Document translation, including certified translation
Accurate translation of legal, medical, technical, business and personal documents, with certified translations for official use and several stages of review by native-speaking professionals.
SILA Linguists translates documents of every kind, from a single birth certificate to a full bundle of contracts, clinical records or technical manuals. Each project is assigned to a translator who works into their native language and has experience in the subject, so specialist terminology is used correctly and the result reads naturally.
When a document is needed for official purposes, we provide certified translations accepted by UK authorities, educational institutions and international bodies. A certified translation includes a signed statement confirming that it is a true and accurate translation of the original. Certified, legal and medical translations are always carried out by human translators. Where a receiving body requires notarisation, we arrange it with our notary partner: we translate and certify, and the partner notarises.
Every translation passes through several stages of review and proofreading by native-speaking professionals before delivery. Files are handled on secure systems, in line with GDPR, and NDAs are available for confidential material.
Why choose SILA Linguists for documents
Certified translations
Translations for official use, accepted by UK authorities, educational institutions and international bodies, with notarisation arranged through our notary partner where required.
Subject-matter translators
Legal, medical, financial and technical documents go to translators with experience in that field.
Multi-stage review
Several stages of review and proofreading by native-speaking professionals check accuracy, terminology and consistency.
Consistent terminology
Translation memory and terminology databases keep names, defined terms and phrasing consistent across documents and over time.
Layout preserved
Stamps, tables, signatures and formatting are reproduced or clearly annotated so the translation can be compared with the original.
Secure handling
Documents are stored and transferred securely, processed in line with GDPR and covered by NDAs on request.
Document translation and certified translation from SILA Linguists® for every sector
SILA Linguists® translates documents for the organisations and people who depend on them being exactly right. For the legal sector that means contracts, witness statements, court bundles and judgments; for immigration matters, birth and marriage certificates, passports, identity cards and police records from abroad; for healthcare, medical records, discharge summaries and patient leaflets; for financial services and insurance, annual reports, KYC files, policy wordings and claims documents; and for education, transcripts, diplomas and admissions letters. For engineering, energy and technology, our translators handle specifications, tenders and compliance files.
Our certified translation comes with a signed statement of accuracy accepted by UK authorities, including the Home Office, courts, universities and employers. For documents going abroad, a translation for the United States carries a translator's certificate of accuracy, as US immigration authorities expect; in Canada, where a certified translator is required, SILA Linguists® arranges translation by a translator certified by a provincial association; and where Australian authorities require NAATI-certified translation, SILA Linguists® arranges it through NAATI-certified translators. Every document is handled by a native-speaking professional translator with subject knowledge and reviewed before delivery, with names, dates and stamps rendered consistently. We translate into and out of English and between other languages, including Arabic, Farsi, Polish, Ukrainian, Spanish and Vietnamese, among more than 350 languages and dialects.
Document translation connects with the rest of SILA Linguists®. Large or repetitive document sets can go through human-powered AI translation with post-editing by a qualified linguist; manuals and specifications can be adapted through technical document localisation; academic papers go to our research translation specialists; and audio or video evidence goes to transcription. Clients who need an interpreter to explain a translated document can book interpreting in person, by video or by telephone, and asylum matters can draw on language analysis. All files are handled confidentially under NDA and UK GDPR.
Step by step
Send your documents
Email or WhatsApp us scans or files, the target language and how the translation will be used, for example a visa application or a court bundle.
Scope and assignment
We confirm the scope and whether certification is needed, then assign a qualified translator with the right subject knowledge.
Translation and review
The translation is completed and then reviewed and proofread by native-speaking professionals.
Delivery
You receive the translation in the agreed format, certified where required, and we deal promptly with any questions from you or the receiving body.
Frequently asked questions
What is a certified translation?
A certified translation is accompanied by a signed statement confirming that it is a true and accurate translation of the original document, with the translator's or company's details. It is the format most authorities ask for.
Will my certified translation be accepted?
Our certified translations are accepted by UK authorities, educational institutions and international bodies. For the United States we add a translator's certificate of accuracy, for Canada we arrange a translator certified by a provincial association where one is required, and for Australia we arrange NAATI-certified translation where it is required. Requirements vary, so check whether the receiving organisation asks for anything extra. If it needs notarisation, tell us when you order and we will arrange it with our notary partner.
Can you translate scanned or photographed documents?
Yes, as long as the text is legible. Clear scans give the best results, particularly for stamps, handwriting and small print.
How do you keep my documents confidential?
Documents are handled on secure systems in line with GDPR, accessed only by the people working on your project, and covered by NDAs where you need them.
Tell us the language, the format and the date
Our bookings team will confirm the details with you and arrange the right linguist. Have the language (and dialect, if you know it), the type of assignment and the date ready.