Face-to-face
Tibetan interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
Asian languages
Tibetan interpreting and translation
Tibetan is spoken on the Tibetan Plateau and by communities across South Asia, Europe, North America and Australia. SILA Linguists provides interpreters and translators for Standard Tibetan and matches speakers of the Amdo and Kham varieties.
In its own words
བོད་སྐད་
- Script
- Tibetan
- Direction
- Left to right
- ISO 639-3
bod
Tibetan belongs to the Tibetic group of the Sino-Tibetan family. Standard or Central Tibetan, based on the speech of Lhasa and the surrounding Ü-Tsang region, is the form most often meant by the name. Amdo, spoken in the north-east of the plateau, and Kham, spoken in the east, are commonly called Tibetan too, but they are usually classed as separate languages because spoken understanding between them can be limited.
Beyond the plateau, Tibetan is used in India, Nepal and Bhutan and by communities in Switzerland, other European countries, the United States, Canada, the United Kingdom and Australia. In these communities a shared spoken form close to Central Tibetan has grown up, and many younger people also use English, Hindi, Nepali or a European language every day.
Every variety shares one written language in the Tibetan script, an abugida of Indian origin. Spelling keeps much older pronunciations, so written words often look very different from how they are said.
- Main areas: China (Tibet)
- Also used: Nepal, Bhutan, China (Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu)
Communities abroad are not shown. Point to an area to see its name.
How we help
Tibetan 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 Tibetan translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Tibetan interpreters, translation and LADO with SILA Linguists®
Tibetan speakers come from the Tibet Autonomous Region and the Tibetan areas of Qinghai, Sichuan, Gansu and Yunnan, and from long-established communities in India, Nepal, Bhutan, Switzerland and beyond. We provide Tibetan interpreters, translators and language analysis for asylum, legal, health and cultural work in the UK and across North America, Australia and New Zealand. Standard Tibetan from Lhasa, Amdo from the north-east and Kham from the east are distinct in speech, so the speaker's home region guides every booking.
Tibetan interpreting with the right register
Asylum interviews, immigration appeals, mental health assessments, hospital care, care for older people and legal advice are typical settings for our Tibetan interpreters. Interpreting is available face to face, by video through the SILA Linguists® app or your own platform, and by telephone 24 hours a day, every day of the year. We also provide consecutive interpreters for cultural organisations' talks, teachings and community events.
Spoken Tibetan has an honorific register for elders, monks, nuns and people of standing, with respectful equivalents for many everyday words. Our interpreters choose the right level so that a doctor's or solicitor's question sounds courteous rather than abrupt. An Amdo speaker who has lived abroad for decades may be comfortable in Standard Tibetan, while a recent arrival from a rural area may need an Amdo or Kham interpreter. Chinese, Hindi or Nepali are used only if the client chooses them, and an interpreter of a preferred gender can be arranged.
Tibetan translation and certified documents
All varieties share one written language in the Tibetan script, whose spelling preserves older pronunciations. Our translators work with Unicode fonts that render stacked consonants and the tsheg syllable dot correctly, and we check the layout in its final format. Personal names often consist of two given names with no family name, and romanised spellings vary, so we follow the passport or identity document.
Documents held by Tibetan speakers may be in Chinese, Hindi, Nepali or English. We provide certified translation into English from any of these, with a signed statement of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as the Home Office, courts and universities. Documents for the United States, Canada or Australia are certified as each one asks, with NAATI-certified translation for Australian authorities.
Transcription and language analysis (LADO)
Interview recordings, testimony and oral histories in Tibetan are transcribed with regular time markers and put into English. Tibetan is a language in which origin is often examined in asylum claims, and SILA Linguists® provides language analysis for the determination of origin (LADO) by specialist analysts.
Sectors we support in Tibetan
Our vetted, trained and qualified Tibetan linguists can support immigration and asylum services, legal representatives and courts, NHS and mental health teams, care providers for older people, universities, and community and cultural organisations. One project team handles each assignment, and every linguist is vetted and bound by non-disclosure agreements and UK GDPR safeguards. Tibetan interpreters can assist asylum and refugee hearings, hospitals and cultural institutions in the United States, Canada and Australia.
Good to know
Working with Tibetan
Interpreting
- Spoken Tibetan has an honorific register used when addressing or talking about elders, monks and nuns, and people of standing: many everyday nouns and verbs have respectful equivalents. Interpreters choose the level that suits the setting, so that a doctor's or solicitor's question sounds courteous rather than abrupt.
- Tell us whether the speaker comes from central Tibet, Amdo or Kham, or grew up in India or Nepal. An Amdo speaker who has lived abroad for decades may be at ease in Standard Tibetan, while someone who has recently left a rural area may need an Amdo or Kham speaker. Chinese, Hindi or Nepali are possible only if the client chooses them.
- Tibetan interpreting is available face to face, by video and by telephone, 24 hours a day, every day of the year, and an interpreter of a preferred gender can be requested.
Translation
- Tibetan text needs Unicode fonts that handle stacked consonants and the syllable dot (tsheg) correctly, and we check the layout in the final format. Personal names often consist of two given names without a family name, and romanised spellings vary from one document to another, so we follow the spelling on the passport or identity document.
- Documents held by Tibetan speakers may be issued in Chinese, Hindi, Nepali or English. SILA provides certified translation into English from any of these, accepted by UK authorities such as the Home Office, tribunals, courts and universities, and by international bodies. 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
Tibetan 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 Tibetan is often needed
- Immigration and asylum
- Language analysis (LADO)
- Healthcare and mental health
- Legal advice and courts
- Care for older people
- Community and cultural organisations
Explore more asian languages or see all languages A to Z.
Get in touch
Need a Tibetan 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.