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How do I provide a certified translation for the UK?
Thread poster: Jane Martin
Jane Martin
Jane Martin  Identity Verified
Local time: 08:31
Member (2011)
Spanish to English
May 23, 2012

How do I provide a certified translation for the UK? Is it just a question of attaching a letter stating that I am a fully qualified translator? Do I need a stamp of some sort?
 
Aisha Maniar
Aisha Maniar  Identity Verified
Member
Arabic to English
+ ...
various issues May 23, 2012

The question has been asked many times, so it's definitely worth having a look through past forum postings.
It is best to ask the client what "certified" means for their purpose. It may be enough for a translator to sign a declaration that they are fully qualified (and stating said qualifications). In other cases, you may need to be a member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists or Institute of Translation and Interpreting; qualified membership of the latter organisation grants use of y... See more
The question has been asked many times, so it's definitely worth having a look through past forum postings.
It is best to ask the client what "certified" means for their purpose. It may be enough for a translator to sign a declaration that they are fully qualified (and stating said qualifications). In other cases, you may need to be a member of the Chartered Institute of Linguists or Institute of Translation and Interpreting; qualified membership of the latter organisation grants use of your own name stamp for this purpose. In other cases, you may need to have it certified by swearing an oath before a solicitor that the translation is accurate (the solicitor only witnesses your oath and has nothing to do with the accuracy of the translation itself). These are just a few options. No doubt there are more.
I hope this is of some help but there is definitely a lot more information in the forums. ▲ Collapse
 
Jane Martin
Jane Martin  Identity Verified
Local time: 08:31
Member (2011)
Spanish to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks May 23, 2012

I have searched in the forums but couldn't find anything - obviously I didn't put in the correct search term. I just wasn't sure if there was a recognized way of providing the 'certified' translation as opposed to a normal translation. I appreciate your input.
 
Aisha Maniar
Aisha Maniar  Identity Verified
Member
Arabic to English
+ ...
You're quite right May 23, 2012

The forums are not easy to search. There may be some useful leads, however, in the forums on translation in the UK, legal and translation theory and practice. As I said, it is important to ask what your client means by certification in the first place as this varies considerably given that there is no standard system, and there may be some additional costs involved too (solicitor/notary, etc.).
 
Edward Potter
Edward Potter  Identity Verified
Spain
Local time: 09:31
Member (2003)
Spanish to English
+ ...
U.K. sworn translation May 23, 2012

You should do some checking on your own, but my understanding is the following:

In the U.K. you normally only need to make a sworn statement to the effect that you are a professional, experienced and capable translator and have faithfully translated the document. Sign it and date it.

The first time I did a sworn translation I went out and got a stamp made up and put that on it as well. It says "Edward Potter, B.A.; Professional English Translator".

Your... See more
You should do some checking on your own, but my understanding is the following:

In the U.K. you normally only need to make a sworn statement to the effect that you are a professional, experienced and capable translator and have faithfully translated the document. Sign it and date it.

The first time I did a sworn translation I went out and got a stamp made up and put that on it as well. It says "Edward Potter, B.A.; Professional English Translator".

Your blurb should read something like this:

I, the undersigned, xxxxxxxxxxxx, hereby certify that I am a qualified professional Spanish-to-English translator and that the foregoing document is a true and faithful translation of the Spanish language original.

Date: Signature: ▲ Collapse
 
Jane Martin
Jane Martin  Identity Verified
Local time: 08:31
Member (2011)
Spanish to English
TOPIC STARTER
Thanks May 25, 2012

Thank you everyone for your comments. I now feel a lot more confident about saying that I can provide a certified translation and am off to order myself a stamp!
 


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How do I provide a certified translation for the UK?







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