Interpretation Services in Dubai
Taw-Theeq provides professional interpretation services in Dubai — spoken language support for court hearings, notary public appointments, rental dispute sessions, business negotiations and conferences. Interpretation is delivered by the same legal language team that handles our certified written translation work.
Translation is written. Interpretation is spoken. If you need a document rendered into another language on paper, that is legal translation. If you need a person to convey speech in real time — in a courtroom, in front of a notary, or in a meeting — that is interpretation, and it is what this page covers.
Modes of interpretation we provide
The right mode depends on the setting, the number of people who need to follow, and whether the proceedings can pause. Choosing the wrong one is the most common reason an assignment goes badly.
Simultaneous
The interpreter speaks at the same time as the speaker, usually from a booth with headsets. Used for conferences, large meetings and arbitration hearings where stopping is not practical. Requires equipment and, for sessions over about an hour, two interpreters working in rotation.
Consecutive
The speaker pauses; the interpreter then delivers the passage. This is the standard mode for court hearings, notary appointments, police statements, depositions and one-to-one meetings. It roughly doubles the length of a session but is the most accurate and the easiest to put on the record.
Whispered (chuchotage)
The interpreter sits beside one or two people and interprets quietly and continuously. Useful when a single party in an otherwise Arabic-language meeting or hearing needs to follow everything without holding up the room. No equipment needed.
Liaison / escort
The interpreter accompanies you through a process — a government service centre, a bank appointment, a site visit, a series of meetings — interpreting both directions as needed. Booked by the half-day or day rather than by session.
Where interpretation is needed in Dubai
Arabic is the language of official proceedings in the UAE. In practice that means that whenever someone who does not speak Arabic has to be heard, understood or bound by what is said, an interpreter has to be in the room.
| Setting | Usual mode | What to plan for |
|---|---|---|
| Court hearings and case sessions | Consecutive | Hearing dates move. Confirm the session the day before, and brief the interpreter on the case terminology in advance. |
| Notary public signings | Consecutive | If a signatory does not understand the Arabic text being signed, an interpreter is normally required to be present so the signature is informed. |
| Rental dispute sessions at the RDC | Consecutive | Short sessions, but bring the tenancy contract and any translated evidence with you. |
| Police statements | Consecutive | Often at short notice, including outside office hours. |
| Arbitration and expert meetings | Simultaneous or consecutive | Multi-day matters usually need two interpreters and a terminology list agreed in advance. |
| Business meetings and due diligence | Consecutive or whispered | Send the agenda ahead; commercial and technical vocabulary is where accuracy is won or lost. |
| Medical appointments | Consecutive | Bring prior reports so the interpreter can prepare the clinical terms. |
| Conferences and events | Simultaneous | Booth, headsets and a technician are booked separately from the interpreters. |
Languages
Arabic paired with any of the following, in both directions. Availability for a specific date depends on the language — the less common pairs need more notice.
ChineseGermanSpanish
HebrewUrduHindi
TagalogPersian / FarsiBengali
If your written documents also need to be translated for the same matter, it is worth handling both together — the interpreter arrives already familiar with the terminology. See translation by language.
How booking works
- Tell us the setting and the date. Court hearing, notary appointment, meeting or conference — plus the language pair, the venue and the expected duration.
- We confirm availability and quote. Interpretation is quoted by session, half-day or full day, not by word. Simultaneous work is quoted per interpreter, and equipment is quoted separately.
- You send the background material. Contracts, pleadings, reports, an agenda, names of the parties. This is the single biggest factor in the quality of the result.
- The interpreter attends. On site anywhere in Dubai, or remotely by video link where the setting allows it.
How much notice do we need? For English–Arabic, usually 24–48 hours. For less common languages, or for simultaneous work needing equipment and a second interpreter, plan on several working days. Urgent same-day requests are sometimes possible — ask.
Verifying a legal translator or interpreter in the UAE
A large share of people searching for this service are trying to confirm that a provider is genuinely licensed — not simply to buy. That is a reasonable thing to check, and you should check it.
The Ministry of Justice maintains the official register of licensed legal translators in the UAE. You can search it directly at moj.gov.ae (Experts & Legal Translators → Registration of Legal Translator).
The Ministry of Justice register lists individual licensed legal translators by name. An authority reviewing a certified translation will normally look for that translator’s name and licence number on the stamp — so that is the detail worth asking any provider for, including us.
Taw-Theeq Corporate Service & Legal Translation L.L.C. works with legal translators licensed by the Ministry of Justice. Tell us what you are submitting and to which authority, and before you book we will confirm in writing which licensed translator will certify your document, together with their licence details.
Frequently asked questions
What is the difference between translation and interpretation?
Translation is written — a document converted from one language to another and, where required, certified. Interpretation is spoken — a person conveying speech in real time. They are separate skills and are quoted differently: translation by the word or page, interpretation by time.
Do I need a certified interpreter for a court hearing in Dubai?
Proceedings in the UAE are conducted in Arabic. Where a party or witness does not speak Arabic, the court will expect a suitably qualified interpreter to be present. Requirements vary by court and by the type of matter, so confirm what your specific court expects, and tell us when you book so we assign accordingly.
How much do interpretation services cost in Dubai?
Interpretation is priced by time, not by word — typically per session, half-day or full day. The variables are the language pair, the mode (simultaneous costs more than consecutive because it needs two interpreters and equipment), the venue, and how much notice you give. Send us the details and you will get a firm figure before you commit.
Can the interpreter attend remotely?
Yes for most business, medical and commercial settings, by video or phone. For court and notary appointments, whether remote attendance is accepted is decided by the venue — check before assuming it.
Do you provide interpreters outside business hours?
Police statements and urgent matters do not keep office hours, and we do cover them where an interpreter in that language pair is available. Ask as early as you can.
Can the same provider handle the written documents too?
Yes, and it is usually better. When the same team has translated the contracts or pleadings, the interpreter walks in already knowing the terminology and the names of the parties. See our legal translation service.
What do you need from me to quote?
The language pair, the date and expected duration, the venue or type of setting, and the subject matter. Background documents are not needed for a quote but make a large difference to the result on the day.
Which languages do you cover for interpretation?
Arabic paired with English, French, Russian, Chinese, German, Spanish, Hebrew, Urdu, Hindi, Tagalog, Persian/Farsi and Bengali. For anything not listed, ask — we will tell you honestly whether we can cover it.
Industries we interpret for
Terminology is where interpretation succeeds or fails. An interpreter who is fluent but unfamiliar with your field will slow a session down and hedge on the words that matter. We assign by subject as well as by language.
Legal proceedings and arbitration
Court hearings, witness statements, depositions, arbitration and expert meetings. This is our core: the same team handles the written pleadings and contracts, so the vocabulary is already established before anyone walks into the room.
Medical and insurance
Consultations, second opinions, medical boards and insurance assessments. Bring prior reports in advance — clinical terminology is the most common cause of a stalled session, and it is preventable with an hour of preparation.
Construction, engineering and real estate
Site meetings, contractor negotiations, handover disputes and rental-dispute sessions. Drawings, bills of quantities and specification sheets sent ahead make a measurable difference.
Banking, finance and audit
Account openings, compliance and KYC interviews, audit meetings and shareholder discussions. Where figures are read aloud we confirm them back rather than assume — a misheard digit in a financial meeting is not a recoverable error.
Government, immigration and police
Service-centre appointments, immigration interviews and police statements. These are frequently at short notice and outside office hours; tell us as early as you can and we will say honestly whether we can cover the language pair.
Corporate, HR and training
Board meetings, disciplinary hearings, staff briefings and training delivery. For multi-day events, the same interpreter across all sessions is worth more than the cost of continuity.
Equipment, and who provides what
Only simultaneous interpretation needs equipment. Everything else needs nothing but the interpreter. Equipment is quoted separately from interpreter time, so you are never charged for a booth you do not need.
| Setup | Use it when | What it involves |
|---|---|---|
| Interpreting booth | Conferences, large meetings, anything on record | Soundproof booth, console, receivers and headsets for the audience, and a technician on site. Two interpreters per language pair. |
| Portable (tour-guide) system | Site visits, factory tours, small groups on the move | A transmitter for the interpreter and receivers for the group. No booth, fast to set up, but not suitable for a full day. |
| No equipment | Court, notary, police, one-to-one meetings | Consecutive or whispered interpretation. Nothing to book and nothing to set up. |
| Remote | Business and medical sessions across locations | Video or phone. Accepted widely in commercial settings; whether a court or notary accepts it is the venue’s decision, not ours. |
How many interpreters will you need
This is the question that most often changes a quote, so it is worth settling early.
Consecutive, under about two hours
One interpreter. The natural pauses in consecutive work provide enough recovery for a session of this length.
Simultaneous, beyond about forty minutes
Two interpreters per language pair, rotating. This is not an upsell — sustained simultaneous interpreting degrades sharply after roughly half an hour, and one interpreter on a long session produces a worse result than planning properly for two.
More than one target language in the room
A separate pair per language. Three languages at a conference means three booths and six interpreters, and the room layout has to accommodate that.
Multi-day matters
Keep the same interpreters throughout. Continuity of terminology across days of an arbitration or a training programme is worth more than any saving from rotating staff.
What to send us before the day
None of this is required for a quote. All of it improves the result, and the first two matter most.
- Names of the parties — people, companies, and how each should be pronounced and rendered.
- Any documents already translated — so the spoken terminology matches what is on paper.
- An agenda or case summary — even a few lines telling the interpreter what the session is about.
- Acronyms and internal terms — the ones that will not appear in any dictionary.
- The venue and timing — including whether the session may overrun.
Book an interpreter in Dubai
Tell us the date, the language and the setting. We will confirm availability and quote before you commit.
Request a translation quote
Send a photo or a file of your document and we will come back with a price and a turnaround time. If you would rather use WhatsApp, the button at the bottom of the screen works too.
Accepted files: PDF, JPG, PNG, HEIC, WEBP, DOC, DOCX, ODT — up to 10 MB per file, 5 files maximum. Your document is used only to prepare your quote and carry out the translation. It is not published and not shared with any third party.