In non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (NHL), the majority of translocations involve the immunoglobulin heavy chain gene (IGH) locus, while a few involve the immunoglobulin light chain gene (IGL) locus, consisting of the kappa light chain gene (IGkappa) and the lambda light chain gene (IGlambda). Although many reports have dealt with the translocation and/or amplification of IGH in NHL, only a few have identified IGL translocations. To identify cytogenetic abnormalities and the partner chromosomes of IGL translocations in NHL, we performed dual-colour fluorescence in situ hybridisation (DC-FISH) and spectral karyotyping (SKY) in seven NHL cell lines and 40 patients with NHL. We detected IGL translocations in two cell lines and nine patients: four patients with diffuse large B-cell lymphoma, three with follicular lymphoma, one with extranodal marginal zone B-cell lymphoma of mucosa-associated lymphoid tissue and one with mantle cell lymphoma. Five distinct partners of IGlambda translocation were identified by SKY analysis: 3q27 in three patients, and 1p13, 6p25, 17p11.2 and 17q21 in one patient each. Three cases featured double translocations of IGH and IGL. These findings warrant the identification of novel genes 1p13, 6p25, 17p11.2 and 17q21.