Yue Interpreter Services

We provide Yue interpreter services UK-wide, in person or by phone and video. Yue is the name for the branch of Chinese that includes Cantonese and Taishanese, and language-coding systems also use it for Cantonese itself, so before we book we confirm which Yue variety the speaker actually uses.

Get a Yue interpreter quote or call +44 (0) 20 3880 6688

• UK-wide Yue cover
• Face-to-face, telephone or video
• Fixed quote, usually within the hour (office hours)
• Published price ranges
• Since 2017

Settings we interpret in NHS and private healthcare · courts and tribunals · police · local authorities · solicitors · businesses · private appointments

How we work UK GDPR · client terms · published price ranges · purchase-order invoicing for NHS and public bodies

The name Yue is built into software and data standards, which is one way it ends up on a booking. In the IANA language subtag registry, used by websites and data systems to label languages, the code yue carries two descriptions side by side, Yue Chinese and Cantonese. It was added on 29 July 2009, and on the same date the older tag zh-yue, registered in 1999, was deprecated with yue as its preferred value. The ISO 639-3 record kept by SIL gives the reference name Yue Chinese and files it under the Chinese macrolanguage, zho.

So when a referral form or a case-management screen says Yue, someone may well have said Cantonese and a system wrote it down in standard form. That is not the end of the check, because Yue is wider than Cantonese. The community itself is covered on our page for Cantonese interpreter services across the UK. This page is about the name, and about getting the right interpreter from it.

Yue interpreting services: face-to-face, telephone and video

Yue interpreting services provide a professional interpreter for live conversation between English and a Yue variety of Chinese, usually Cantonese, in person, by telephone or on video. The label tells us the family, not the variety. Our first job is to pin down which one the speaker uses at home, because an interpreter fluent in Hong Kong Cantonese may struggle with a strong rural Yue dialect from western Guangdong.

Most sessions run consecutively, turn by turn; our interpreting services page covers the other formats.

English to Yue interpreter (and Yue to English)

An English to Yue interpreter works in both directions for the whole session, putting your questions into the speaker's variety and their answers back into English. If the speaker drifts between Cantonese and a home dialect part-way through, a good interpreter says so in English rather than quietly smoothing it over.

Relatives often offer to help. Guidance for clinicians in the GOV.UK interpretation section of the migrant health guide is clear that a trained interpreter should be offered in place of relatives or friends, and that children should not be asked to interpret.

Yue court interpreters and HMCTS work

A Yue court interpreter is, in nearly every case, a Cantonese court interpreter, booked once the defendant's or witness's variety is confirmed. The GOV.UK guidance on getting an interpreter at a court or tribunal says a defendant in a criminal case is given one. Family courts provide one where a case concerns children, domestic abuse or forced marriage, civil courts do so for some hearings, and a friend or relative may only step in if the judge agrees beforehand.

If the paperwork says Yue, settle the variety before the hearing date. Statements and conferences with counsel are booked privately; see our legal interpreting page. Prism Linguistics is a private language-services provider and does not present itself as a court-appointed supplier.

Yue interpreters for NHS, police, solicitors, councils and business

Each service records language its own way, which is often how Yue reaches a request.

Yue NHS interpreter and medical appointments

The same GOV.UK guide asks clinicians to record a patient's preferred spoken language, dialect included, and to check the interpreter's language, dialect and gender against the booking before the session begins. For a Yue speaker that means writing Cantonese or Taishanese, not just Chinese. NHS England's guidance for primary care commissioners says patients should not be charged for interpreting. See also medical interpreting.

Yue police interpreter

In custody, ask which language the person wants for interview before calling an interpreter. A detainee from Guangdong who speaks some Mandarin may still give a far better account in Cantonese. More on police interpreting.

Solicitors and immigration advisers

Hong Kong and mainland papers may romanise the same name differently. Ask which characters the client reads before any sight translation.

Councils, schools and social care

A family from Guangdong is not automatically a Yue-speaking family. Hakka and the Chaoshan (Teochew) dialects are spoken there too, so check before booking a care assessment.

Employers and business

Supplier meetings in the Pearl River Delta, where Yue is the local speech; check whether your counterparts prefer Mandarin or English. See business interpreting.

Face-to-face, telephone or video: which one fits?

For Yue, the mode depends on the variety. For Cantonese, every mode is open. Where it turns out to be Taishanese or another less common Yue dialect, a telephone interpreter or video interpreting lets us reach someone who speaks it, wherever they live. Keep face-to-face interpreting for sensitive or complex work, such as safeguarding meetings and long hearings.

Yue interpreting modes at a glance

Mode	Best for	Typical notice
Yue telephone interpreter	A quick call to confirm which Yue variety someone speaks, appointment reminders, short advice.	Often the same day for Cantonese, subject to availability
Yue video interpreter	Less common dialects, remote hearings, clinic follow-ups with documents shown on screen.	A day or so; longer for a rare variety
Yue face-to-face interpreter	Interviews under caution, child protection, mental health and end-of-life discussions.	A day or two for Cantonese in cities; more for other varieties

Lead times for Yue bookings

Once Yue resolves to Cantonese, lead times match an ordinary Cantonese booking. Delay comes from a request nobody recognises, or from an interpreter who arrives to find a different variety. Knowing the speaker's home town or county usually rules that out.

Qualified, professional Yue interpreters: what to look for

Questions worth asking about any qualified Yue interpreter, from us or from anyone else:

DPSI

The Diploma in Public Service Interpreting from CIOL Qualifications is a Level 6 award regulated by Ofqual, and some languages only run when enough candidates enrol. Ask which language and which specialism the holder qualified in.

NRPSI listing

When checking a register such as NRPSI, look for the variety the client speaks as well as for Yue, and confirm the registration is current.

Enhanced DBS

Usually expected for custody suites, wards, care homes and any work with children.

The right variety

Ask which Yue variety the interpreter grew up speaking and whether they have worked with speakers of the client's dialect. Fluent Cantonese does not mean easy understanding of every Yue dialect.

On our side, every Yue booking goes to an interpreter who is professionally qualified and background-checked; court work goes only to court-experienced people, and Enhanced DBS clearance is arranged where the setting requires it.

Yue dialects and varieties: why it matters at booking

Yue is a group of related dialects. Glottolog's entry for Yue Chinese sorts it into several subgroups: Yuehai, which holds Cantonese with its Guangzhou and Hong Kong forms; Siyi, which holds Toishanese; and further groups named Gaoyang, Goulou, Qinlian, Wuhua and Yongxun. Cantonese, the one Yue variety that the ONS census classification codes separately, belongs to Yuehai. A Siyi speaker is better matched through our Toishanese interpreter service.

A Guangdong address is not proof of a Yue speaker. The Guangdong provincial government's profile of population and language (in Chinese) names three main Chinese dialect groups in the province: Yue, mostly in the Pearl River Delta, the west and parts of the north; Hakka, in the north-east and north; and Min, along the coast, including Chaoshan. Yue also reaches beyond Guangdong. When UNESCO inscribed Yueju opera in 2009, it described Guangdong and Guangxi as Cantonese-speaking provinces.

Three mistakes are easy to make. Yue can be booked as Mandarin because both sit under Chinese. It can be treated as a rare separate language, so a request stalls while someone hunts for a Yue specialist. Or a Hakka speaker from Guangdong is sent a Cantonese interpreter. Ask the speaker what they call their language, and write the answer on the booking.

How to book or hire a Yue interpreter

Tell us the brief

Send the date, start time and expected length, the address or video link and the type of appointment. Tell us what the speaker calls their language and where they grew up, and say if a woman or a man would put them more at ease.

We match and price

We confirm the Yue variety, pick an interpreter who speaks it and knows the setting, and come back with a fixed price, normally within the hour during UK office hours.

Confirm and the interpreter attends

After you accept, we brief the interpreter on names and context; they arrive at the venue or join the call on time, with invoices for organisations and card payment for private clients.

Book a Yue interpreter

Find a Yue interpreter near me: cities and towns across the UK

The ONS main language classification for Census 2021 has a code for Cantonese and none for Yue, and the TS024 main-language table does not separate Yue either, so there is no figure for it and we do not estimate one. Finding a Yue interpreter near you works the same way as finding a Cantonese one. We send someone in person if a suitable interpreter lives within reach, and otherwise connect by phone or video.

How much does a Yue interpreter cost in the UK?

Yue interpreter cost depends on mode, length, notice, travel and setting. The published 2026 price guide sets attended interpreting between £40 and £75 per hour, travel on top and two hours minimum (court bookings: three). Phone work runs from £1.10 up to £2.50 per minute; a video session of 30 minutes is £60 up to £120. Cantonese work tends to sit lower in those ranges; a rarer Yue dialect sits nearer the top. Use the quote form for a fixed price, normally within the hour during UK office hours.

For NHS GP appointments, the primary-care guidance says patients should not be asked to pay for an interpreter or to bring their own, so ask the practice to book one.

Confidentiality and GDPR for Yue interpreting

What is said in a Yue interpreting session stays between the people in it, and booking details are handled under UK GDPR. Speakers of the smaller Yue dialects may know the few interpreters who share them; if your client would rather not, tell us and we will look further afield, by video if needed.

Need a Yue translator instead?

For written work, such as a Hong Kong school record or a household register from Guangdong, see Yue translation services or Yue document translation; the Yue language services page lists everything together. Formal written Chinese is largely common to the varieties, so the usual question there is Traditional or Simplified characters.

Yue interpreting FAQs

Is Yue the same as Cantonese?

Not exactly. Yue is the wider branch of Chinese and Cantonese is its best-known member; Taishanese and several other dialects belong to it as well. Language codes often use Yue to mean Cantonese, so we confirm which variety the speaker uses before booking.

How much does a Yue interpreter cost in the UK?

On the 2026 guide, attended work is 40 to 75 pounds per hour plus travel (minimum two hours, three for court), phone work 1.10 up to 2.50 pounds per minute, and video 60 up to 120 pounds per half hour. Rarer Yue dialects tend to sit higher in those ranges, and we send a fixed quote.

How quickly can you book a Yue interpreter?

For Cantonese, phone or video is often possible the same day, subject to availability, and in person within a day or two in most cities. Other Yue dialects take longer.

Are your Yue interpreters qualified for court and tribunal work?

Yes. For a hearing we choose a court-experienced Cantonese or other Yue interpreter, professionally qualified and background-checked, and you are free to ask about DPSI or NRPSI before the day. Prism is an independent company and is not appointed by the courts.

Do you provide Yue interpreters for NHS appointments?

Yes, for GP surgeries, hospital clinics and maternity teams, and the patient should not be asked to pay. Record the language as Cantonese or the specific Yue dialect, not just Chinese.

Can I book a Yue interpreter by telephone or video?

Yes. Remote work is quickest for Cantonese and often the only practical route for rarer Yue dialects.

Can I request a female Yue interpreter?

Yes, subject to availability. It is usually easy for Cantonese; for a rarer dialect it may mean video.

Do you cover Yue interpreting across the whole UK?

Yes. Yue interpreting is available in all four UK nations, in person when a matched interpreter can get there, and by phone or video link when they cannot.

About the Yue language

ISO 639-3 classes Yue as a living individual language within the Chinese macrolanguage, and Glottolog places it beside Pinghua in a Yue-Pinghua family of Sinitic languages. Its home is southern China around the Pearl River, and its best-known form, Cantonese, is the main home language of Hong Kong.