Other than marriage certificates, we don’t often receive Cuban documents for translation so an enquiry for a certified translation of a Cuban birth certificate proved to be a rather interesting project.

Mr Davis (name changed for confidentiality, of course) called to say that his grandson’s application for a UK passport had been rejected by the passport office as the translation of his Cuban birth certificate was not acceptable as it was not an official translation issued in the UK. As an official authority, the Passport Office required a certified translation.

Mr Davis rang to confirm that we would be able to provide this service, and as a registered member of the ATC (Association of Translation Companies) I was pleased to confirm that our certified translations are accepted by all UK authorities, including the Passport Office. The initial application, which included the original Cuban birth certificate, was being returned to Mr Davis by post, however, the translation was required urgently. We asked Mr Davis to send us a scan of the document as soon as it arrived.

We received a scan of the birth certificate the next morning, and were able to get back to Mr Davis straight away with a quote. As we had a very tight timescale, we telephoned Mr Davis with the quote and he paid over the phone by debit card so we could proceed with the translation from Spanish immediately.

That same afternoon, we emailed Mr Davis an electronic version of the translation for him to approve. Mr Davis was happy with the translation and we issued the certified translation which included a copy of the original, the translation and a declaration stating that we had provided a true translation. As the translation was required urgently and Mr Davis lived locally, we arranged for him to come in person the next morning to collect it. He was then able to resend his grandson’s passport application to the Passport Office the same day.

Although we endeavour to meet all urgent deadlines at no extra cost, it may take us 2-3 working days until we have an electronic version of the translation ready for your approval. If you require a certified translation urgently, it is best to send scans of your documents along with your initial enquiry. You can submit an enquiry through our website or email us at transaction@transaction.co.uk. We look forward to hearing from you!