Often when we receive enquiries, clients ask where we’re based. Sometimes this is out of pure curiosity, other times it is because they expect they will have to bring the originals to our office. Given that we deal with clients from all over the country and around the world, popping in is not always an option. So how can you send us your documents?
Except in very rare cases we do not need to see your original documents at all. Your originals are often very valuable so it is best that you keep hold of them rather than risk losing them in the postal system. The declarations we issue for our certified translations state that we have ‘had sight of a copy of the original document’ and therefore good quality copies or images are sufficient to provide certified translations in most cases.
There are several ways in which you can send us your documents:
1) Post photocopies
Old-fashioned snail mail may not be the fastest means of sending in copies of your original documents, but it is often a practical option. If you are not very tech-savvy or do not have access to the necessary equipment to send us scanned copies it’s the obvious choice.
If you’re posting copies, please include clear photocopies (colour if possible) of each page of your original and remember to make a copy of the reverse of any pages if these include any text, stamps or signatures. If the pages are not numbered, it is advisable to write the page number on the reverse of the photocopy.
Please post your photocopies to TransAction Translators Ltd, 3-5 Redlands Business Centre, Tapton House Road, Sheffield S10 5BY, including a cover note with your full name, postal address, telephone number and email address.
2) Send a fax
Fax is a quick method of sending in your original documents; however, the quality of the image we receive is sometimes poor. We should be able to provide you with a quote and may be able to work from the copy received, however, if the quality is quite low we may have to ask you to provide copies via other means should you wish to proceed with the translation.
To send us a fax, please send all pages of the document and the reverse of any pages on which text, stamps or signatures appear. Again, it helps us enormously if you can include a cover sheet with your full name, postal address, telephone number and email address. Our fax number is +44 (0) 114 263 1959.
3) Email or upload scans
Sending scans via email is the quickest option and normally provides higher quality images for usto use. This makes assessing the cost of the translation easier and means that the copy we attach to the certified translation is of a higher quality. Please email scans either as JPEG (.jpeg) files or as PDF (.pdf) file(s) to transaction@transaction.co.uk. Between 200 and 300 dpi resolution is sufficient. Graphics pasted into Word files can sometimes come out fuzzy so they are not advised. Please note that we cannot accept photographs.
If you have several pages, you may need to zip up your files to compress them into a smaller file. Provided you have the relevant software installed, you should be able to right-click on the folder and select ‘Send to’ and ‘Compressed (zipped) folder). If your pages are larger than A4 we have a guide to help you scan them in such a way that we can reassemble them into one page on receipt of the files.
In your email it is advisable to state the language combination, i.e. from Italian into English, and the purpose of the translation. If you know what level of certification you need (for example, if you know that you need a sworn translation) it can also be helpful to include this information in your email, so that we can prepare a personalised quote based on your exact requirements.
If you have scans of your documents, you can also upload them to our website via our feedback form. Please be sure to type in your email address correctly so we can contact you.
4) Pop in and see us!
If you are based-locally, you are more than welcome to pop in and see us in person. Our offices are located in Broomhill, just off Manchester Road (A57) and the number 51 bus stops just around the corner. It is best to call first just to check that the journey is worthwhile- you may need to have documents legalised first or we may suggest you check the requirements with the relevant embassy or consulate. Our telephone number is +44 (0) 114 266 1103.
If you do pop in for a chat, please bring your original documents with you. We will take scans of them so you can take the originals home with you. If you have been sent a letter detailing your translation requirements, please bring this with you.
Don’t forget…
We are not able to provide an exact quote without seeing copies of your documents. For an idea of price please visit our Get a Price page.
If any names are difficult to read, for instance if they have been hand-written, show them in block capitals on another piece of paper so that any errors can be avoided. Where handwriting in the original document is unreadable, this would be indicated as 'illegible' in the translation.
For languages that use non-Roman alphabets (e.g. Russian, Arabic, Greek, Hebrew and some Asian languages), please provide the transliteration of all family and place names etc. Writing these names out in the English alphabet helps ensure the translators use the correct English spelling from the start.
I hope you’ve found all the information you need. If you are still unsure more information is available on our website at www.certificatetranslator.co.uk. You can also search our blog [http://blog.certificatetranslator.co.uk/blog] which covers popular enquiries as well as lots of unusual cases. If you are in any doubt please do not hesitate to get in touch either via email to transaction@transaction.co.uk or by telephone on +44 (0) 114 266 1103. We look forward to hearing from you!