Study in your language
Study the UK driving theory test in your language
Last updated
The official UK driving theory test is taken in English — and in Welsh in Wales — and has been since 7 April 2014. But you do not have to revise in English. The Driving Theory Test Kit translates every DVSA question, every answer choice and every explanation into 90+ languages, side-by-side with the official English wording. You analyse the question in English, reach for your own language when meaning matters, and learn the test-day vocabulary in the same pass.
Foreign-language voiceovers and interpreters for the theory test were withdrawn in April 2014 after a consultation citing road-safety, fraud-prevention and translation-cost concerns.
The official test: English (and Welsh in Wales)
DVSA administers the multiple-choice theory test in English across Great Britain, and in Welsh in Wales. The on-screen voiceover is offered in those two languages only. There is no foreign-language voiceover, no permitted translator and no interpreter at the test centre, and that has been the rule since 7 April 2014. An on-screen British Sign Language signer is available for Deaf candidates. The full set of permitted adjustments is on the accessibility page.
Why the test is English-only: the 2014 fraud crackdown
Before 2014, DVSA paid for interpreters and provided voiceovers in 19 foreign languages. An extended consultation cited three concerns — road safety, fraud prevention (impersonation and interpreter collusion were both documented) and the cost of providing translation. The Department for Transport withdrew foreign-language voiceovers and the use of interpreters across the theory and practical tests on 7 April 2014. The policy has not been reversed and there is no current proposal to reinstate it.
The workflow: read in English, understand in your language
The Driving Theory Test Kit is designed for exactly this. Every question, every answer choice and every explanation has a tap-to-translate panel into your chosen language — but the official English wording stays on screen throughout, because that is what you will see on test day. The point is not to learn in your own language instead of English; it is to understand the English text faster, so the vocabulary lands properly instead of bouncing off.
The four-step rhythm we recommend:
- Read the question in English first. Identify the verb ("give way", "slow", "signal"), the noun ("junction", "pedestrian", "developing hazard") and the constraint ("within 10 mph", "before", "after").
- Translate to confirm meaning. If the English left you uncertain, tap the translation. You will often find the unfamiliar word is one specific term — MSPSL, lifesaver, Pelican crossing — and the rest of the sentence resolves once that one word is clear.
- Read the question again in English before answering. The test is English-only. Building the habit of reading in English last is the single highest-leverage thing you can do for test day.
- Add the English voiceover. Hearing each question read aloud in English while you read its translation in your language cements both at once — and the voiceover is offered at the real test, so you arrive used to it.
Most-used translations among our learners
These are the languages our learners reach for most often — the South Asian, Middle Eastern, Eastern European and East Asian communities that make up most of the candidate population for the UK theory test. Listed roughly in order of in-app usage, with each language shown in its own script:
Other supported languages with measurable usage
Beyond the most-used languages above, the following are also actively used by our learners. Smaller communities, same translation quality:
The full catalogue: 90+ languages
The full picker also includes the following — covered for completeness so smaller language communities are not left out, even where in-app usage is still light:
Afrikaans · Azerbaijani · Basque · Bhojpuri · Bosnian · Bulgarian · Catalan · Cebuano · Croatian · Czech · Dutch · Estonian · Finnish · French · French (Canada) · Frisian · Galician · Greek · Haitian Creole · Hausa · Hawaiian · Hungarian · Icelandic · Igbo · Indonesian · Italian · Japanese · Kannada · Kazakh · Khmer · Korean · Kurdish (Sorani) · Kyrgyz · Lao · Lithuanian · Luxembourgish · Macedonian · Malay · Malayalam · Maltese · Maori · Marathi · Nepali · Norwegian Bokmål · Odia · Pashto · Portuguese (Portugal) · Sinhala · Slovak · Slovenian · Somali · Swahili · Swedish · Tajik · Tatar · Telugu · Uzbek · Vietnamese · Xhosa · Yoruba · Zulu
The catalogue spans the widely-spoken European, Asian and African languages plus the long tail (Hawaiian, Maori, Yoruba, Zulu, Hausa, Igbo, Welsh, Frisian and similar). If a language is missing, message us — we add what learners actually ask for.
Practical tips for English-as-an-additional-language candidates
- Learn the small, fixed vocabulary the Highway Code uses. "Give way", MSPSL (Mirror Signal Position Speed Look), MSM (Mirror Signal Manoeuvre), and the named pedestrian crossings — Zebra, Pelican, Puffin, Toucan, Pegasus, Equestrian, Parallel. These appear in dozens of questions; once you know them, you understand the questions.
- Take the official English voiceover on test day. It is available to every candidate, no evidence required. Hearing a question read aloud often clarifies vocabulary that reading alone obscures.
- Ask for extra time if you have a reading-difficulty assessment. Up to double time is available on the multiple-choice section with supporting evidence. See the full list on the accessibility page .
- Drill mock tests in English-only mode. Once the meaning is solid, switch off the translation panel and run a full mock — that mirrors the real test exactly. The Driving Theory Test Kit's mock test uses the official 50-question + 57-min format.
Where this fits
The DVSA test is English-only and will stay that way; that is the constraint we work inside. The translation feature is a study aid for the revision phase, not a substitute for English at the test centre. Plan on revising in your language plus English for as long as you need both, then transitioning to English-only mock tests in the final week before your booking. That order matches what actually happens at the Pearson VUE centre on test day.