Sworn Translation in the UK

In many civil law countries a translator can be appointed or authorised by a court, and only those translators can produce translations for official use. The UK works differently. The Institute of Translation and Interpreting states plainly in its guide to official and sworn translation that in the UK there is no such thing as a sworn translator.

That is why searching for a sworn translator in London, Manchester or Cardiff goes nowhere: there is no UK register to be on. The UK route to an official translation is certification.

The official wording is published in the government's certifying a document guidance. For a document not written in English or Welsh, the translation company confirms in writing on the translation:

• that it is a 'true and accurate translation of the original document'
• the date of the translation
• the full name and contact details of the translator or a representative of the translation company

UK Visas and Immigration applies the same standard, set out in full on our UKVI translation requirements guide. The court rules of England and Wales likewise ask for a certified translation of any foreign language document filed as evidence; none of the provisions we checked mentions sworn status at all. Our acceptance requirements pages quote what each UK organisation publishes, organisation by organisation.

When a foreign court, registry or university asks for a sworn translation, it is asking within its own national system, and the rules on who may produce that translation belong to that country. The right first move is always the same: ask the receiving organisation exactly what they will accept, in writing.

Three outcomes are common:

1. They accept a UK certified translation. Many authorities do, especially when the translation is accompanied by the certification letter.
2. They accept a UK certified translation once the underlying document is legalised. UK public documents going abroad often need an apostille. Our legalisation checker tells you whether your document needs one and in what order to do things.
3. They insist on a translator appointed in their own country. In that case the translation must be arranged under that country's system, sometimes via the embassy. Asking first costs nothing and avoids paying twice.

The four words get used interchangeably, and they should not be:

• Sworn translation is a foreign concept: a translation by a translator authorised by a court in countries that run such a system.
• Certified translation is the UK standard: a translation with a signed confirmation of accuracy, name, contact details and date.
• Notarised translation adds a notary public who verifies the identity of the person signing the certification. UK guidance is explicit that notarisation is not required for standard UK use; some foreign authorities ask for it. Full detail on our notarised translation page.
• Legalisation and apostille authenticate the document itself for use abroad, not the translation. See the plain-English breakdown in our certified, notarised or apostille guide.

We issue certified translations carrying the exact wording UK guidance asks for: the signed confirmation that the translation is true and accurate, the date, and the company's full name and contact details, on a signed certification letter. Certificates are a fixed £35 (£45 for rare languages), and every price is published on our translation costs guide. If your document is going to a foreign authority, tell us the destination and we will flag whether legalisation questions are worth asking before you order.