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Already have a high-quality translation? We can check, amend and certify it for you. Just ask!
CERTIFIED TRANSLATION UK
**Since COVID-19 we've been working remotely, so please email us rather than visiting the address shown on Google maps**
CERTIFIED TRANSLATIONS ACCEPTED BY ALL GOVERNMENT DEPARTMENTS AND OTHER UK INSTITUTIONS
WORK DIRECTLY WITH UK-BASED TRANSLATORS;
NO AGENCIES OR MIDDLEMEN
NO VAT TO PAY, AS WE'RE A GROUP OF INDEPENDENT TRANSLATORS, NOT A COMPANY!
A bit about us and our philosophy:
We are a group of professional, independent, UK-based translators. Our group's unique
set-up (not for profit/negligible overheads/no auxiliary staff) means that we are able to charge a price that is fair for all involved. I.e. We don't charge the high prices of many traditional translation companies. At the same time, our translators are paid fairly for a job that requires great care, often long hours, and the language and writing skills that come from life-long learning. We know from personal experience that many translation agencies pay exploitative rates to the very translators that keep them afloat and profitable. In fact, that's the very reason we formed this group - to pool our resources and reach out directly to you, the customer
What is a certified translation?
Different types of certified translation?
Where can our certified translations be used?
How do I get a certified translation?
Our translators' credentials
Our clients
How has COVID-19 affected our service?
What is a certified translation?
In the UK, a certified translation, also often known as an official translation or a sworn translation, is simply one which comes with a statement made by the translator or translation agency guaranteeing its accuracy, along with the date, the translator's credentials and their contact details. Ours are proofread for an added guarantee of accuracy, then signed and stamped. (Ask us to send you a sample translation if you'd like to see one of ours, or simply click this link to view one.) This is the type of certification that is required by UK government bodies such as the Home Office, the UK Border Agency, and the Passport Office, as well as by universities and most foreign embassies in the UK. Although the type of certification required by the UK government is very widely accepted by other institutions, your requesting organisation may have certain specific requirements, so you must check with them for any guidelines they offer before we go ahead with the job. The more information we have, the better, as this will help to guarantee a smooth overall process and acceptance by the organisation in question.
Although there is no specific qualification required in this country for a translator to certify a document, our translations are carried out by members of the ITI (Institute of Translation and Interpreting) or the CIOL (Chartered Institute of Linguists) or by a translator who is employed by a member of the ATC (Association of Translation Companies). These are the ,memberships required for certification to be accepted by certain UK government departments, so we ensure that the certifying translator meets their standards by being qualified to the highest level. We have also heard more recently from the UK government that certified translations carried out by translators with membership of similar associations from different countries, for example, the American Translators Association, will also be accepted. Our group now also includes translators with such memberships.
A certified translation guarantees its accuracy and contains the name and contact details of the translator or project manager, who can vouch for that accuracy and may be contacted by the requesting organisation in order to do so. Despite this assurance, certifying a translation is not a complicated procedure and we as a group of freelancers feel that it is something that clients are generally overcharged for by translation agencies. With this in mind we set up our group dedicated to the provision of certified translation services at a fair price, and which we guarantee will be the cheapest on the UK market. Our unique set-up also helps here - you work directly with professional, qualified and experienced freelancers, with no VAT, agency fees, margins or overheads. So, whether you're a regular customer, a friend recommended us, or you found us through a Google search, just get in touch for a quote. If you get a cheaper quote elsewhere feel free to send it over and we will try to match or beat it. We don't get involve in to races to the bottom, however, as the companies that are generally involved are the ones we were trying to avoid working with when we created this group!
Different types of certified translation?
Different organisations and agencies sometimes have slightly varying specifications. Some (but very few) still require an old-fashioned physical stamp and signature and for these, you may need a hard copy delivered, while on most other occasions a digital version with an electronic stamp and signature will suffice. While we do have lots of experience on the matter and can give our honest opinion on which service is right for you, it is best if you verify with the requesting organisation which type of certified translation is required before placing your order.
Basic certification is what is required 99% of the time we receive requests, and if you have been asked for a “certified translation”, a “sworn translation”, an “official translation”, a “legal translation”, or simply “certificate translation”, this is most likely what is needed. We concentrate on this type of certification as it helps keep down our costs and enables us to continue offering our services at unbeatable prices. For certified translations for use at the Home Office, for visa, residency and passport applications, university procedures, proof of identity, etc., this is the level of certification that you will need. Very occasionally you may need a higher level. These are generally for use before the courts and if you have been specifically asked for a notarised or legalised translation or an apostille, unfortunately, we cannot offer this service. However, we do have many contacts in the industry and will be happy to point you in the right direction. One point worth noting is that if you have been told that you need an apostille of your translation, this is most likely a mistake. Apostilles certify the authenticity of the original document, rather than the accuracy of the translation. Once you have the apostille of your document - usually issued by the government of the country the original document is from - we can proceed to carry out an official translation of the original (plus the apostille itself, if necessary). We know that it is a confusing topic, with many different terms often referring to the same process - “certified translation”, “sworn translation”, “official translation”, “legal translation”, “certificate translation” - so if you have any questions at all, feel free to get in touch. Certified Translation UK offers expert advice for free with no obligation or pressure to use our service.
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Where can our certified translations be used?
Since we follow the UK government’s guidelines for official translations, they are ideal for use within the UK. This works well since a very high proportion of the requests we get are for use with the UK government itself. Certified translations for use outside the UK are a bit more complicated. Very often embassies abroad (certainly British embassies), foreign government bodies and universities and similar institutions will accept UK certification without problems, but we can’t guarantee this and we suggest you send the requesting authority one of our example translations (or this link) to check before placing your order with us. Certain countries have very strict rules about the certification of translations, and we don't recommend you use translations certified according to UK government guidelines there. However, we do have many contacts in the translation industry, and can always reach out to a suitable freelancer in order to get just what you need. We now have locally registered certified translators in all EU countries along with many others outside of Europe, so we can provide country-specific certified translations easily and quickly. These translations may be a little more expensive than our standard UK service. Whatever you need, it’s always worth asking, as Certified Translation UK can almost always find the right translator for your needs thanks to our very large global network of experienced and qualified freelancers.
How do I get a certified translation?
First of all, we’ll need you to email us a copy of the original document or certificate you need translating. If you only have it in paper form, then a scan or good quality photo is fine. Once we’ve seen it, we’ll be able to give you a fixed quote. You’ll be given the option of receiving a digital version or having both a digital and a hard copy created and sent out to you. The digital version is fine for most purposes, you can just print it out yourself and it covers all the requirements of the UK government guidelines for certified translations, although certain organisations may require a physical stamp and/or hand-signed signature. The advantage with the digital version is that you have it instantly, it can't get lost in the post, and you can print it out and use it as many times as you need. Any and all additional details or guidelines regarding special requirements for certified translations should be verified with the requesting organisation in order to ensure a no-fuss acceptance.
We’re confident that you won’t receive a cheaper quote elsewhere, but if you do, just send us the details (price, company or translator name and contact details) and we promise to beat it. If you’re happy with our quote, we’ll provide you with our banking and/or PayPal details for payment. We also now have the capacity to accept payment by credit card. Once we receive payment, we will go ahead with the translation right away. The vast majority of the requests we receive are for certificates of just a few pages in length, and for these we aim to have your translation ready within 24 hours. Bigger jobs will obviously take us a bit longer, but we still aim for a speedy service. Once the translation has been completed, we’ll send you the draft version by email to check that you are happy with it. If you’d like to suggest any amendments, we can consider them at this point.
Once you’re satisfied with the translation, we’ll go ahead and certify the translation and send it over to you by email. We’ll also create the hard copy if you’ve gone for that option and get it in the post to you.
If you’re still not convinced of our service you can take a look at the testimonials from some of our satisfied customers here to get an unbiased opinion of our official translation services. If you go ahead with a translation with us, we’ll ask you for a review too at the end of the process. From then on, if any problems arise with the acceptance of your translation, we’ll be available to help, free of charge. We also offer a full money-back guarantee in the case that your translation is not accepted. We have yet to have anyone take us up on this, but the offer remains.
If you've used our service, please leave us a review on our Google Business page or our Testimonials page. This helps us share the knowledge of our unique set-up to others by means of your valuable input and a boost to our Google ranking. Even better, if you have a website where you can mention us and your experience of our service and post a link to our website, that would be brilliant. We can reciprocate if so.
Our translators' credentials
In the UK the translation industry is unregulated, and this is part of the reason why the rules for certification are a little unclear and confusing. It also means that anyone can “certify” that a translation is accurate. For this reason, it is very important to ensure that the translator has certain credentials, and that any guidelines or special requirements from the requesting institution are verified and provided by the client and then followed precisely. Anyone certifying a translation for you for use in the UK should be a member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists, the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, or be employed by an agency which is a member of the Association of Translation Companies. UK government departments have also recently informed us that translators with membership to comparable foreign organisations, such as the American Translators Association, are also eligible to provide certified translation services for use in the UK. The Certified Translation UK team now also includes translators with such memberships. The translation you receive from us will always be certified by a translator with at least one of the aforementioned credentials, and follow any special guidelines provided, and for these reasons we are able to guarantee that they will be accepted by UK institutions - or your money back.
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Translator Profile
"Hi, I'm Oliver, one of the freelancers at Certified Translation UK. I also help out with some of the project management, admin and website maintenance (sorry!). You may well deal with me if you make an enquiry or request our services. I've been a professional freelance translator offering standard and certified translation services for about 15 years and I specialise in Spanish, French, Italian, Portuguese and Catalan to English translation. As a Project Manager level Member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, I'm recognised right up to the level of the UK government as qualified to certify my translations, so you can be sure that any translation I carry out for you will be accepted, assuming all guidelines and/or any special requirements from the institution have been verified. Any extra details like this are rare, but it's vital to know about them before hand if there are any. So, feel free to get in touch whether you need a birth certificate translation for use at the Home Office, an official marriage certificate translation for use in Spain, or anything else, including any questions at all regarding the often-confusing concept of the certified translation. We also offer free, impartial advice with no pressure at all to use our services."
See my informal CV and ITI membership certificate by clicking here,
or read more about our team of translators by clicking here.
Email me directly: oliver@translationscertified.uk
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Our clients
Most of our clients are individuals who need certified translations as part of personal procedures relating to immigration, visas, education etc., but we also work with companies and organisations, primarily legal firms representing the aforementioned individuals or charities and NGOs who work with refugees. Below you can see some of the groups we supply standard and official translations to on a regular basis. Click on the logos to visit their websites. As for the individuals who have used our services, please take a look at our reviews on Google as well as those that have been left on our website.
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A small selection of our reviews and testimonials
“Thank you for your hard work. You have been extremely efficient, competent and significantly less expensive than anyone else we have used before. We have asked for your assistance on numerous occasions, needing certified translation services from different languages and we have always been very satisfied. It is a pleasure working with you.”
Miller Sands Solicitors, Cambridge
“Quick and extremely reliable service. I’m a health professional and will recommend Certified Translation UK to everyone.”
Maite Ferrin, Consultant Child & Adolescent Psychiatrist, NHS
“Brilliant quick service, immediate replies and exceptionally high quality of English translation for difficult legal documents in German and Russian. I will certainly contact the company again and again in the future; I highly recommend it!”
Ekaterina Shamonina, Professor of Engineering Science, University of Oxford
"I contacted Certified Translations UK on behalf of one of my clients who is an asylum seeker. Asylum seekers live on a very limited income and medical translations tend to be double the price. We received an answer and Pro-Bono translation on the same day. We're still in a bit of shock after getting so many "no's" from other translating companies. They have pretty much helped save the life of my client and will forever be grateful!"
Lorena Leon, The Refugee and Migrant Centre
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