Face-to-face
Azeri interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
Middle Eastern and Central Asian
Azeri (Azerbaijani) interpreting and translation
Azeri, also called Azerbaijani, is a Turkic language spoken in the Republic of Azerbaijan and across north-western Iran. The two main varieties are written in different scripts, so it matters which one you need.
Azərbaycan dili
- Script
- Latin (Azerbaijan), Arabic script (Iran), Cyrillic (historical, some older documents)
- Direction
- Left to right
- ISO 639-3
aze
Azeri is an Oghuz Turkic language, closely related to Turkish and Turkmen. It is the official language of the Republic of Azerbaijan and is spoken by a large population in north-western Iran, including East Azerbaijan province (Tabriz), Ardabil and Zanjan, and partly Markazi province (Arak). It is also spoken in Georgia, Dagestan in Russia and eastern Turkey, and Iraqi Turkmen speech is closely related.
Azerbaijani has two main forms. North Azerbaijani is the standard of the Republic of Azerbaijan and is written in a Latin alphabet, adopted after independence and later made the only official script. Older documents may be in Cyrillic. South Azerbaijani is spoken in Iran, where it is written in Arabic-based script and has absorbed many Farsi loanwords. Speakers of the two varieties generally understand each other, but vocabulary, pronunciation and writing conventions differ.
Turkish speakers can follow a good deal of Azeri, but the two are separate languages and Turkish is not an adequate substitute for interpreting.
- Main areas: Azerbaijan, Iran (East Azerbaijan, Ardabil, Zanjan)
- Also used: Iran (Markazi, Qazvin, Hamadan), Georgia (Kvemo Kartli), Russia (Republic of Dagestan)
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How we help
Azeri 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 Azeri translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Azeri interpreters and Azerbaijani translation with SILA Linguists®
Azeri, or Azerbaijani, is spoken by people from the Republic of Azerbaijan and by a very large population in north-western Iran, as well as in Georgia, Dagestan and eastern Turkey. SILA Linguists® provides Azeri interpreters and translators for legal teams, healthcare providers, public services and the energy and engineering sector in the UK, North America, Australia, New Zealand and beyond. Before we book, we ask whether the person grew up in Azerbaijan or in Iran, because vocabulary, loanwords and even the alphabet differ between the two.
Azeri interpreting services, north and south
Speakers from Baku or Ganja often reach for Russian terms in legal and medical matters, while Iranian Azeris from Tabriz, Ardabil or Zanjan mix in Farsi vocabulary. We choose an Azeri interpreter who is at home in the client's variety, and if an Iranian Azeri client prefers Farsi for formal subjects, we respect that choice after asking them.
Face-to-face interpreting covers asylum interviews, police stations, courts, hospital appointments and social care meetings. An Azeri interpreter can join a call at any hour of any day, and video sessions run through the SILA Linguists® app or the platform your team already uses. For oil, gas and engineering projects we supply consecutive interpreters for site visits and technical meetings, and simultaneous or remote simultaneous interpreters for conferences.
Translation in Latin and Arabic script
Documents from Azerbaijan are written in the Latin alphabet with letters such as ə, ğ and ı; older papers may be in Cyrillic. Azeri for readers in Iran is written right to left in Arabic-based script, although official Iranian documents are usually in Farsi, so we check the actual language of each document first.
We translate birth and marriage certificates, court decisions, diplomas, medical records, contracts, technical specifications and HSE material between Azeri and English. Azeri documents translated for official use carry a signed statement of accuracy, accepted by UK authorities including the Home Office, by universities and by employers.
Azeri transcription and language analysis
Our transcribers convert recorded interviews, evidential recordings and research audio into time-stamped Azeri transcripts with an English translation, marking any switches into Russian, Farsi or Turkish. In asylum cases where origin is disputed, SILA Linguists® can arrange language analysis for the determination of origin (LADO) to help establish whether a speaker's Azeri points to Azerbaijan or to Iran.
Where we can help in Azeri
Our vetted, trained and qualified Azeri linguists can support immigration and asylum services, courts and police, NHS and private healthcare, and businesses in energy, oil and gas, engineering and international trade. One project team manages your booking from start to finish, and confidentiality agreements and UK GDPR cover every file and conversation.
Good to know
Working with Azeri
Interpreting
- Let us know whether the person is from Azerbaijan or Iran. Iranian Azeri speakers often use Farsi vocabulary, while speakers from Azerbaijan may use Russian terms for technical, legal and medical concepts.
- Many Iranian Azeris are bilingual in Farsi. If the person prefers Farsi for formal matters, that is their choice, so ask them rather than assuming.
- Azeri interpreting is available face to face, by video and by telephone.
Translation
- Documents from Azerbaijan are normally in Latin-script North Azerbaijani, with special letters such as ə, ğ, ı, ö, ş, ü and ç. Documents issued in Iran are usually in Farsi rather than Azeri, as Farsi is the official language there, so check the actual language of the document before booking.
- If you need translation into Azeri for readers in Iran, the text will be set in Arabic-based script, written right to left. We confirm the target script at the start of each project.
- Certified translations of Azerbaijani civil, legal and academic documents are accepted by UK authorities including the Home Office, the courts and universities, and by international bodies.
Related languages
Azeri 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 Azeri is often needed
- Immigration and asylum
- Courts and police
- Healthcare
- Energy, oil and gas, and engineering
- Business and trade
Explore more middle eastern and central asian or see all languages A to Z.
Get in touch
Need a Azeri 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.