Sworn in translation
Thread poster: Wioleta Kwiatkowska
Wioleta Kwiatkowska
Wioleta Kwiatkowska
United Kingdom
English to Polish
+ ...
Jan 3, 2019

An English agency asked me to provide a translation of documents for court purposes and to have them sworn in. I was told that I have to make an appointment with a solicitor (“not a notary as they are much more expensive and there are fewer of them”) to have an affidavit sworn in and for them to witness me sign it. I was told that their fee should be around £10 (“£5 for the affidavit and £2 per exhibit”).

I live in Scotland. I contacted two local firms of solicitors and i
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An English agency asked me to provide a translation of documents for court purposes and to have them sworn in. I was told that I have to make an appointment with a solicitor (“not a notary as they are much more expensive and there are fewer of them”) to have an affidavit sworn in and for them to witness me sign it. I was told that their fee should be around £10 (“£5 for the affidavit and £2 per exhibit”).

I live in Scotland. I contacted two local firms of solicitors and it appears that to have an affidavit sworn in I would have to see a notary public and that it’s a lot more expensive service, in Scotland at least. I was told it costs £75 plus VAT.

The agency wasn’t willing to pay these charges. I wonder if I could have done something more to satisfy the client and to keep the assignment. Is it possible to have an affidavit sworn in for as little as £10 in Scotland?
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Nikki Scott-Despaigne
Nikki Scott-Despaigne  Identity Verified
Local time: 10:08
French to English
Swearing, certifying and "affidaviting"! ;-) Jan 3, 2019

I am not certain that I understand what the agency actually wanted you to do.

People swear oaths. (Translations cannot swear). Translations can be certified. In the UK, any translator can certify his/her translation.

The translator can make a written statement certifying that the translation is an accurate rendering of the source document (for example). You could then be said to be "swearing an affidavit". That statement can be made before a solicitor or a notary, who
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I am not certain that I understand what the agency actually wanted you to do.

People swear oaths. (Translations cannot swear). Translations can be certified. In the UK, any translator can certify his/her translation.

The translator can make a written statement certifying that the translation is an accurate rendering of the source document (for example). You could then be said to be "swearing an affidavit". That statement can be made before a solicitor or a notary, who can then stamp and sign the statement confirming that the signature on the statement is that of X (translator) who will have had to provide proof of his/her identity. That sworn statement is an affidavit. Note that the solicitor/notary's signature, etc. serves to certify the signature as above. The solicitor/notary does not certify anything at all about the translation. The solicitor/notary will charge a fee for this service. This is an expense that the translator will pass on to his/her client.
Note that you can swear an affidavit in court, in which case there is no charge.

Affidavits: https://www.inbrief.co.uk/civil-court/affidavits/
On sworn translators and certified translations in the UK: https://bellingua.co.uk/2017/10/26/sworn-translators-in-the-uk/

If the client requires an affidavit, then the client should cover this expense. The solicitor/notary will charge for his/her time. You, as the translator, should also charge the time it takes for you to swear the affidavit. Thus, you charge for the translation, the time spent swearing the affidavit and add on the cost of whatever the solicitor/notary charges you.

The agency should have an idea of the cost, so I don't know why they would be surprised about that. I'm not sure what differences there are on this point between England and Scotland, but the agency does not seem to have been clear, or had not taken into account differences between the legal systems of England and Scotland. A mystery to me.





[Edited at 2019-01-03 22:09 GMT]
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Wioleta Kwiatkowska
 


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Sworn in translation







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