Translation services: certified, specialist or spoken, from one provider

When a UK body such as the Home Office, a university, a bank or a court asks for a certified translation, it normally means a translation accompanied by a signed statement from the translator or translation company. Government guidance on certifying a translation says the translator should confirm in writing on the translation that it is a true and accurate translation of the original document, give the date of the translation, and add their full name and contact details.

UK visa applications require certified translations of any documents that are not in English or Welsh. Have the whole document translated, including stamps, seals and handwritten notes, rather than a summary; a partial translation of a birth certificate or bank statement only invites questions. Always check the current guidance for the specific application, because individual routes can set extra requirements.

Some organisations additionally ask for the translator to belong to a professional body. The Chartered Institute of Linguists and the Institute of Translation and Interpreting are the main UK bodies; both have directories where you can check a member's status.

If a foreign authority wants a translated UK document, it may ask for more than certification. A common route is for a UK notary public to certify the translation or the translator's declaration, after which the FCDO Legalisation Office can attach an apostille confirming the notary's signature. The Legalisation Office deals with UK documents only; a document issued in another country has to be legalised there.

Ask the receiving authority exactly what it wants before ordering anything: which language, whether the translation must be done in that country, whether it needs a notary, and whether the apostille goes on the original, the translation, or both. Getting this wrong is expensive, because the notarial and legalisation steps then have to be repeated.

Legal contracts, technical manuals, medical documents, financial reports and marketing copy each need a translator who knows the subject, not only the languages. Ask who will translate your text, what their subject background is, and whether a second linguist reviews it. For regulated content such as product safety information or clinical documents, ask how terminology is controlled and whether the provider keeps glossaries and translation memories for your account.

Website translation brings its own questions: which content management system you use, how new pages are handled, whether search terms are researched in the target language rather than translated word for word, and who owns the translation memory if you change provider. Confidential documents should be covered by a confidentiality agreement and handled in line with UK GDPR where they contain personal data.

• source and target languages, word count and file format
• subject area and intended use: information only, publication, legal or official
• whether certification, notarisation or an apostille is needed
• turnaround time and whether an urgent rate applies
• who translates and who proofreads, and their qualifications
• confidentiality terms and how files are stored and deleted

Interpreting is spoken, not written, and it is a separate skill. Consecutive interpreting, where the speaker pauses for the interpreter, suits meetings, interviews and site visits. Simultaneous interpreting, usually from a booth with headsets for the audience, is used for conferences and needs equipment and normally a pair of interpreters who take turns. Remote interpreting by phone or video has become common for shorter appointments.

For legal, police, medical and social services settings, look for interpreters on the National Register of Public Service Interpreters or with relevant qualifications. Brief the interpreter in advance with agendas, names and technical terms, and allow for the fact that interpreted meetings take longer.

Written translation is usually priced by word count or per page for standard documents such as certificates, with more for rare language pairs, specialist subjects, difficult formatting, handwritten or poorly scanned originals and urgent deadlines. Certification is often included for official documents, while notarisation and apostilles are separate charges on top. Interpreting is priced by time, often with a minimum booking, plus travel for on-site work.

Tell us the languages, the type of document or assignment, what it is for and your deadline. When your phone number and email address are verified, the request is offered without your identity to translation providers. Exactly one provider can buy it and pays Offrano for it; the request then disappears from the list. You pay nothing for the introduction.

We send you the provider's name, address and phone number by email before it sees your details. Offrano checks only that it is a registered business, not its qualifications or its memberships, so check those yourself where they matter. There is no guarantee a provider takes up the request, and you are free to use someone else.