Legal work

Our work in the legal sector so far covered commercial law, company law, criminal law, family law and property law, e.g.:

We translated the indictment in a criminal case, checked the transcription of the police interview, liaised with the German consulate in Edinburgh and provided interpreting services for the defendant and his legal team (solicitor and barrister), initially in HMP Durham and then during the trial at Newcastle Crown Court.

We provided interpreting services in a child adoption case in Tyne and Wear which included travelling to Germany with a social worker to interview the potential foster parents and check the suitability of a different home and school environment for the child.

Other legal translation work undertaken includes documents in several child abduction cases for the Scottish Executive Justice Department, Private and International Law Branch, and criminal record certificates.

We provide certified translations of legal documents. The Chartered Institute of Linguists gives the following guidance:

"A self-certified translation should ideally only ever be sent by hard copy. The reason for this is to avoid the possibility of the translation being used on its own, or being affixed to a different source text for fraudulent purposes. A self-certified translation should, therefore, be affixed firmly to the source text - either by using rivets, or by folding the top left hand corner over, stapling it and stamping the back. Either variant will ensure that it is not possible to remove and/or replace individual pages of the translation or the source text. Obviously a copy may be sent by electronic means, but that will not normally qualify as a certified translation in its own right." 

Unlike in the UK, many countries have a system of sworn translators. We also provide translations by in-country sworn translators if required. 

Title deed dating back to 1904

Self-certification stamp issued by the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL)