Tetum interpreting and translation

Tetum interpreters for work, health and family life

Our Tetum interpreters are prepared for employment and welfare meetings in food processing and agriculture, GP and hospital appointments, school meetings and settlement advice. Telephone interpreting is open round the clock, 365 days a year, and video interpreting through the SILA Linguists® app is a practical way to reach a Tetum speaker quickly wherever they live. Face-to-face attendance can be arranged for longer or sensitive appointments.

Older Timorese clients may also speak Indonesian, and some speak Portuguese, while others grew up with Mambai, Makasae or Baikeno at home. We discuss these options with you, including relay through Portuguese or Indonesian when appropriate, and arrange a female or male interpreter if requested. Timorese families value warmth and respect for elders, and our interpreters bring both to every session.

Tetum translation and certified documents

Written Tetum borrows heavily from Portuguese for legal, medical and technical concepts, and spelling still varies between writers. Our translators follow the standard Tetum orthography and keep terminology consistent across a project, whether it is a worker handbook, a health leaflet, a tenancy guide or a letter to parents.

Timorese civil documents may be in Portuguese, Tetum or both, and older records in Indonesian. We provide certified translation from whichever language appears on the page, with a translator's signed accuracy statement, accepted by UK authorities, schools and employers. Where an Australian authority asks for NAATI-certified translation, we arrange it through NAATI-certified translators.

Tetum transcription

We transcribe Tetum interviews, community consultations and recorded statements with time-stamped lines and an English rendering, marking the frequent moves into Portuguese or Indonesian so nothing is lost. This is useful for workplace investigations, research projects and recorded evidence, where an accurate written record must reflect exactly how a Timorese speaker expressed themselves.

Settings for our linguists in Tetum

Our vetted, trained and qualified Tetum linguists can support employers and workers' welfare groups, NHS services, local authorities, schools and family services, immigration advisers and development organisations with projects in Timor-Leste. SILA Linguists® keeps one coordinator on your account, and every vetted linguist signs a confidentiality agreement and works to UK GDPR. Tetum interpreters can support Timorese workers and families in Australia at hospitals, councils, courts and immigration interviews.