Elvish (Sindarin) Translator
Translate English into Tolkien’s Sindarin Elvish using his published words first: mae govannen, mellon, elen and more.
Translations come from our own dictionaries and grammar rules for this language. Short phrases are most reliable; check important text, such as tattoos, with an expert. Send feedback
What is Elvish (Sindarin)?
Sindarin is the language of the Grey-elves, created by J.R.R. Tolkien and used in The Lord of the Rings for names like Gandalf’s “Mithrandir” and the inscription on the Doors of Durin. Tolkien, a professor of English language, built it with a full sound history and grammar inspired by Welsh. It is one of several Elvish languages he invented; the other well-known one is Quenya.
This translator writes Sindarin in Latin letters and translates Sindarin into English. MultiLangConvert is a fan resource and is not affiliated with the Tolkien Estate or any film studio.
How to use the Elvish (Sindarin) translator
- Type or paste English. Up to 500 characters per translation on the free credits: a name, a motto, a message or a short passage.
- Pick the direction. English → Elvish (Sindarin) is the default. Press ⇄ to read Elvish (Sindarin) words back into English.
- Press Translate (or Ctrl + Enter). The result appears at once, with a reading line where the script needs one.
- Listen. Press 🔊 Listen to hear it. Where your device has no voice for this language, it reads the transliteration with the closest voice and says “approximate”.
- Copy it and read the notes under the result: they name any word we kept in English.
How the Elvish (Sindarin) translator works
This translator runs on our own server from a Elvish (Sindarin) dictionary and a set of grammar rules written for this language. It does not send your text to an outside service or an AI model, so results are instant and the same every time. The dictionary holds 3,430 words, 60 set phrases. Its everyday vocabulary is drawn from Paul Strack’s Eldamo lexicon of Tolkien’s Elvish languages, matched to the English words people use most, and checked against our own hand-written core dictionary, which always takes priority.
For each sentence it first looks for the longest known phrase, then translates word by word and applies the rules below:
- Sindarin words from Tolkien’s published writings first
- well-known phrases such as mae govannen and le hannon
- Neo-Sindarin forms only where Tolkien gave none
- Latin letters (Tengwar is not part of Unicode)
Examples: real Elvish (Sindarin) output
These results come straight from the tool, unedited:
| You type | Result | Reading / script |
|---|---|---|
| Hello my friend. | Mae govannen mellon nín. | — |
| Thank you. | Le hannon. | — |
| The star shines over the forest. | Elen síla or taur. | — |
Names, and any word the dictionary does not have, are kept as you wrote them and listed in the notes, so you never get an invented word.
Is this the best Elvish (Sindarin) translator?
Google Translate and DeepL do not offer Elvish (Sindarin). General AI chatbots can produce text that looks right but contains invented words. This tool takes the opposite approach: every word comes from a checked dictionary entry, every ending from a written rule, and anything unknown is flagged instead of guessed. Short phrases, names, mottos and greetings come out best. For long passages, poetry or anything permanent such as a tattoo, use the result as a solid first draft and have it checked by someone who reads the language.
Common Elvish (Sindarin) words and phrases
Phrases that appear in Tolkien’s writings.
| English | Elvish (Sindarin) | Reading / note |
|---|---|---|
| Well met | mae govannen | |
| Speak, friend, and enter | pedo mellon a minno | Doors of Durin |
| Friend | mellon | |
| Thank you | le hannon | |
| Run fast | noro lim | Glorfindel to his horse |
| Listen to my voice | lasto beth lammen | Gandalf at the Doors of Durin |
| Grey Pilgrim (Gandalf) | Mithrandir |
History and origins
Tolkien began inventing Elvish languages around 1915, long before writing The Hobbit. An early form called Gnomish (Goldogrin) evolved into Noldorin and finally Sindarin in the 1940s. His notes, published posthumously in journals such as Parma Eldalamberon and Vinyar Tengwar, are the main sources for scholars of his languages.
Writing system
In Middle-earth, Sindarin was written with Tengwar, the Elvish script created by Fëanor, or carved with the Cirth runes. Tengwar is not part of Unicode, so this translator writes Sindarin in Latin letters, as Tolkien did in his books.
How Elvish (Sindarin) sounded
Sindarin sounds a lot like Welsh: ch as in Scottish “loch”, dh as “th” in “this”, th as in “thin”, and stress usually on the second-to-last syllable.
Famous texts
- The Lord of the Rings, including the hymn A Elbereth Gilthoniel.
- The Silmarillion, rich in Sindarin names.
- The King’s Letter, from an unpublished epilogue to The Lord of the Rings, a key Sindarin text.
Is Elvish (Sindarin) still used today?
Sindarin is a constructed language with no native speakers, but fans write and speak “Neo-Sindarin”, and it was used in Peter Jackson’s films, with dialogue prepared by linguist David Salo.
How to learn Elvish (Sindarin)
David Salo’s A Gateway to Sindarin (2004) is the main published grammar. The fan-run Eldamo lexicon by Paul Strack catalogues every attested word with sources.
Before you use a translation for a tattoo, motto or gift
- Don’t mix Sindarin and Quenya. Namárië (farewell) and elen síla lúmenn’ omentielvo are Quenya.
- Expect reconstructions for modern words; check them in Eldamo.
- For Tengwar lettering, use a dedicated Tengwar font and a transcription guide.
Sources
J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings (1954–55); David Salo, A Gateway to Sindarin (2004); Eldamo, an Elvish lexicon by Paul Strack (eldamo.org).