English Certified, Notarised and FCO Legalised Translation

Completed by qualified English translators

Getting married? Studying abroad? Do you have legal documents you must have translated? Some authorities demand that you supply certified translations of your official documents. This means that even if you are bilingual, the relevant authority is unlikely to accept your own translation. They will be looking for a translation independently carried out and by an appropriately qualified English linguist.

We offer 3 main types of certification in Bristol

It is important that you check with the appropriate authority which type of certification they will accept.

Digital certification

The first type of certification comes in the form of a letter printed on Knockhundred’s letterhead certifying that, as a professional translation company, Knockhundred has undertaken the translation. Each page of the translation itself is also stamped. This type of certification is generally supplied in digital format. By special arrangement, we can also provide the certification in hard copy format by post.

Notarised, sworn or legalised translation

The second type of certification is where the translation is stamped and signed by a Notary Public. A notarised translation is also sometimes referred to as a “sworn” translation, but this phrase isn’t often used in the UK. It can also be called a legalised translation.

A Notary Public is an officer of the law empowered to attest or confirm certain oaths, statutory declarations and documents under his seal.

Working from your documents, our qualified linguists will provide an accurate translation, carefully checking the details. Once certified by us, a Notary Public will add the official seal.

You do not need to be located near our offices as the entire process is conducted digitally and by post.

British Foreign and Commonwealth Office (FCO) legalisation of translated documents

Some authorities insist on this extra step. Once notarised by a Notary Public and confirmed as true translations, the translations and any associated original documents are further verified and stamped by the FCO.

Whom do we work with?

We work with a wide range of clients in the legal sector as well as private individuals including:

• Embassies
• Solicitors
• Courts
• Police forces
• Prisons
• Accountants
• Public sector organisations
• EU organisations
• Businesses
• Financial organisations

What sort of material?

• Letters
• Birth certificates
• Death certificates
• Marriage certificates
• Divorce certificates
• Academic certificates
• Passports
• Statements

How is the cost for certified English translations calculated?

• The cost depends on the language(s)
• The cost depends on the number of documents
• Translation is calculated per source word of original content
• The cost depends on the level of certification: digital, notarisation or FCO legalisation.

While you’re here… some quite interesting facts about the English language.

English is a West Germanic language that was first spoken in early medieval England and is now a global lingua franca. Named after the Angles, one of the Germanic tribes that migrated to England, it ultimately derives its name from the Anglia (Angeln) peninsula in the Baltic Sea. It is closely related to the Frisian languages, but its vocabulary has been significantly influenced by other Germanic languages, particularly Norse (a North Germanic language), as well as by Latin and Romance languages, particularly French. English is the third most widespread native language in the world, after Standard Chinese and Spanish. It is the most widely learned second language and is either the official language or one of the official languages in almost 60 sovereign states. There are more people who have learned it as a second language than there are native speakers. English is the most commonly spoken language in the United Kingdom, the United States, Canada, Australia, Ireland and New Zealand, and it is widely spoken in some areas of the Caribbean, Africa and South Asia.

Where is English most widely spoken?

Australia, New Zealand, the United Kingdom, the United States, Antigua and Barbuda, Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Botswana, Brunei, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Dominica, Eswatini, Fiji, Gambia, Ghana, Grenada, Guyana, India, Ireland, Jamaica, Kenya, Kiribati, Lesotho, Liberia, Malawi, Malta, the Marshall Islands, Mauritius, Micronesia, Namibia, Nauru, Nigeria, Pakistan, Palau, Papua New Guinea, Philippines, Rwanda, Saint Kitts and Nevis, Saint Lucia, Saint Vincent and the Grenadines, Samoa, Seychelles, Sierra Leone, Singapore, the Solomon Islands, South Africa, Sounth Sudan, Sudan, Tanzania, Tonga, Trinidad and Tobago, Tuvalu, Uganda, Vanuatu, Zambia, Zimbabwe.