Face-to-face
Setswana (Tswana) interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
African languages
Setswana (Tswana) interpreting and translation
Setswana is the national language of Botswana and an official language of South Africa. We provide Setswana interpreters and translators for legal, healthcare, education and business work.
Setswana
- Script
- Latin
- Direction
- Left to right
- ISO 639-3
tsn
Setswana, often called Tswana in English, is a Bantu language of the Sotho-Tswana group, closely related to Sesotho (Southern Sotho) and Sepedi (Northern Sotho). In Botswana it is the national language and the first language of most of the population, used alongside English, which is the official language of government. In South Africa it is one of the official languages and is spoken most widely in North West province, with communities in Gauteng, the Northern Cape and the Free State. Smaller groups of speakers live in Namibia and Zimbabwe.
The language is written in the Latin alphabet. Its first written forms came from 19th-century missionaries, including Robert Moffat's Bible translation, and spelling conventions in Botswana and South Africa still differ in some details. Words are built with noun-class prefixes, which is why the people are the Batswana, one person is a Motswana, and the language is Setswana.
Setswana has regional varieties named after historical groups, such as Sekwena, Sengwato, Sekgatla, Serolong, Sehurutshe and Setlhaping. They are mutually intelligible, though vocabulary and pronunciation differ between areas and between Botswana and South Africa.
Most educated Batswana are bilingual in English, but people often prefer their first language for health, legal and family matters, where precision and comfort matter. Older people and those from rural areas are more likely to need an interpreter.
- Main areas: Botswana, South Africa (North West)
- Also used: Namibia
Communities abroad are not shown. Point to an area to see its name.
How we help
Setswana (Tswana) 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 Setswana (Tswana) translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Setswana (Tswana) interpreting and translation by SILA Linguists®
Setswana is the national language of Botswana and an official language of South Africa, spoken most widely in North West province, with smaller communities in Namibia and Zimbabwe. SILA Linguists® provides Setswana interpreters and translators for healthcare providers, solicitors, universities, mining and business work in the United Kingdom, North America, Australia and New Zealand. Legal terms, official names and everyday borrowings from English or Afrikaans differ between Botswana and South Africa, so we ask where your client or readership is based before choosing a linguist.
Setswana interpreting for legal, medical and business settings
We supply Setswana interpreters for solicitors' meetings and court proceedings, hospital and GP appointments, immigration and family matters, and university admissions and student support. Telephone interpreting is available 24 hours a day, 365 days a year; video interpreting works on the SILA Linguists® app or a platform of your choosing; and face-to-face interpreters can attend in person.
For board meetings, mining sector briefings, conferences and training, we arrange consecutive, simultaneous and remote simultaneous interpreting. Setswana speech uses respectful forms of address towards elders, and our interpreters keep that register in formal settings. Sesotho and Setswana are close, but for court, medical or asylum work we always book the client's own language. A female or male interpreter can be requested.
Setswana translation and certified translation
Setswana uses the Latin alphabet with a few special letters and digraphs, and spelling conventions differ in places between Botswana and South Africa, so our translators follow the norms of the target country. For health leaflets, public information and education material, we write in a plain, readable style rather than literal renderings of English terms.
For business and mining clients we translate safety documentation, community engagement material, policies and reports. Documents from Botswana are often already in English, while South African records may be in English, Afrikaans or Setswana. Certified translations carry a signed attestation of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as courts, immigration officials and universities, and by employers.
Transcription and subtitling
We transcribe Setswana interviews, research recordings, community consultations and video footage, with time references and a full English translation. Subtitles can be added to training films, health campaigns and corporate videos aimed at Batswana audiences, with code-switching into English or Afrikaans marked clearly.
Where we can help in Setswana (Tswana)
Our vetted, trained and qualified Setswana linguists can support healthcare and public health bodies, legal practices and courts, universities and student services, mining, energy and engineering firms, and immigration advisers handling family matters. You have a small dedicated team coordinating every request, and our vetted linguists work under confidentiality agreements and the requirements of UK GDPR, giving commercial and personal information the same protection.
Good to know
Working with Setswana (Tswana)
Interpreting
- Tell us whether the client is from Botswana or South Africa, and the region if known, so we can match the right linguist. Legal terms, official names and everyday borrowings from English or Afrikaans differ between the two countries.
- Sesotho and Setswana are close enough that speakers often follow each other in conversation, but they are separate languages. For court, medical or asylum work, book the client's own language rather than relying on partial intelligibility.
- Setswana speech uses respectful forms of address towards elders, and interpreters keep this register in formal settings.
- Setswana interpreting is available face to face and by video, and by telephone 24 hours a day, 365 days a year. Conference and remote simultaneous interpreting can be arranged for meetings and events.
Translation
- Setswana uses the Latin alphabet with a few special letters and digraphs, so standard fonts handle it without difficulty. Translators follow the spelling norms of the target country, since Botswana and South Africa differ in some conventions, for example in the spelling of certain sounds.
- Official documents from Botswana are often already in English; South African documents may be in English, Afrikaans or Setswana. Certified translations, with a signed statement of accuracy, are accepted by UK authorities such as the Home Office, tribunals, courts and universities, and by international bodies.
- For public information, health leaflets and education material, a plain, readable style suits most readers better than literal renderings of English terms.
Related languages
Setswana (Tswana) 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 Setswana (Tswana) is often needed
- Healthcare and public health information
- Legal proceedings and solicitors
- Universities and student support
- Business and mining sector documents
- Immigration and family matters
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Get in touch
Need a Setswana (Tswana) 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.