Maltese translation

A language at the crossroads of civilisations

Maltese has a history as layered as the islands. Its core is Arabic, specifically a form of medieval Sicilian Arabic brought by settlers in the 9th century. When the Normans reconquered Malta in the 11th century, Arabic continued to be spoken, and it remains the grammatical and lexical foundation of Maltese, which is the only surviving descendant of Sicilian Arabic.

Over the following centuries Maltese absorbed large amounts of vocabulary from Sicilian, Italian and French, the languages of the successive rulers, and in the 19th and 20th centuries from English under British rule. The result is a language Arabic in structure whose vocabulary draws on Arabic, Italian, Sicilian, French and English in roughly equal measure. It reads left to right, uses a modified Latin alphabet and is peppered with Romance and English words. Maltese became official alongside English on independence in 1964, and an EU official language on accession in 2004.

Where Maltese is spoken

Malta and Gozo

The archipelago has around 530,000 people, making Malta one of the smallest and most densely populated countries in the world. Valletta is the smallest capital in the EU by area, but Malta has a disproportionately large presence in European affairs.

Virtually all Maltese speak English as well, a legacy of British rule that has become a commercial asset. But Maltese is the language of daily life, family, culture and identity, and for businesses operating in Malta, communicating in Maltese is a matter of respect and connection as well as legal obligation.

Australia

Australia, particularly Melbourne and Adelaide, has a very large Maltese community, a legacy of postwar emigration when tens of thousands left for the southern hemisphere.

The UK, Canada and the United States

All have established Maltese communities with strong cultural ties and surviving community institutions and newspapers.

Key industries in the Maltese market

Financial services

Malta has developed into a significant European financial services centre, with a well-regulated environment attracting banking, insurance, investment funds and corporate services. The Malta Financial Services Authority oversees a sector generating regulatory, compliance and client documentation in Maltese and English.

iGaming and online gambling

Malta is one of the world’s leading licensing jurisdictions for online gaming, with a remarkable concentration of iGaming companies. The Malta Gaming Authority regulates an industry generating commercial, regulatory and technical documentation, some requiring Maltese versions.

Maritime and ship registration

Malta has one of the world’s largest ship registers, and the maritime sector is a cornerstone of the economy. Ship registration, legal documentation and commercial contracts regularly require translation.

Tourism and hospitality

History, weather, diving and ancient monuments, including megalithic temples that predate Stonehenge and the pyramids, make Malta a major Mediterranean destination, with Maltese important for domestic-facing communications.

Real estate and construction

Malta’s property market is active and internationally engaged, and transactions, planning documents and construction contracts regularly require translation.

Legal and EU institutional

Malta has a distinct legal tradition, rooted in both Roman law and English common law, and generates documentation needing knowledge of the Maltese system as well as the language.

Education and language schools

Malta is one of Europe’s most popular destinations for learning English, attracting tens of thousands of students each year and generating administrative and marketing documentation in both languages.

First hand experience

Our very own Rhys Stevenson went on a holiday to Malta and wrote about his experience of the Maltese language during his trip.

Why translate your business materials into Maltese?

Legal requirements

Consumer contracts, financial disclosures, and employment documentation can carry Maltese-language requirements. Malta’s bilingualism does not remove these obligations.

It’s needed for the financial services and iGaming sectors

Malta’s position as a financial and gaming licensing hub means regulatory documentation in Maltese is a specific and ongoing requirement for many businesses.

It signals commitment to the market

Malta is a small country with a strong national identity, and businesses that communicate in Maltese rather than assuming English ‘will do’ make an impression.

The diaspora maintains its language

Maltese communities in Australia, the UK and Canada keep active cultural institutions and a real attachment to the language.

The maritime sector creates specific needs

The ship register and wider maritime sector generate legal and operational documents with Maltese requirements that international shipping businesses may meet more often than expected.

Getting Maltese right

The Semitic grammatical structure combined with vocabulary from Arabic, Italian and English presents systematic challenges that AI systems handle poorly, and the gap between machine output and what a native speaker recognises as correct is very wide. Only a native speaker can handle that combination with confidence.

Why trust Atlas with your Maltese translation?

Genuine native-speaker specialists

Our Maltese translators are native speakers with sector-specific expertise. We do not use translators who are merely proficient in a related language.

Human translation, always

Every Maltese project is handled by a human translator, with no exceptions.

Understanding of Malta’s legal and regulatory environment

Malta’s mix of Roman and English common law traditions, its regulatory frameworks for financial services and gaming and its bilingual official environment create translation needs that call for knowledge of the institutional context as well as the language.

A named project manager on every job

Every Atlas project is led by a dedicated member of our team who takes personal responsibility for quality and delivery. If your work is time-sensitive, our project management is designed to deliver reliably.

ISO-certified quality

Atlas holds ISO 9001:2015 (Quality Management) and ISO 17100:2017 (Translation Services) certifications, and was one of the first UK translation agencies to achieve the latter. For clients in financial services, gaming, pharmaceuticals and legal sectors, these provide documented quality assurance.

35 years of experience

Maltese is exactly the kind of language where Atlas’s commitment to specialism makes a real difference. If you have a Maltese project to discuss, please do get in touch. It is one of the more fascinating languages we work with.