Life in the UK Test Translations: Study in Your Language

The Life in the UK test at the test centre is always in English. There is no official Polish, Urdu or Romanian version of the exam, and there is no interpreter.

That does not mean you have to study in English alone. Translations help you understand the handbook while you build the English you will need on the day — used well, they shorten the whole process. Used badly, they leave you fluent in the material and unable to read the question.

Can you take the test in another language?

No. All 24 questions at an approved test centre are in English, and you read and answer in English.

This catches people out because the requirement sounds softer than it is. There is no dictionary, no translation tool on the screen, and staff cannot explain what a question means. If you can only reliably understand the material in your first language, the test will be harder than your knowledge deserves.

What translations genuinely help with:

• Understanding a difficult concept the first time you meet it
• Reading chapter summaries alongside the English so the two connect
• Studying with family members who prefer another language
• Building confidence early, before you switch to English-only practice

The vocabulary problem nobody warns you about

The handbook uses a register of English that everyday fluency does not cover. Words like suffrage, constituency, devolution, jury, magistrate and sovereign are common in the questions and uncommon in conversation. Plenty of people with strong spoken English meet these for the first time in a practice question.

This is exactly where translations earn their keep. Understanding what devolution is in Polish, then learning the English word for it, is faster than trying to infer both at once from context.

The trap is stopping there. You need the English term to survive the day, because that is the word that will appear on screen.

Languages available in UK Companion

Language	Code	Access
English	EN	Free (web + app)
Bulgarian	BG	Premium (app)
Panjabi	PA	Premium (app)
Polish	PL	Premium (app)
Romanian	RO	Premium (app)
Urdu	UR	Premium (app)

Premium unlocks translated questions and study notes across all five community languages. Chapter 1 is free in English; upgrading in the app opens the full bank and every translation.

A study order that works for non-native speakers

The mistake is treating translations as a permanent mode. They are a ramp, and the ramp has to end before test day.

1. Read the chapter in your language first. Get the concepts in without fighting the English at the same time.
2. Read the same chapter in English. It will make far more sense now, and the vocabulary will attach to ideas you already hold.
3. Practise bilingually. Use the translation when you are stuck, not by default.
4. Switch to English-only practice. This is the step people skip, and it is the one that matters.
5. Sit your final mocks entirely in English, timed. If you can clear 21 out of 24 in English under a clock, you are ready. If you can only clear it with translations on, you are not — and better to learn that now than at the centre.

Who benefits most

Translations help most if English is not the language you use at home, if you grasp concepts noticeably faster in your first language, or if you are studying alongside a partner or parent who prefers another language.

They are not a substitute for reading English on test day. Use timed English mocks to confirm you are genuinely ready rather than comfortable.

Translations are not the B1 English requirement

This is a different thing entirely, and the two get conflated constantly.

Life in the UK test

Knowledge of British life

Tests

Values, history, government

Source

The official handbook

Format

24 multiple-choice questions

Time

45 minutes at a test centre

Cost

£50 per attempt

Result

Pass or fail, same day

✓ UK Companion prepares you for this

B1 English (SELT)

Ability to speak and listen

Tests

Speaking and listening

Source

CEFR B1 level

Format

Spoken test with an examiner

Time

Varies by provider

Cost

Varies by provider

Result

Certificate from the provider

Not covered by UK Companion

Translated study notes help you with handbook content. They do nothing for the separate B1 speaking and listening requirement that most citizenship and ILR routes also demand — that is a spoken English test with an examiner, and no amount of Life in the UK preparation touches it.

For the full distinction, see B1 English vs the Life in the UK test.

Honest limits

• Translations cover questions and study notes — not the live test interface, which we do not control
• Web practice is English only
• Premium is purchased through the App Store; there is no on-site pricing
• We do not offer human tutoring, live classes, or B1 preparation

We would rather be specific about what we do not do than have you discover it after paying.

Start studying

Try free English practice on the web, see the translations page for language details and FAQs, or check the pass mark you are aiming at.

Download the iOS app when you are ready for bilingual study notes and the full translated question bank.