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All your translation questions answered below

Languages

There are hundreds of languages spoken and written around the globe. We can’t claim that we translate to or from all of them (some are very obscure such as Ket, a language spoken by just 500 people in remote Siberia) but we cover a large majority.

For practical purposes, we translate to and from the following languages which are grouped in 6 categories:

European Languages

English, French, Spanish, German, Italian, Greek, Dutch, Portuguese

Scandinavian Languages

Swedish, Norwegian, Danish, Icelandic, Finnish

Eastern European Languages

Serbian, Macedonian, Russian, Latvian, Slovak, Lithuanian, Polish, Bulgarian, Albanian, Bosnian, Hungarian, Croatian, Slovene, Estonian, Belorussian, Czech, Romanian, Ukrainian

Asian & Eastern Languages

Uzbek, Japanese, Persian, Dari, Afghan, Arabic, Turkish, Punjabi, Chinese, Thai, Uyghur, Bengali, Urdu, Korean, Pashtu, Hindi, Kazakh, Azeri, Azerbaijani, Indonesian, Vietnamese, Khmer, Tagalog, Kurdish, Armenian, Kirghiz, Bengali, Gujurati, Tamil, Kurdish, Creole, Sinhala, Korean

African Languages

Afrikaans, Somali, Sudanese, Swahili, Zulu, Amharic, Eritrean

Other Languages

Catalan, Basque, Latin, Hebrew, Gaelic and many more.

Translation Quality

We take our job very seriously. Our translations go through rigorous quality control procedures to ensure that the end product is as accurate as possible. We are of course accredited by the Association of Translation Companies (ATC) and testimonials from our clients speak for themselves.

General Translation

This can range from translation of marketing material to advertising, books, brochures, press releases, business, food, art and culture, fashion, sport, entertainment, tourism, educational material, magazines, employee handbooks, health & safety regulations, presentations, etc. And for each subject matter, a translator with the relevant field experience is chosen. In some cases, the translator can contribute to the quality of the communication both by knowledge of the subject matter and by an editorial work which is adapted to the context ("transcreation").

The terminology used in legal translation is very specific and unique. Amongst our legal team are ex-solicitors and legal experts who not only hold the required bi-lingual translation qualification but also an in-depth knowledge of matters such as: patents vocabulary, judicial proceedings, summons, foreign statutes, immigration issues, insurance policies, and also financial & banking documents such as company reports, yearly accounts, etc. In most cases, legal translators have to avoid the pitfalls of translation by making common sense decisions about differences between various countries legal systems.

For example, when dealing with an institution which exists in one legal or financial system but does not exist in the other, the translator would not be able to translate the name of the institution word for word but would have to either keep the original name or describe it. The same applies to some proceedings which apply to one country but are totally non-existent in others. This is where the translator would have to find a way around the issue to convey the best possible interpretation of the text.

Technical & Patents Translation

This type of translation covers all disciplines that require specialist knowledge for translation; Engineering, Architecture, Biotechnologies, Electronics, Chemical industry, Information Technology, Mechanical, Petrochemical, Pure sciences, Physics, Automotive, insurance, and many more…

In the performance of such translations, translators are selected on their specialist qualification merit, linguistic ability, skill and experience. In the case of Patents, they have to have had a thorough understanding of international patents writing style and terminology.

Also, the compilation of specialist terminology throughout a document will help achieve consistency in the translation and may also be used in future documents to retain current terminology.

Medical Translation

Medical and pharmaceutical translation necessitates above all years of study and experience in the specialised medical or pharmaceutical field relevant to the translation, as well as a thorough understanding of the regulations and guidelines.

We’ve been providing translating, interpreting and transcribing services for research, hospitals, labs and clinical institutes, pharmaceuticals, biomedical firms, medical journals and patients all over the world.

Our Medical and pharmaceutical translation department is particularly focused on extreme accuracy as people welfare is at stake.

Website & Software translation/localization

Who can afford these days to have their website written in their local language only. Going global means that a valid localization of your website for your targeted markets should not consist of a plain translation of your website content, but a wholesome localization perspective involving a deep understanding of the culture that you are trying to reach.

This is where we come in. The project will involve a team comprising of a project manager, cultural consultant, web specialist and the translator(s). We will work first on the essential branding, that may involve some slight modifications to layout and content, of course carried out in accordance to client instructions. For example screen sizes may have to be redefined as the volume of the original text can increase up to 25% once it is translated. Then concentrate on the translation and its details such as syntax, spelling, local idiosyncracies and terminology. This exercise also goes hand in hand with the issue of HTML code safeguard, cross-browsers and operating systems compatibility and search engine optimisation, which can also be streamlined alongside the translation to correctly configure the website.

The processes involved in Software translation (and some very complex Website translations), unlike any other translation process, are many...

Here’s a snapshot.

Editing, abstracting, adapting, proofreading

A good translation depends on a good source document. Text may need to be edited or re-written for many reasons. It may be more effective to shorten a text first before translating to save on cost, or to present the reader with a more concise and focused message or the document may need adapting to target a foreign market. Whatever the reason, either to adapt a brochure or a presentation, edit a website, abstract a patent or proofread a book, we will work to your needs.

Certification / Notarization

Certification (also called authentication or accreditation) is required when an official personal document needs to be translated for official purposes. Types of documents that require certification usually include: college / university degrees, birth, marriage, death documents, divorce decrees, patents and other official or legal documents.

ORIGINAL DOCUMENTS ARE NOT USUALLY REQUIRED more

In the UK, a translation can be certified / notarized in three ways. The service depends on the nature of the document and its usage. It is important to check with your legal representative which of the following certifications is most relevant for your purposes.


1. Basic certification. Example

This is a translation to which the translator or the translation agency has added a self-declaration saying that the translation text is accurate and complete. This is usually required for general or official documents which need to be presented to non-government bodies or academic institutions. The translation is marked with a Certified stamp but not the original.

2. Sworn Certification by affidavit / Notarization
Example

For official documents and deeds requested by public authorities/government bodies, the translation needs to be certified / notarized by Affidavit. This is a declaration which is made in writing and on oath (sworn) in front of a solicitor/attorney or notary public that the translation is, to the best of the translator's knowledge, complete and accurate. The translation and a copy of the original are marked with a Certified stamp.

3. Legalization (Apostille)
Example

This is required for documents to be presented to overseas authorities outside the UK (such as marriage or work applications). Legalization is the same as 2. above except that the signature of the Notary Public/Solicitor on the Sworn Certification has been checked (Apostilled) by the Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) to be accepted by a foreign country (as part of the Hague Convention). If you are not sure what documents you need to legalize, you should contact the UK Overseas Mission of the relevant country. Please check that the destination country where you are presenting your Apostilled Document(s) is on the list of Member Countries of the Hague Convention. If not, after apostilling there is one last step, which is to send your document(s) to the relevant foreign embassy/consulate to add their own certificate. The FCO takes 4 weeks to process postal Apostilles. For a fasttrack service, we offer a 3-day or a 1-day service. The translation and a copy of the original are marked with a Certified stamp along with the FCO Apostille notice appended to the first page of the translation.

Europe

Certification / authentication is different in the UK than in Europe and the rest of the world in general.

In Europe, a translation can be certified by a sworn professional translator who has been duly authorised by the government of the country in question to translate and notarise a document. Any certified translation produced by a sworn translator is an official document in its own right. The translation is certified with a stamped declaration which is written in the relevant language, as well as in English. It is usually slightly more expensive than a normal translation. In some cases, documents may also be required to be certified by a European notary public.

We provide all of the above for each set of languages. Our translators are qualified and experienced. They ensure that your documents are translated and certified accurately for acceptance by any court or government agency in the United Kingdom or abroad.

Documents are sent by recorded post or special delivery.

Copies are accepted, but must be legible.

Translation/certification of five standard pages usually takes two working days. Expect an extra day for delivery of documents by special delivery and up to 3 days by recorded post, unless they are collected from our office. Legalisation/Apostille takes longer.

Free Online Translation

Click here for a Free Online Translation Service for small texts such as short Email Online Translation and small Website Online Translation, or even SMS texts. Like most online machine translations, the quality of the translated text will be rough but is ok for short texts where a basic understanding of the source text is required.

Find out more about Machine translator versus Human translator
For a more accurate 'human' Small Text translation, see 'Cheap Translation Service' below.

Cheap Translation Service - Small Text

For an accurate translation of small texts not exceeding 50 words, we offer a cheap translation service of £9 + VAT. Click on Get a Free Quote and choose option 'Small Text'.
'Small Text' conditions


Multi-language DTP

Our in-house studio can handle most of your design and layout requirements in multiple languages, fitting it around the translated text of all European, Eastern European, Greek and Asian languages. Our creative team has a meticulous eye for detail when it comes to the visual interpretation of your image.

Audio Transcription

experTTranslators offers transcription and/or translation of material recorded on audio and video tapes, CDs and audio WAV files. Typical use of such a service is for police interviews, seminars, research studies, etc.

Transcribing rates can vary depending on the quality of the recording, overlapping of voices, background noise, etc.

For a good audio recording, it takes 4 to 5 hours to transcribe 1 hour of audio. If there is background noise, the quality is bad, the volume too low, people are speaking over each other, then it could take the transcriber much longer. Call us for a Transcription Quote 020 7725 5747