Face-to-face
Kurdish interpreters on site for appointments, hearings and meetings.
Kurdish varieties · language family or group
Kurdish interpreting and translation
Kurdish is spoken across Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria and by a large diaspora in Europe. We provide Kurdish interpreters and translators for every main variety, matched to the speaker's dialect and the reader's script.
Kurdî
- Script
- Latin (Hawar alphabet), Arabic-based Kurdish script, Cyrillic (historical, former Soviet Union)
- Direction
- Left to right
- ISO 639-3
kur
Kurdish is a group of closely related Iranian languages spoken across a broad region where Turkey, Iraq, Iran and Syria meet, with long-established communities in Armenia, Georgia, Lebanon and Central Asia and a large diaspora in Germany, Sweden, the UK and other European countries. Kurdish has three main groups: Northern Kurdish (Kurmanji), Central Kurdish (Sorani) and Southern Kurdish. Kurdish is an official language of Iraq alongside Arabic and is the everyday language of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq.
The main varieties differ enough in grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation that speakers of one can struggle with another, especially in formal or technical conversation. Kurmanji is spoken by most Kurds in Turkey and Syria, in the Badini (Behdini) area of the Kurdistan Region of Iraq, around Duhok and Zakho, and in parts of north-western Iran. Sorani is the main variety of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and much of Iranian Kurdistan, and is widely used in government and education in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq. Southern Kurdish varieties, among them Feyli, Kalhori and Pahlawani, are spoken around Kermanshah and Ilam in Iran and in eastern Iraq.
Classification at the edges is debated. Zazaki and Hawrami (Gorani) are often classed as separate north-western Iranian languages, while many of their speakers identify as Kurds. Laki is placed with Kurdish by some and nearer to Luri by others, and Luri is usually classed with Farsi, although some speakers call it Kurdish Luri. We have separate pages for these varieties and simply match the one the person speaks.
Kurdish is written in more than one script. Kurmanji in Turkey, Syria and the diaspora mostly uses the Latin-based Hawar alphabet, with letters such as ç, ê, î, ş and û. Sorani and Southern Kurdish use an adapted Arabic script, written right to left, which marks vowels more fully than Arabic or Farsi spelling. Kurmanji speakers in Iraq and Iran often use the Arabic-based script too, and Cyrillic was used in the former Soviet Union.
Kurdish flag
How we help
Kurdish 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 Kurdish translation accepted by UK authorities.
SILA Linguists®
Kurdish interpreters and translators for Kurmanji, Sorani and Southern Kurdish with SILA Linguists®
Booking simply 'Kurdish' is the most common cause of a mismatched interpreter. Kurdish is a family of closely related languages: Kurmanji, spoken by most Kurds in Turkey and Syria and, as Badini, in Duhok and Zakho in the Kurdistan Region of Iraq; Sorani, the main variety of Erbil, Sulaymaniyah and much of Iranian Kurdistan; and Southern Kurdish varieties such as Feyli and Kalhori around Kermanshah and Ilam. SILA Linguists® supplies interpreters, translators and transcribers for each of them, for clients throughout the UK, North America, Australia, New Zealand and beyond.
Kurdish interpreting, matched by variety and region
Tell us the variety, or simply the town and country your client comes from, and we will do the matching. A Sorani interpreter is not the right choice for a Kurmanji speaker from south-eastern Turkey, and the reverse is equally true. Second languages also follow geography: Turkish for many Kurds from Turkey, Arabic for many from Syria, Farsi for those from Iran, while people from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq live their daily lives in Kurdish. Some clients prefer their second language; others need Kurdish to give accurate detail, so we ask rather than assume.
Our Kurdish interpreters attend asylum interviews and appeals, police interviews, criminal and family courts, child protection conferences, mental health assessments, hospital clinics and schools. Phone interpreting is on hand day and night, and video interpreting runs through the SILA Linguists® app or your chosen platform. Interpreters who know the speaker's region handle place names, tribal and family names and local administrative terms reliably, and a female or male interpreter can be requested.
Kurdish translation in the right script
Variety and script come first. A Kurmanji reader in Turkey or Germany expects the Latin Hawar alphabet, while a Sorani reader in Iraq or Iran expects the Arabic-based Kurdish script, set right to left with proper fonts. For public information aimed at mixed communities, we often recommend separate Kurmanji and Sorani versions.
Documents from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq are usually in Kurdish, and some are bilingual Kurdish and Arabic, while Turkish, Syrian and Iranian civil records are usually in Turkish, Arabic or Farsi. We identify the actual language of each document and deliver certified English translations, signed as accurate and accepted by UK authorities, for immigration files, court bundles and university or employer checks.
Transcription and origin analysis
Kurdish recordings, from police interviews to intercepted calls, are transcribed with time codes and translated into English, with Turkish, Arabic or Farsi passages marked. Where a claimant's origin is in doubt, LADO analysis covering Kurdish varieties can be commissioned through us.
Sectors we support in Kurdish
Our vetted, trained and qualified Kurdish linguists can support immigration and asylum services, police and the criminal courts, family courts and children's services, the NHS and mental health teams, schools and councils. You brief one coordinator, every linguist is vetted and signs a confidentiality agreement, and all personal data is handled under UK GDPR.
Good to know
Working with Kurdish
Interpreting
- Booking 'Kurdish' alone is the most common cause of a mismatched interpreter. Tell us the variety, or the town and country the speaker comes from, so we can match the right linguist. A Sorani interpreter is not the right choice for a Kurmanji speaker from south-eastern Turkey, and the same applies the other way round.
- Second languages depend on the country of origin: speakers from Turkey usually also know Turkish, those from Syria Arabic, and those from Iran Farsi, while people from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq communicate in Kurdish in everyday life. Some clients prefer their second language; others need Kurdish to give accurate detail. Ask the client rather than assume, and record their choice.
- In asylum, police and court settings, place names, family and tribal names and terms for local administration matter, and an interpreter who knows the speaker's home region handles them more reliably. A preferred interpreter gender can be arranged on request. Where origin is in question, our Language Analysis for the Determination of Origin (LADO) service covers Kurdish varieties.
Translation
- Confirm the variety and script before translation starts. A document for a Kurmanji reader in Turkey or Germany should normally be in the Hawar Latin alphabet, while a Sorani reader in Iraq or Iran expects the Arabic-based script set right to left with suitable fonts. Public bodies addressing mixed communities often publish separate Kurmanji and Sorani versions.
- Documents from the Kurdistan Region of Iraq are usually issued in Kurdish, and some are bilingual Kurdish and Arabic, while Turkish, Syrian and Iranian civil records are normally in Turkish, Arabic or Farsi. Check each document's actual language before ordering certified translation for UK authorities, educational institutions and international bodies.
Related languages
Kurdish 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 Kurdish is often needed
- Asylum interviews, appeals and LADO
- Police and criminal courts
- Healthcare and mental health services
- Family and child protection proceedings
- Education and social services
- Public information in Kurmanji and Sorani
Explore more kurdish varieties or see all languages A to Z.
Get in touch
Need a Kurdish 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.