Certification Translation
When do you require a certified translation, and how do you know you’re getting the certified translation service you need?
If you’re buying or selling property abroad, applying for a visa or residency, or dealing with someone else’s affairs on their behalf, you’ll almost certainly need to provide certification translations of documents at some point.
If you’re new to this, or have found yourself needing to provide foreign authorities with new or extra paperwork post-Brexit, this can be daunting. Buying a house abroad, either as a holiday home or to fulfil your dream of a new life is hugely exciting. But there’s also a lot to think about, and to do. Where to start?
In this blog, we’ll cover some of the basics of certification translations, and point you in the right direction for certified translations services.
What is an example of a certified translation?
In most countries, nearly all legal documents from a country with a different language will require a certified translation. This is because of the highly technical language involved in the content, as well as the potential consequences should any of the information be mistranslated.
Any official government documents, like birth certificates, marriage/civil partnership certificates and driving licences commonly need to be translated, and usually a certified translation is required.
For example, if you have been married in the UK, but need to have your marriage recognised in a non-English-speaking country for residency or tax purposes, you’ll need a certified translation of your marriage certificate.
Other examples of legal documents include affidavits, trial transcripts, contracts, or anything that must pass through a legal or government entity.
What is a certified translation for a UK visa?
If, on the other hand, you are coming into the UK from a non-English speaking country, you’ll need a certified translation service to get your documents translated into English. The documents needed will depend on whether you are coming to visit, study or work, as well as where you’re from, but could include your employment contract, or school/study transcript. If you’re not sure what you need, check the UK Visa and Immigration website.
When is a certified translation not necessary?
Unofficial documents (like marketing materials) don’t require certification. However, if you’re getting documents translated, you should always use a reputable translation service, with translators who are native speakers of the target language to ensure that your content is accurate and culturally sensitive to the local market (also known as localisation) to avoid any potentially embarrassing or damaging errors.
What is the difference between certified translation and official translation?
You might also be asked for official translation for some documents. Official translation simply means that the translation has been carried out by a registered professional translator or company. They usually stamp the translation with their credentials and sign it.
An official translation carries slightly less weight than a certified translation, which, as the name suggests, coms with an additional document confirming its validity.
How much does certified translation cost?
It’s impossible to give a ‘one size fits all’ answer to this question, because it depends on the length and complexity of your documentation.
A birth certificate is short and straightforward, whereas lengthy legal documents may need the attention of a specialist legal translator, and could run to many dozens, if not hundreds of pages.
Most translator agencies will offer a fixed-price service for standard documents like birth and marriage certificates, but will need to review your requirements to give a quote for longer, more bespoke documents.
Trustworthy translations for private individuals
At Language Link UK we are a certified translations agency, offering translations for businesses and private individuals, including certified translation services at affordable rates.
It is important that you can trust your translation service, so we only use highly skilled and qualified linguists to provide your translations. Our translators are also experts in their field, so if you need complex legal, medical, insurance or financial documents translated, we will match you with a translator with the right expertise.
We ensure that all our linguists have relevant and up-to-date qualifications combined with current experience of working in their fields and professions.
We also insist on using only mother-tongue translators. These are native-speaker linguists who translate into the language they spoke as they were growing up. This combination of professional expertise and native language knowledge means that you can trust the quality and accuracy of our document translation services.
Whether you are a private individual looking for certified document translations services to help you achieve your dream of a home abroad, an individual seeking help with a legal issue in a foreign country, or a business with regular professional translation services needs, you can be sure of receiving excellent service and high-quality, accurate certified translations.
Personally tailored certified translation service
Our service is shaped around you and your needs.
From the moment you engage our services, your account manager will be on hand to help you, and will support you for as long as you need us. Your account manager is also responsible for ensuring that you get the most out of the services we provide and receive a level of customer service that is second to none.
You can contact us anytime. We are available 7 days a week and 24 hours a day. This means that there will always be someone who can assist you whenever you need us.
Getting a quote costs nothing, so to find out more about our competitive service, get in touch.