Middle Eastern and Central Asian

Uzbek interpreting and translation

Uzbek is the most widely spoken Turkic language of Central Asia. It is written in Latin or Cyrillic script in Uzbekistan and in Arabic-based script in Afghanistan.

  • Flag of Uzbekistan
In its own words

Oʻzbek tili

Script
Latin (Uzbekistan), Cyrillic (still widely used), Arabic script (Afghanistan)
Direction
Left to right
ISO 639-3
uzb

Uzbek belongs to the Karluk branch of the Turkic family, and its closest relative is Uyghur. It is the state language of Uzbekistan and is spoken by large communities in northern Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Russia.

Uzbek has two main forms: Northern Uzbek, the standard language of Uzbekistan, and Southern Uzbek, spoken in Afghanistan. Afghan Uzbek has more Farsi vocabulary and different writing conventions. Uzbek dialects vary considerably, and some, such as those of Khorezm, are closer to Oghuz Turkic.

Uzbekistan is home to large Tajik, Russian, Kazakh and Karakalpak communities, and Karakalpak, a Kipchak Turkic language, has official status in the Republic of Karakalpakstan. A person from Uzbekistan may therefore need a language other than Uzbek.

  • Main areas: Uzbekistan
  • Also used: Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Afghanistan (Jowzjan, Faryab, Balkh)

Communities abroad are not shown. Point to an area to see its name.

How we help

Uzbek services

SILA Linguists®

Uzbek interpreters, Uzbek translation and transcription by SILA Linguists®

Uzbek is the state language of Uzbekistan and is spoken by large communities in northern Afghanistan, Tajikistan, Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan, Turkmenistan and Russia. SILA Linguists® provides Uzbek interpreters and Uzbek translators for courts, police, immigration services, healthcare providers, schools and companies in textiles, cotton and energy in Britain, North America, Australia, New Zealand and further afield. Northern Uzbek from Uzbekistan and Southern Uzbek from Afghanistan differ in vocabulary and writing, and a person from Uzbekistan may actually speak Tajik, Russian, Kazakh or Karakalpak at home, so we check before booking.

Uzbek interpreting services matched by country

Afghan Uzbeks often also speak Dari and use more Farsi vocabulary, while people from Uzbekistan often speak Russian, and some from Samarkand and Bukhara speak Tajik at home. Dialects vary considerably, and Khorezm speech is closer to Oghuz Turkic. We match the Uzbek interpreter to the client's country and region.

Our face-to-face Uzbek interpreters attend police interviews, criminal and family courts, asylum interviews, hospital appointments and school meetings. Uzbek phone interpreting is staffed through nights, weekends and holidays, and video meetings can run on the SILA Linguists® app or on software you already license. Trade delegations, textile buyers and energy companies can book consecutive or simultaneous interpreters, including remote simultaneous interpreting for online events.

Uzbek translation in Latin, Cyrillic and Arabic script

Uzbekistan officially uses a Latin alphabet, but Cyrillic remains common in everyday life and older documents, and Afghan Uzbek is written in Arabic-based script. In the Latin alphabet, oʻ and gʻ use the modifier letter ʻ, and we use the correct character in names and official text rather than a straight apostrophe.

We translate birth and marriage certificates, diplomas, court papers, medical records, contracts, certificates of origin and technical documents. When a document needs certifying, we attach a signed declaration of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities such as Home Office caseworkers, courts and universities, and by employers.

Uzbek transcription and language analysis

Police interviews, recorded calls, voice messages and research interviews are written out in Uzbek with timings and rendered into English, with Russian, Tajik or Dari passages labelled. For asylum cases where origin is uncertain, SILA Linguists® can arrange LADO to help distinguish Uzbek speakers from Uzbekistan and from Afghanistan.

Sectors we support in Uzbek

Our vetted, trained and qualified Uzbek linguists can support immigration and asylum services, courts and police, NHS and private healthcare, education providers, and businesses in cotton, textiles, energy and trade. One coordinator follows your Uzbek work from request to delivery. Every linguist signs a non-disclosure agreement, and UK GDPR governs the handling of personal data. For long-running matters we try to keep the same Uzbek interpreter throughout, which helps clients feel at ease and keeps terminology consistent from the first appointment to the final hearing.

Good to know

Working with Uzbek

Interpreting

  • Tell us whether the person is from Uzbekistan or Afghanistan. Afghan Uzbeks often also speak Dari, and people from Uzbekistan often speak Russian. Some from Samarkand and Bukhara speak Tajik at home.
  • Uzbek interpreting is available face to face, by video and by telephone.

Translation

  • Uzbekistan officially adopted a Latin alphabet after independence and later revised it, but Cyrillic remains in common use in everyday life and in older documents. Afghan Uzbek is written in Arabic-based script. We confirm the script with you before translation starts.
  • The Latin alphabet uses the modifier letter ʻ in oʻ and gʻ. Use the correct character, not a straight apostrophe, in names and official text where possible.
  • Certified translations of Uzbek documents are accepted by UK authorities such as the Home Office, tribunals, courts and universities, and by international bodies.
Related languages

Uzbek 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.

  • Immigration and asylum
  • Healthcare
  • Business, cotton and textiles, and energy
  • Education
  • Courts and police
Get in touch

Need a Uzbek 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.

Call our bookings team+44 (0)333 339 8218
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