The world today is much ‘smaller’ than it was just 15 or 20 years ago. With the advancements in technology came globalization, so trading across borders, finding business partners, and communicating with people based in different countries are relatively easy nowadays.
Nonetheless, one thing remains true – people prefer to be approached directly in their native language.
Whether it’s your potential clients, business partners, or authorities in your chosen marketplace, making sure that you can communicate your message in their language can go a long way.
In fact, over 80% of respondents in a recent survey said to feel more inclined to purchase services and goods from retailers that present relevant information in the client’s native language, and 1 in 5 of those asked said to never buy from businesses that do not put effort into translating key materials into their mother tongue.
This is where certified translation services come into play.
What is a certified translation?
According to the translation industry experts TS24 UK, certified translations of documents meet the official linguistic requirements of the country you wish to submit your application in. For example, if you want your documents to be legally recognized in France, you may be asked to accurately convert the original papers (passports, IDs, certificates, legal documents, and so on) into French. In the UK, the documents must be generally presented in English. This allows the interested parties to have a full and complete understanding of the documents you are presenting.
What are the different types of certified translations?
Commonly, we can recognize four main types of certified translations, and these are:
- Standard Certified Translation
- Notarisation
- Sworn Translation
- An Apostille
Standard certification
A standard certification issued by a registered LSP (more about LSPs in the next point) is usually perfectly fine for a majority of purposes. Whether you’re submitting your documents to the courts of Law, the Home Office, or even other Government bodies, an official translation completed by an accredited provider will be sufficient in most cases.
As a rule of thumb, this type of translation comes with a cover letter stating its accuracy. This includes the translator’s signature, stamp, and date of the certification. This proves that your documents were converted by a professional linguist who takes responsibility for their accuracy.
Notarized
In some situations, you may be asked to provide a further type of certification of your translated documents, also known as a notarization.
Notarization simply refers to a ‘Notarized Certificate.’ It is very similar to the standard certification; however, the main distinction is that it is signed and stamped in front of a solicitor (or public notary), who then also provides a signature and an official seal to prove the translation’s legality. What this means, in reality, is that your documents will be accompanied by two signatures and cover letters.
Sworn
If your documents are to be submitted outside of the UK, you may be required to provide a sworn translation of your papers. Sworn translations consist of testimony from the linguist, confirming they have carried out the document conversion and truthfully communicated the content. Translators must do this in front of a solicitor or notary public.
The difference between a sworn translation and a standard certification is that the cover letter will be presented in the translator’s native language and not English.
Apostilled
This process of getting your translations apostilled is pretty much the same as a notarization. Nonetheless, an apostille requires your documents to be additionally sent directly to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) for validation. This certification is valid for all countries abiding by the Hague Convention.
Who can officially translate your documents?
You may think that speaking two languages fluently is sufficient to translate your official documents. Perhaps you have a friend or a family member who can speak the required languages perfectly, and you want them to quickly convert your documents.
Sadly, however, this isn’t possible.
For your documents to be translated and officially certified, they must be converted directly by either a registered freelance translator or a professional translation agency.
There are several resources online where you can quickly find an accredited provider who covers the particular languages you require.
For freelance translators, you can visit websites such as proz.com or CIOL (Chartered Institute of Linguists), which have vast databases of expert linguists.
If you require a fast turnaround time and perhaps need your documents to be translated into more than one language, you may wish to approach a translation agency. Translation companies can be found online on websites like ATC (Association of Translation Companies) or GoodFirms.com. These are fantastic resources, as you can read reviews from past clients to see if the agency is an established company and whether they provide high-quality services.
How much will it cost, and how long should it take to translate and certify my documents?
Although there are some general rules, this can vary depending on a number of aspects, for example, your required language pair, type of document, number of pages or words, and also whether you decide to work with freelance translators or registered translation companies.
However, as a rule of thumb, if you need to translate up to 5 pages and require only the standard certification type, this should be done within 1-2 days. Further certifications, such as notarization or apostille, might take around 10 working days to be completed.
The price for translating your documents, similarly to the turnaround time, might vary depending on several factors. Nonetheless, you can expect the price to be around £50 for a standard translation of a simple document.
Let’s wrap things up…
As you can see, certified translations are an integral part of today’s globalized world. From translating simple documents such as passports or IDs for personal use abroad to translating websites, legal documents, and other business materials – translating your content is often not only expected but also required.
Being able to find the right provider, whether a freelance translator or a translation agency, will allow you to ensure that your documents are accurately converted and that they will be officially recognized by the official bodies.
