Translations

We will pay £95 per 1000 words for translating documents, which is inclusive of the proof reading. The cost is applied pro rata against the document word count.

For example, a document of 700 words would cost £66.50 (or 9.5p per word).

For documents of less than 300 words, a minimum charge of £28.50 will generally be allowed. For “formal” documents such as marriage and birth certificates where there is minimal information to translate in each document and where there are multiple documents to be translated, we would expect the £28.50 charge to cover all marriage and birth certificates.

When calculating the fee payable we will have regard for the type of document translated, particularly where there are a number of documents with minimal words to be translated.

No additional charge will be allowed for proof reading the translated document or the administration associated in typing the translation or counting the words. This is subsumed into the cost of the translation.

Competitive quotes should be obtained for any lengthy documents costing in excess of £2,000 and prior sanction should be sought from us before the work is instructed.

We will not pay for the translation of routine letters to clients as we pay for interpreters to attend meetings with the client. The interpreter or the client can note down important details, for example court dates, bail conditions etc in their own language during the meeting.

It should not be necessary to have complaints, petitions, indictments or any other court documents translated on behalf of the client as the relevant issues can be discussed at the meetings in the presence of the interpreter. However if this is deemed to be essential a request should be made to the Crown Office and Procurator Fiscal Service as it is their responsibility to meet the cost of the translation of documents issued by them. This would also apply to the disclosure package, tapes and transcripts.