Frequently Asked Questions for Public Sector translation orders

How quickly can a legal document be translated for court?

Turnaround depends on document volume, language, and format. As a general guide, a witness statement of 10–15 pages in a single language is typically deliverable the next working day under the rush service level; same-day delivery is possible for shorter documents received early in the morning, subject to translator availability.

Even with AI as a first draft, where permissible, court bundles of 80–100 pages — which can run to 25,000 words or more depending on format — are more realistically a 3–5 day instruction on a rush basis, though compressed turnarounds of 24–48 hours have been achieved for text-heavy documents where urgency demands it.

No-rush turnarounds are calculated based on 2000-3000 words per day.

LingvoHouse confirms a realistic delivery time on receipt of the documents — the project manager assesses volume and language availability before committing to a deadline, not after.

What is included in a certified legal translation?

A certified translation from LingvoHouse includes the translated document and a signed statement of accuracy from the translator, confirming that the translation is complete and correct to the best of their knowledge and professional ability. The statement includes the translator’s full name, qualifications, and contact details. This format meets the standard required by UK civil and family courts, the Immigration Tribunal, and the Home Office. If the receiving body has a specific format requirement — some courts or embassies do — the project manager confirms compatibility before the translation is finalised.

Will a certified translation from LingvoHouse be accepted by a UK court?

Yes. Certified translations produced by LingvoHouse are accepted by UK civil and family courts, the First-tier and Upper Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber), and the Home Office for submission purposes. LingvoHouse is a Corporate Member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting, and all certified translations are produced by qualified translators working under an ISO 17100-certified workflow. If a specific court or body has raised a query about certification format in a previous matter, the project manager can discuss the requirement before the translation is commissioned.

Can machine translation be used for court documents?

No. Machine translation without human edit is not appropriate for court documents, witness statements, or any legal material being submitted to a UK court or tribunal. The accuracy, terminological consistency, and accountability required for court submission can only be provided by a qualified human translator. LingvoHouse does not use raw machine translation for legal documents. Moreover, sometimes it’s prohibited due to confidentiality & sensitivity of the documents.

All court-bound translations are handled under an ISO 17100-certified workflow — translation by a qualified legal linguist followed by independent review by a second — and certified by the translator on completion.

How should an urgent court bundle be submitted to LingvoHouse?

Submit the bundle as MS Word (ideally) or PDF files by secure email or file transfer, along with the target language, the hearing date, and any certification requirement. If the bundle is paginated and indexed, supplying the index alongside the documents helps the project manager confirm scope and turnaround immediately. For very large bundles or multi-language instructions, an initial call to confirm feasibility before sending files is advisable. LingvoHouse will assess the instruction on receipt and confirm the turnaround time, cost, and certification format before translation begins. Instructions can be submitted via lingvohouse.com or directly by email for established clients.

How is confidentiality handled for sensitive legal documents?

All documents submitted to LingvoHouse are handled under confidentiality as standard, from the moment of receipt. Files are stored and transferred within ISO 27001-certified information security management systems. Translators assigned to legal matters work under confidentiality obligations as part of their engagement. For matters where a formal confidentiality agreement is required before documents are shared, NDAs are available on request — the project manager can turn these around quickly for urgent instructions.

What languages are available for urgent legal translation?

Urgent and overnight translation is available across a wide range of languages — the limiting factor for tight deadlines is rarely the language itself but the format of the documents. A clean Word or text-based PDF can be turned around significantly faster than a scanned bundle, a handwritten document, or a file containing complex tables, stamps, or degraded image quality that cannot be processed cleanly. LingvoHouse will flag any format constraints at the assessment stage — if a document requires manual retyping or cannot be OCR-processed reliably, the project manager confirms the impact on turnaround before work begins rather than discovering it mid-project. For genuinely rare language combinations, availability for urgent instructions is confirmed at assessment; for the vast majority of legal matters, language is not the bottleneck.

How much does urgent legal translation cost?

Legal translation is priced per word or per page, depending on the document type and scope. Urgency supplements apply where more thna one linguists is required for same-day and overnight instructions, reflecting the out-of-hours resource required to meet court deadlines. LingvoHouse provides a full quote — including any urgency supplement versus no-rush pricing — before work begins, so there are no unexpected costs on delivery. For law firms requiring ongoing legal translation support, volume and contractual arrangements are available. Transparent rate information is available on request via lingvohouse.com. For court instructions under Legal Aid, LingvoHouse can accommodate Legal Aid rates in most situations — including for urgent translations — provided this is confirmed at the time of instruction.

For urgent legal translation instructions — court bundles, witness statements, or certified documents required ahead of a hearing — contact LingvoHouse via lingvohouse.com with the documents and the hearing date. The project manager will confirm turnaround, certification format, and cost on receipt, with no obligation to proceed until the scope is agreed.

For urgent legal translation instructions — court bundles, witness statements, or certified documents required ahead of a hearing — contact LingvoHouse via lingvohouse.com with the documents and the hearing date. The project manager will confirm turnaround, certification format, and cost on receipt, with no obligation to proceed until the scope is agreed. For a full overview of LingvoHouse’s legal translation services — including document types, workflow, and credentials — see the Urgent Legal Translation Services for Law Firms in the UK page.