If you work for, or own, an organisation which works with multilingual partners and clients based around the globe on regular basis, whether digitally or physically, you probably fully understand the value of accuracy within officially certified translation services. Converting and adapting your content from one language into another can often be the difference between a successful expansion abroad or a profitable business agreement, and a spectacular failure. The use of certified translation isn’t however specific only for the corporate sector. A rapidly growing number of individual clients decide to translate their documents for private use – and so marriage certificates, school diplomas or driving licences are translated regularly in order to be used for official purposes in the United Kingdom as well as overseas.
In this article, we’ll take a closer look at what the term ‘certified translation’ actually means, and how you can find the best language provider to accurately translate and certify your documents, regardless of their nature and the languages you require.
What does a ‘certified translation’ actually mean?
Generally speaking, the term certified translation in the United Kingdom usually refers to a translation of documents completed by an official or accredited translator (or translation agency), which is complemented by a signed statement of truth. Such certification shows that the document or documents in questions were accurately translated by a linguist, who is actually legally allowed to do so, and as a result, will be accepted by authorities in the country, such as the Home Office.
In many cases, authorities might request a person to provide an officially accredited and certified translation of their documents. Whether applying for a visa, contacting an education institution such as university or even applying for a mortgage – if any of your official documents are not in the country’s official language, you will be requested to provide their certified translation. To better understand the importance of certified translation services in today’s globalised environment, we have spoken to an expert translator with more than 13 years of experience in the industry, who currently works for Translation Services 24 London, one of the leading providers of certified translations in the United Kingdom. We asked them, whether officially accredited translations of documents have gained in popularity in 2021 and what the challenges are, when it comes to processing, converting and certifying content from one language into another, and this is what they had to say:
“Despite a world-wide pandemic and the difficulties people are faced with when travelling abroad, officially certified translations are still amongst some the most popular language services in 2021.” He told us, and added: “Translating and certifying a document can often be a truly difficult task, it takes more than just the linguistic knowledge to accurately translate from one language into another, especially within the business or marketing environment, where creativity and an in-depth understanding of a business sector also play a key part.”
Who can translate and certify my documents?
Obtaining an officially certified translation of your document isn’t a straightforward task. Firstly, you need to fully understand, which particular certification type might be required for you to provide (we will talk more about the different certification types later in the article). To do this, you should speak directly to the interested authority, whether it’s the home office, courts of law or bank, as they will be able to confirm this directly.
Once you establish what type of certified translation is required from you to provide, you can then start the search for an appropriate language services provider.
Generally speaking, the easiest, quickest and most ‘consumer-friendly’ option is working with a translation agency. An officially accredited agency will be able to translate and certify your documents quickly, regardless of the certification type you might require. Nevertheless, a professional company may charge slightly more than, for example, a freelance linguist would.
Working with freelance linguist is another good route you can take to professionally convert your documents between the different languages. However, although slightly cheaper in price, a freelance translator would usually take a little bit longer to deliver the job than the agency. They may also not be able to cover all of the certification types, and so if you’re expected to present a further accreditation (For example, from the notary public), working with a language company specialising in certified translations is still your best bet.
Regardless of which method you decide on, it’s key to ensure that the agency or freelancer you approach are officially registered with a language body in the United Kingdom. For companies, the ATC (Association of Translation Agencies) is the authoritative organisation which assembles translation agencies. In order to become its member, the provider must meet rigorous criteria. Freelance linguists on the other hand should be registered with the CIOL (Chartered Institute of Linguists), which allows them to provide certified and legally recognised translations of documents.
Different certification types
As mentioned previously, there are different types of certified translations, and before approaching the language provider and spending your money, it’s best to check with the authority, which particular type is required from you.
Universally, we can recognise 3 types of certified translation services, and these are:
- Standard certified translation
- Notarised translation
- Apostille
In most cases, the standard certification would be adequate for majority of legal uses in the United Kingdom – from visa or mortgage applications to applying for a university. This certification comes with a statement of truth from the linguist, stating that they are legally able to translate similar content and that they take full responsibility for the translation. This is then considered as a proof of accuracy.
A notarised translation goes a little further. t is nonetheless very similar to the standard certification; however, the key difference between the two certification types is that the translation is signed and stamped in front of a notary public, who then also provides an official signature and seal to prove the translated document’s legality.
Lastly, the purpose of an apostille is normally for presenting documents overseas. This procedure is the same as for a notarised translation, nevertheless an apostille certification involves the document being sent to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office for validation. This translation is valid for all countries abiding to the Hague Convention.
As you can see, translating and officially certifying your documents isn’t as straightforward as you might initially think. From understanding which particular certification type you actually need, to deciding whether to work with a translation agency or a freelance linguist to finally finding the best language provider – we hope this short guide will help you in making the right decision!
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