Professional Khmer Translation Services UK

Khmer (Cambodian) is spoken by approximately 16 million people, primarily in Cambodia where it is the official language. The UK has a significant Cambodian community, many of whom arrived as refugees following the Khmer Rouge period, with newer arrivals including students and skilled workers.

Khmer uses one of the oldest scripts in Southeast Asia, with inscriptions dating back to the 7th century. The Khmer alphabet has the largest number of letters of any alphabet in the world (74 letters), making it particularly complex. Cambodian documents follow specific government formats that require specialist knowledge for accurate translation.

Our Khmer translators are native speakers with expertise in Cambodian administrative systems and UK immigration requirements. Whether you need birth certificates for visa applications, academic credentials for UK universities, or legal documents for court proceedings, our certified translations are accepted by the Home Office, UKVI, UK courts, and all official bodies.

We translate all types of Khmer documents from Cambodia:

• Civil registry documents — Birth certificates (សំបុត្រកំណើត), marriage certificates (សំបុត្រអាពាហ៍ពិពាហ៍), death certificates from Cambodia's civil registration offices
• Identity documents — Cambodian ID cards (អត្តសញ្ញាណប័ណ្ណ), Cambodian passports, family books (សៀវភៅគ្រួសារ), residence certificates
• Academic credentials — Baccalaureate certificates, university degrees from Royal University of Phnom Penh and other Cambodian institutions, school transcripts
• Legal documents — Court orders, affidavits, property documents (ប័ណ្ណសម្គាល់សិទ្ធិកាន់កាប់អចលនទ្រព្យ), powers of attorney, police clearance certificates
• Business documents — Company registration certificates, contracts, financial statements from Cambodian businesses
• Historical documents — Pre-1975 documents, refugee documentation, UNHCR papers

All translations include certification accepted by UK authorities for immigration and official use.

Accurate Khmer translation requires specific expertise:

• Complex script system — The Khmer alphabet is the world's largest, with 33 consonants, 23 vowels, and 12 independent vowels. Our translators are expert readers of this intricate writing system
• Historical document gaps — The Khmer Rouge period (1975-1979) destroyed many records. We handle reconstructed documents and understand their particular formats
• French colonial influence — Older Cambodian documents may contain French terminology or be bilingual French-Khmer. We accurately translate both elements
• Buddhist calendar — Some Cambodian documents use the Buddhist Era (BE) calendar. We convert dates to the Gregorian calendar with clear notation
• Name conventions — Cambodian names place family name first. We clarify name order for UK authorities while preserving the original format

Our translators understand both Cambodian administrative systems and UK official requirements, ensuring your documents meet all standards for acceptance.