Frequently Asked Questions for Public Sector translation orders

Can a local authority instruct LingvoHouse directly without a procurement framework?

Yes. Local authorities can instruct LingvoHouse directly for translation services without requiring a framework agreement. For one-off or urgent care proceedings instructions, direct commissioning is the fastest route — contact LingvoHouse via lingvohouse.com with the documents and the hearing date, and a project manager will issue a quote on receipt. For authorities that require a framework route, LingvoHouse is an approved supplier under NHS Shared Business Services, the Eastern Shires Purchasing Organisation, and the NHS North of England Commercial Procurement Collaborative — frameworks used by local authorities and NHS bodies commissioning language services compliantly.

How quickly can certified translation for care proceedings be turned around?

Urgent care proceedings translation is available from LingvoHouse with turnaround times ranging from same-day for short documents to 48–72 hours for full care bundles of 60–100 pages. A single witness statement or medical report in Romanian, Polish, Urdu, or Bengali is typically deliverable the next working day; same-day delivery is possible for shorter documents received early in the morning. Full care bundles involving rare languages — Tigrinya, Amharic, or Pashto — are confirmed on receipt once a qualified translator has been identified. LingvoHouse confirms a realistic turnaround before work begins, not after.

What languages are available for urgent care proceedings translation?

LingvoHouse covers the full range of languages encountered in UK care proceedings, including Eastern European languages — Romanian, Polish, Lithuanian, Latvian, Bulgarian, and Slovak — South Asian languages including Urdu, Punjabi, Bengali, and Pashto, Middle Eastern languages including Arabic and Farsi, and rare and minority languages including Tigrinya, Amharic, Oromo, Somali, Tetum, Yoruba, Lingala, Kinyarwanda, Dinka, and Nuer. For any language not listed, contact LingvoHouse with the document — the project manager will confirm whether a qualified legal translator is available before the instruction proceeds.

Does the certified translation need to meet a specific format for the Family Court?

Yes. Certified translations submitted to the Family Court must include a signed statement of accuracy from the translator, with their full name, qualifications, and contact details attached to each translated document individually. LingvoHouse provides certification in this format as standard for all care proceedings instructions. If the presiding judge or any party has a specific format requirement, the project manager confirms compatibility before translation begins. Hard copy certification is available where the court requires a physical original rather than a digital version.

Can LingvoHouse accept Legal Aid rates for care proceedings translation?

Yes. LingvoHouse accepts Legal Aid instructions for certified translation in care proceedings across all language pairs covered. The Legal Aid Agency rate for written translation is £0.10 per word plus VAT. Confirm Legal Aid status at the time of instruction so the project manager can note it on the file before the quote is issued. For very rare language pairs where sourcing a suitably qualified translator involves additional cost, the project manager will flag this transparently before the instruction proceeds.

How are sensitive care proceedings documents handled confidentially?

All care proceedings documents submitted to LingvoHouse are handled under ISO 27001-certified information security management systems. Documents are not stored beyond the project, are not shared outside the translation team, and are not used for any purpose other than the specific instruction. NDAs are available on request and are issued before documents are shared where the matter sensitivity requires it. LingvoHouse does not use third-party file-sharing platforms outside its certified systems. For instructions involving particularly sensitive content — child protection records, medical reports, psychological assessments — an NDA can be issued and signed before any files are transferred.

Can machine translation be used for care proceedings documents?

No. Care proceedings documents — social work records, care plans, court orders, psychological assessments, and witness statements — require human translation by a qualified legal linguist. Machine translation output, even when post-edited, does not meet the standard required for certified translation accepted by the Family Court, and carries an unacceptable risk of inaccuracy in documents where the welfare of a child depends on the precision of the translated content. LingvoHouse applies a fully human ISO 17100-certified workflow to all care proceedings instructions, with independent review built in as standard.

What happens if the language required is one that cannot be covered in time?

LingvoHouse will confirm this at the assessment stage — before any work begins and before any commitment is made to the court. If a qualified legal translator cannot be identified for the specific language within the required timeframe, the project manager will say so clearly so that alternative arrangements can be made without delay. A declined instruction confirmed early is significantly less disruptive than a failed delivery close to the hearing date. For the most commonly requested rare languages — Tigrinya, Amharic, Somali, Pashto, and Oromo — availability for urgent instructions is confirmed quickly on receipt of the document.

For urgent care proceedings translation instructions — any language, any document type — contact LingvoHouse via lingvohouse.com with the documents and the hearing date. For language-specific information, see the Eastern European Language Translation for Local Authority Care Cases page, the South Asian Language Translation for Children’s Services page, or the Rare & Minority Language Translation for Care Proceedings page.

For pricing and Legal Aid rates, see the Legal Translation Pricing & Rate Guide for UK Law Firms page.

For a real-world example of an overnight care proceedings instruction, see the Multilingual Care Proceedings Bundle Translated Overnight case study and Tetum Legal Translation for UK Care Proceedings case study.

For more on the full range of public sector translation services available, see LingvoHouse’s public sector translation services overview.