Legal Translation Services


In Sheffield and throughout the United Kingdom, there is no "fixed" sworn translation procedure in place as they do in countries such as France, Spain, Portugal and other countries where governing bodies regulate sworn translators. Here in the United Kingdom, we have three types of official translation, depending on several variables:

  1. Notarised Translations
  2. Certified Translations
  3. Legal Translations
Certified Translations

If your document is in another language, and you are looking for a legal translation into English, this is most likely the type of translation you will require. This translation is signed and stamped by the (qualified) translator as a true and exact translation of the source document. Though this is considered a legal translation in the UK, we here at Sheffield Translation Services always recommend that you check with the entity requesting the translation that this is sufficient for your needs.

Notarised Translations

This is generally a certified translation of a document that is brought before a Notary Public and notarised. This does not make the translation any more official. It simply verifies that the document has been translated by the person who signs / stamps it. In many countries, this is a requirement of a legal translation.

Sworn Translations

We work alongside a great deal of sworn translators all over the world. Depending on the country, there are different sworn translation systems in place. For example, in France, we work with a court-sworn translator and when he is finished with the document no further steps are required to make the translation official. Whereas in Portugal, the sworn translator must go before a Notary with the translation to verify. In some countries a sworn translation can only be performed by a handful of qualified individuals.

Legal Translations

This is when a translation needs to be legally valid for use in another country. The Foreign Commonwealth Office is in charge of this step in the UK. However they will only accept a translation if it has been through the previous two steps (certified and notarised). We can take care of all three steps and we need around one to two weeks for the entire process.

What type of translation do you actually need?

If you have been told by a government official, a court representative, or anyone from an official entity that you require a document to be translated, we recommend that you are very specific in asking what type of translation is required, and always request as much information from them as possible. Is it a certified translation? A notarised translation? A sworn translation? A legalised translation? Once you have clarified the type of official translation required, we will be able to provide you with an accurate quotation for both the price and how long the translation will take.

What type of documents require official translation?

The following are just a few types of documents that often require certified, notarised, sworn or other official translation:


Sheffield Translation Services Translation Agency Reviews

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In the past year, Sheffield Translation Services has been working with many clients providing a wide-range of legalised & sworn translation services and we have received 1,094 reviews across multiple review-channels for our legal translator's work. As of the 1st of March 2024, the rating for our legal translation services provided was 4.4 out of 5 stars. If you have used our legal translation services and would like to leave a review for other would-be clients to see, please see: Review Sheffield Translation Services.