Certified Translations of all Official Documents Personal | Professional | Precise
If you need a translation for official purposes, such as getting married, immigration decisions, or applications for jobs, studies or visas, our certified translation services can help.
As a member of both the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) and the Association of Translation Companies (ATC), we can certify translations of various legal documents, providing a legally biding guarantee to the organisation or authority receiving the translation that it is accurate and was completed by a sufficiently qualified and experienced linguist.
We can also arrange for the translation to be notarised, legalised (apostilled) or sworn, as per your requirements.
Certification may be required for translations of various official documents, including:
Types of Certification
Certified Translation is our standard level of certification and is generally accepted by most organisations.
The translation is stamped with our ATC stamp and accompanied by a verification letter bearing our ATC stamp and ITI seal.
This letter contains a declaration in the target language confirming that the translation is a true and accurate representation of the original document, and that the translator is suitably qualified and experienced.
Certified translation typically takes around 1–2 working days, and next-day delivery is usually possible on request.
Notarisation provides a higher level of guarantee to the recipient of the translation.
This is achieved by a notary public verifying that the signature and stamps on the translation and verification letter are genuine.
Notarisation is most often needed if the translation is to be submitted to government agencies or legal bodies such as courts.
Notarisation typically adds an extra working day on top of standard certified translation, so takes around 2–3 working days in total.
Apostille (also known as legalisation) is the highest level of certification typically available in the UK. It involves sending the translated document to the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office, who provide an apostille certificate confirming that the signature(s) and stamp(s) on the original document (and, if requested, our translation) are genuine.
Apostille is typically required if you plan to use your documents outside the UK in countries that are parties to the Hague Apostille Convention. A list of countries can be found here.
Apostille/legalisation is the most time-consuming form of certification, mostly due to postage. This generally takes around a week after the translation is completed, so the whole process is generally completed in around 7–10 working days.
Sworn translation only exists in certain countries, and in the UK it does not.
Precisely what this involves varies between jurisdictions, but typically involves the translation being officially ‘sworn in’ by a local court.
Alternatively, in some jurisdictions, the translator needs to present their translation to a solicitor/lawyer and ‘swear’ that it is accurate.
Sworn translation is only needed (and, indeed, only possible) in countries where the concept exists and when specifically requested by the organisation to which you are submitting the translation.
In areas where the concept does not exist, notarisation provides an equivalent level of guarantee.
To find out more about how we can help you, speak to one of the team today by phone on +44 (0)1952 288 230 or by email to info@dixon-associates.co.uk
