speakers
A Turoyo speaker from Tur Abdin and a Sureth speaker from the Nineveh plains may struggle to understand each other, so we match the variety, not just the label. Many speakers are also fluent in Arabic, Kurdish, Turkish or Farsi, or in Swedish and German in the diaspora; relay through another language is used only if the client agrees.
We provide face-to-face interpreting for immigration interviews, hospital and GP appointments, community services and family matters, alongside phone interpreting at any hour and video sessions on the SILA Linguists® app or your own platform. Video and telephone help us reach the right speaker wherever they live. For church events, academic conferences and heritage programmes we can provide consecutive interpreting.
Syriac translation across three scripts
Syriac is written right to left in its own 22-letter alphabet, in three main styles: Estrangela, Serto (West Syriac) and East Syriac (Madnhaya). The style and vowel marking usually reflect the reader's church tradition, and Turoyo also appears in Latin script in some publications. We confirm the variety and script at the outset.
Typical requests include liturgical texts, church and community records, academic and historical material, letters and community information. Civil documents from Iraq, Syria, Turkey or Iran are usually in Arabic, Turkish or Farsi, and we provide certified translation of those, signing each one as accurate, accepted by UK authorities such as courts and universities. Arabic or other source documents for Australian authorities can be NAATI-certified, and those for US immigration carry a certificate of accuracy.
Transcription, research support and LADO
We transcribe and translate recordings in Neo-Aramaic varieties, including oral histories, interviews and community archives, with time stamps and clearly marked passages in Arabic, Kurdish or Turkish. Where an asylum claim turns on origin, SILA Linguists® can arrange language analysis (LADO) by specialists familiar with these communities.
Sectors we support in Syriac and Aramaic
Our vetted, trained and qualified Syriac and Neo-Aramaic linguists can support universities and research projects, churches and religious organisations, immigration and asylum representatives, healthcare and community services, and heritage and cultural projects. You deal with one project team, vetted linguists and a strict confidentiality framework under signed agreements and UK GDPR. Syriac and Neo-Aramaic interpreters can support resettlement, church communities, hospitals and courts in the United States and Australia.
Good to know
Working with Syriac
Interpreting
- For interpreting, ask which community and region the person comes from and what they call their language. A Turoyo speaker from Tur Abdin and a Sureth speaker from northern Iraq may have difficulty understanding each other.
- Many speakers are multilingual in Arabic, Kurdish, Turkish or Farsi, depending on where they grew up, and in Swedish, German or English in the diaspora. Relay through another language should only be used if the client agrees.
- Video and telephone interpreting help us reach an interpreter who speaks the right variety, so tell us the client's home area when you book.
Translation
- Syriac is written right to left in its own alphabet of 22 letters, in three main styles: Estrangela (the classical form), Serto (West Syriac) and East Syriac (Madnhaya). The style and vowel marking system used often reflect the church tradition of the reader.
- Modern Aramaic varieties are written in Syriac script; Turoyo is also written in Latin script in some publications. We confirm the target variety and script at the outset.
- Typical requests include liturgical texts, church and community records, and community information for diaspora readers.
Related languages
Syriac 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 Syriac is often needed
- Universities and research projects
- Churches and religious organisations
- Immigration and asylum
- Healthcare and community services
- Heritage and cultural projects
Explore more middle eastern and central asian or see all languages A to Z.
Get in touch
Need a Syriac 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.