Certified translation in the UK: the three things the translator confirms

What GOV.UK requires

For a document not written in English or Welsh, GOV.UK says to ask the translator to confirm in writing on the translation:

1. That it is “a true and accurate translation of the original document”.
2. The date of the translation.
3. Their full name and contact details.

That is the whole government rule. No seal, no registration number and no membership of a particular body is required by it — although a receiving authority may ask for more.

A usual certification statement

I hereby certify that the above is a true and accurate translation of …… submitted to me.

If you worked from a copy or a scan, say so. “Translation of the original document” under a translation made from a photo certifies something you have not seen.

Checklist

• Complete translation: stamps, handwritten notes and signatures included.
• Statement: true and accurate translation — and of what (original, copy, scan).
• Date of the translation.
• Full name and contact details of the translator.

Where Lingverra saves time

Lingverra produces a precise translation in the layout of the original, reads handwritten entries, transliterates names as in the passport and flags uncertain passages. The certification statement is already under the translation, with the date, and it says what you actually translated from: the original, a certified copy, a copy or a scan. Your name and contact details print under the signature from your profile. You can rewrite the statement once in the profile or for a single document. Checking and signing remain your job.

Read also: where the time really goes when translating from a scan