In all legal matters, precise wording and technical accuracy are essential to ensure compliance, understanding and justice for all parties concerned. When even the smallest shift in phrasing can have significant cross-border consequences, specialist linguists are critical to eliminate misinterpretations and facilitate smooth multilingual legal proceedings.
Our bespoke legal document translation services are tailored to your unique requirements.
Don’t just take our word for it…
We have always found Business Language Services to be extremely professional and efficient. […] Would highly recommend your services to others.
Fairbrother and Darlow Solicitors
Explore our language services for your field of law
Criminal Law
- Witness statements
- Particulars of claim
- Evidential texts
- Transcripts of court proceedings and inquests
Family Law
- Marriage certificates
- Divorce certificates and decrees
- Child custody arrangements
- Powers of attorney
- Documents needed for getting married abroad
Employment Law
- Contracts
- Disciplinary hearings
- Employment tribunals
- Right to work documentation
Contract Law
- Sale of goods
- Service agreements
- Licence agreements and EULAs
- Transfer of ownership
Corporate Law
- Articles of association
- Policies
- Regulatory body registration
- Shareholder documentation
- Companies House documentation
- Franchise agreements
Property and Land Law
- Tenancy agreements
- Conveyancing
- Property finance
- Eviction proceedings
- Landlord disputes
- Survey reports
Litigation and ADR
- Mergers and acquisitions
- Contractual disputes
- Regulatory
Intellectual Property (IP)
- Patents
- Copyrights
- Trademarks
Immigration Law
- Asylum applications
- Visa applications
- Changes of citizenship
Data Protection
- GDPR compliance
- Privacy policies
- Website cookie policies
- Confidentiality agreements
- Non-disclosure agreements (NDAs)
Personal Legal Documents
If you are an individual looking for translations of official documents and certificates for legal purposes, we offer a full range of certified translation services.
About Business Language Services
At Business Language Services (BLS), we are a linguist-led team specialising in compliance-grade language services for regulated industries, including technical, legal, medical and financial.
From our offices in Cardiff and Glasgow, we have been reliably providing legal translation services in the UK and around the world for over 30 years.
All of our project managers are linguists themselves, so they have first-hand experience of what translators and interpreters need to produce the highest quality work.
Backed by ISO certifications and accreditation by leading industry bodies, we are committed to delivering the highest quality translation and interpreting services to meet your requirements and expectations every time.
Why work with a specialist legal translation agency?
Compliance-grade accuracy and quality control
- Specialist linguists with expertise in your legal field for error-free results every time
- Consistent use of approved terminology thanks to expert terminology management systems
- Three-stage translation, editing and proofreading process
- ISO9001 Quality Management certification
Legal expertise beyond the language
- Familiarity with regulatory requirements
- Multilingual checks for accuracy and consistency
- Tools to work with all file formats, ensuring compatibility with your systems
- Accredited interpreters with police and court clearances and DBS checks
Linguist-led human service with 30+ years' experience
- Dedicated project manager will guide you through the entire process
- All project managers are trained linguists, meaning faster resolution of linguistic queries
- Proven track record – over 30 years of excellence
Certification for guaranteed acceptance
- Certification to prove accuracy to Notified Bodies, industry regulators, courts or government authorities
- All types of certification available:
- Certification
- Notarisation
- Legalisation (Apostille)
- Sworn (in-country)
Bespoke, end-to-end service packages
- Translation is not ‘one size fits all’ – tailored language solutions for your individual needs
- Full suite of post-translation services, e.g.:
- Audio transcription
- Terminology/glossary management
- Desktop publishing / typesetting
- Printing and binding
Secure and confidential handling of files and data
- Secure client portal for seamless transfer of project files
- All project managers, interpreters and translators have signed strict NDAs, so your information remains confidential
- Project traceability and version control as standard, so you can easily request updates to previously translated materials
Legal translations in just four simple steps
1. Consultation & Quotation
Gather all necessary details (languages, formats, services) and provide a personalised quote tailored to the project.
2. Linguists' Briefing
Brief linguists on requirements, including stylistic and length considerations, and prepare for translation.
3. Translation, Editing & Proofreading
Expert linguists handle translation, editing, proofreading, and certification as per requested standards.
4. Delivery
We deliver the final files as a ready‑to‑use package and handle additional services like desktop publishing or printing, as needed.
Translation services for legal experts, delivered by legal experts
Legal professionals rely on precise wording in all of their documentation, whether this is for compliance with regulatory requirements, to eliminate misunderstanding of contractual agreements or to present evidence clearly and effectively in court. When these materials are translated, the same level of precision and expertise is essential.
When translating legal texts, even the most subtle errors can have serious consequences. Inaccuracies can lead to translations being misunderstood or even rejected by their recipients, resulting in legal difficulties, additional costs and reputational damage for your company.
We always hand-pick legal translators and interpreters based on their experience with your field of law, and all translations go through our rigorous three-stage quality assurance process, ensuring that your documents are accurately translated and are in accordance with legal requirements and stylistic preferences of the target language and legal system every time
All of our project managers are linguists themselves, so they have first-hand knowledge and experience of the translation process and the information, tools and resources that translators need to produce their best work. They are also familiar with the kinds of errors that linguists can make, and so are ideally placed to spot these when proofreading your translations before final delivery. This makes them a critical quality and risk control mechanism and facilitates rapid resolution of any linguistic queries you may have.
Consistent use of approved terminology and phrasing is essential in legal translations, as this is often required for legal and regulatory compliance. Additionally, if you are making updates to existing documents, it is neither necessary nor cost-effective to retranslate the entire document, and doing so inconsistently could cause confusion for readers.
Our industry-leading translation software allows us to create personalised multilingual glossaries and databases of approved translations, as well as ensure that any updates overwrite older translations, guaranteeing consistency between projects and meaning that you will never pay to translate the same text twice.
Legal document translations sometimes need to be submitted to international authorities, courts or notified bodies, which often means that the translations must be certified in order to be accepted. This confirms to the organisation receiving the translation that it is a true and accurate representation of the original document, that the linguist who completed the translation was competent and sufficiently qualified, and that the translation may be legally replied upon.
We can provide all types of certification to ensure that your translations are accepted by the relevant authorities.
Legal expertise trusted by businesses, law firms and individuals
We have been supporting hundreds of leading businesses, law firms and individuals with expert legal translations for over 30 years.
Don't just take our word for it…
Here is what some of our satisfied customers had to say about our legal translation services:
We have used Business Language Services many times to provide a translation and interpreter service in a legal capacity. They provide a thorough service and are very efficient. It is a pleasure corresponding with all at Business Language Services and they are always happy to help. For every query I have had, they have been able to assist, and the work has been of high quality each time. They are competitively priced and very professional. We would recommend Business Language Services to all.
Red Kite Law
We have used Business Language Services a couple of times now and they have always been really helpful and quick at responding. We initially approached them with a query that we had come across for the first time and they were excellent at answering our questions, providing guidance to us and being able to carry out the specific task in a timely manner.
McClure and Collins Solicitors
We have always found Business Language Services to be extremely professional and efficient. You always manage, somehow, to accommodate our requests even those requests at rather short notice. Would highly recommend your services to others. Long may it continue.
Fairbother and Darlow Solicitors
Our accreditations and memberships
More than
30 years
in the industry
Get started with your legal translation today
To find out more about how we can support you with end-to-end translation solutions, speak to one of our friendly team today.
Frequently asked questions
Why does legal translation require specialist linguists?
Legal systems and their required terminology and writing conventions differ substantially between countries, so only linguists with specific legal experience will be familiar with these differences and will be able to translate legal documents accurately.
How much do legal translation services cost?
Costs for legal translation services start from around £60–£80 + VAT, depending on the language pair. This usually covers up to approx. 500 words; thereafter, the cost is based on the number of words.
Please get in touch for a free, no-obligation quote tailored to your project’s requirements.
Are AI and machine translation safe to use for legal translations?
AI and machine translation are rarely accurate enough for legal translations, and they are sometimes prohibited in highly legally sensitive circumstances such as certified translations. They can sometimes be used in less critical situations, such as providing a quick reference-only translation, provided that their output is thoroughly edited by professional linguists who are subject matter experts.
All of our machine translation systems and AI translation engines are closed-source and so are compliant with all relevant data protection regulations, and we never use your materials to train them.
What are the risks of poor-quality legal translations?
Poor-quality legal translations can lead to many serious consequences. For example, mistranslations can cause confusion or misunderstanding for recipients, or can even render the translated document no longer legally effective. This can have a direct impact on the outcome of court cases, contractual arrangements, patent applications, etc.
Can legal translations be certified or audited for regulatory use?
Yes. Some regulatory bodies require translations to be certified to prove that they are accurate representations of the original documents.
This typically involves the translator or a representative of the translation agency signing a legally-binding declaration that bears a stamp from a recognised translation industry organisation, such as the Association of Translation Companies (ATC) or Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) – we are a member of both of these institutions.
Translations may also be notarised or legalised (also known as apostilled) in certain circumstances, but this is not normally needed except in the most sensitive legal situations.