At Translate Fast Ltd, we provide comprehensive written translation services and professional spoken interpreting services to help your business communicate effectively across linguistic and cultural barriers. Below you’ll find answers to some commonly asked questions. If you have a query that isn’t addressed here, please do not hesitate to contact our expert team.
To provide you with an accurate and competitive translation quote, we need to analyse the content of your source documents. This allows us:
Worried about confidentiality? We are committed to the strictest confidentiality and are happy to sign a Non-Disclosure Agreement (NDA).
We specialise in urgent translation services. If you have a time-sensitive requirement, please contact us immediately, specifying your deadline. We offer a variety of expedited translation options, including:
Please note that a surcharge may apply for urgent requests, which will always be clearly shown in your quote. The completed document translation will be emailed to you by the agreed deadline. Should you require a certified hard copy by post, we can arrange this (please allow additional time for delivery).
We understand that the need for interpreting services can arise unexpectedly. For urgent interpreting requests, please contact us as soon as possible. We will endeavour to source a suitable, qualified interpreter for your needs, whether for:
Availability for short-notice interpreting depends on the language combination, location, and specialism required. We will always be transparent about our capacity to meet your urgent needs.
Yes, for most document translations. If your source files are in an editable format (e.g., Microsoft Word, PowerPoint), we can typically maintain the original layout and formatting at no extra charge.
If your files are non-editable (e.g., scanned PDFs, images), we will strive to replicate the formatting as closely as possible, depending on the complexity and deadline.
For documents where precise formatting is crucial (e.g., marketing materials, technical manuals), we offer professional multilingual DTP (Desktop Publishing) services for a reasonable additional fee, ensuring your translated content is print-ready and perfectly presented.
Translations: Your completed document translations are typically delivered electronically via email, usually in Microsoft Word or PDF formats. Certified translations are often provided as a PDF. If alternative formats are required, please let us know. Turnaround times quoted are for electronic delivery; please allow an extra 1-2 working days for postal delivery of hard copies. We offer complimentary Royal Mail 1st Class postage for UK deliveries. Special Next Day, courier and international delivery options are available at a fee.
Interpreting: Interpreting services can be delivered on-site at your premises or chosen venue, or remotely via video remote interpreting (VRI) or telephone interpreting, depending on your requirements and the nature of the assignment. We ensure our interpreters are briefed and prepared for each engagement.
Meeting deadlines is a cornerstone of our service. We will only commit to a translation project or interpreting assignment if we are confident in our ability to deliver on time and to the highest standard.
In the rare event of unforeseen circumstances affecting a linguist (e.g., illness), our extensive global network of over 1,000 professional translators and qualified interpreters allows us to implement contingency plans swiftly, assigning a suitable replacement to ensure continuity and timely completion.
We pride ourselves on our reliability, recently demonstrated by projects such as:
We maintain an excellent track record, with over 98% of projects delivered on time, and frequently in advance of the required deadline.
Translation: We have a minimum charge of £40.00 + VAT for small translation orders. This is considerably lower than many other translation agencies and ensures even minor tasks are handled professionally.
Interpreting: For interpreting services, fees are often (but not always) based on half-day or full-day rates, depending on the assignment’s duration and nature. Please contact us to discuss the pricing structure for your specific interpreting needs.
Quality assurance is central to our operations.
Written Translations: Our translations are carried out by professional human translators who are native speakers of the target language and possess proven expertise in the relevant subject matter.
Spoken Interpreting: We only work with established, qualified interpreters experienced in their specific fields (e.g., legal interpreting, medical interpreting, business interpreting). They adhere to strict codes of professional conduct, including impartiality and confidentiality. We are proud to be ranked as the No. 1 Translation Agency in the UK (Trustpilot score 5.0, Translator Category, May 2025), reflecting our commitment to excellence and client satisfaction.
Our standard practice is to provide high-quality human translation, as we believe this delivers the nuanced accuracy and cultural sensitivity essential for professional communication. We do not offer raw, unedited machine translation unless specifically requested by a client for informational purposes (e.g., gist translation of very large volumes where quality is not the primary concern). If MT is used as a tool, it is always by our client’s request, followed by post-editing by a human professional (PEMT) to meet our quality standards.
Yes, we provide comprehensive website translation and website localisation services. This involves significantly more than direct word-for-word translation. Our detailed process includes:
Furthermore, we can deliver the translated and localised content in a variety of formats.
Localisation is the process of adapting a product, service, or content to the specific linguistic, cultural, and technical requirements of a target market. This goes beyond simple translation and is crucial for effective global engagement. Our localisation services cover:
Adapting content from one English variant to another (e.g., US English to British English). All localisation work is performed by native speakers residing in the target country, ensuring genuine authenticity and cultural resonance.
We offer a comprehensive range of interpreting services to meet diverse business needs, including:
Our expansive global network of dedicated professional linguists enables us to provide expert translation services and interpreting services across a truly comprehensive range of languages. We cover all major European, Asian, Middle Eastern, and African languages, along with many rarer languages and specific dialects. Below is a list of languages frequently requested in the UK. However, this list is not exhaustive, so if your required language is not shown, please do not hesitate to contact us with your specific language requirements – we are confident we can assist.
Afrikaans, Akan (Twi/Fante), Albanian, Amharic, Arabic (including various dialects like Egyptian, Levantine, Iraqi), Armenian, Bengali (with Sylheti), Bosnian, Bulgarian, Burmese, Cantonese, Catalan, Cornish, Croatian, Czech, Danish, Dari, Dutch, Estonian, Farsi (Persian), Finnish, Flemish, French, Gaelic (Irish), Gaelic (Scottish), Georgian, German, Greek, Gujarati, Hausa, Hebrew, Hindi, Hungarian, Icelandic, Igbo, Indonesian, Italian, Japanese, Kannada, Kinyarwanda, Korean, Kurdish (Sorani/Kurmanji), Latvian, Lingala, Lithuanian, Luganda, Macedonian, Malay, Malayalam, Maltese, Mandarin, Marathi, Mongolian, Nepali, Norwegian, Oromo, Pashto, Polish, Portuguese (European and Brazilian), Punjabi (Panjabi), Romanian, Russian, Serbian, Shona, Sinhala, Slovak, Slovenian, Somali, Spanish, Swahili, Swedish, Tagalog (Filipino), Tamil, Telugu, Thai, Tigrinya, Turkish, Ukrainian, Urdu, Vietnamese, Welsh (Cymraeg), Yiddish, Yoruba, Zulu and many more!
We pride ourselves on our ability to meet very particular client needs, sourcing specialist interpreters with unique skill combinations. A pertinent example is a recent legal interpreting assignment where we successfully provided an Urdu-speaking interpreter possessing a vital comprehension of Punjabi, a specific requirement critical for the clarity and accuracy of the live, spoken communication.
Confidentiality is paramount in all interpreting assignments. Our professional translators interpreters are bound by strict codes of ethics, which include a duty of confidentiality regarding all information disclosed during an assignment. We are also happy to arrange for our linguist to sign a project-specific Non-Disclosure Agreements (NDAs) for particularly sensitive projects.
To stay informed about Translate Fast’s latest developments, insights into the translation and interpreting industry, and examples of our recent work, we invite you to explore:
We regularly update these platforms with valuable content and news about our services.
Yes, we specialize in providing professionally certified translations of a wide range of legal documents essential for family court proceedings in the UK. This includes, but is not limited to, court statements, CAFCASS reports, witness statements, marriage certificates, birth certificates, and any other official documentation required by the courts. Our translations are meticulously carried out by qualified linguists with expertise in legal terminology and are accompanied by the appropriate certification to ensure they are accepted by UK courts and legal bodies.
Furthermore, we understand the critical importance of clear communication during legal hearings. Therefore, we also offer experienced in-person interpreters to assist you during family court proceedings. Our interpreters are adept at accurately conveying information in real-time, ensuring you fully understand the proceedings and can effectively communicate.
