A court reads a translation as evidence about a document, not as a replacement for it. We render judgments, pleadings, evidence and procedural papers so that every citation still resolves, every party remains identifiable, and nothing has been smoothed on the way — delivered certified, with a signed statement of accuracy and an order code the court can verify independently.
When you need court document translation
When foreign-language material must go before a court, a tribunal, an arbitral panel, or opposing counsel. Judgments and orders, claim forms and pleadings, motions and submissions, witness statements and affidavits, expert reports, exhibits, service documents, powers of attorney, and the certificates and extracts a registry issues.
Requirements differ sharply by forum. Many courts accept a certified translation; a great many European courts require a sworn one made by a translator registered with that court. Some filings additionally need an apostille on the original. The guide by receiving authority sets out which is which.
What a court translation has to get right
- Procedural terms do not cross systems. A German Klageschrift, an Italian atto di citazione, a French assignation, a Turkish dava dilekçesi — each begins proceedings, and none of them is quite a complaint or a writ. Rendering one by its nearest English equivalent tells the court something about the foreign procedure that is not true. We render the function and keep the original term visible, so the judge sees the document that exists rather than the one an analogy suggests.
- Parties must stay traceable. Klägerin and Beklagter, attore and convenuto, davacı and davalı carry procedural role and often gender. Where there are several parties on a side, flattening them into "plaintiff" and "defendant" makes a pleading impossible to follow against its original. Designations are kept distinguishable throughout.
- Citations are addresses, not text. Docket and case numbers, statutory references, article and paragraph numbers, page and margin numbers in a judgment — transcribed exactly, never localized into a domestic citation format. A judgment whose references no longer resolve cannot be checked against the original, which is the first thing a careful opponent will try.
- Nothing is smoothed. A pleading that is repetitive, a judgment with an awkward sentence, an affidavit that contradicts itself in the third paragraph — all of it is rendered as it stands. What is unfavourable to you is translated with the same care as what helps you, because a translation edited toward an outcome is not evidence, and an opponent who compares the two will say so.
- Illegibility is marked, never filled. Where a stamp obscures a word, a fax has degraded a line, or a signature block cannot be read, the translation says so at that point. A guess presented as a reading is the one error a court cannot forgive.
Deadlines
A hearing date does not move because a translation was late. Tell us the date when you order — not afterwards — and it is treated as the fixed point it is.
Most filings are delivered within a day. Same-day and 24-hour options are available at checkout. For a long evidentiary bundle, or where a sworn translator in a particular jurisdiction must be engaged, write to us before ordering and we will tell you honestly whether your date can be met. If it cannot, we say so — rather than accepting the work and leaving you to discover it the week of the hearing.
What we do not promise
We do not promise that a translated document will be admitted. Admissibility turns on the rules of the forum, on authentication, and on procedural law — none of which a translator controls. What we control is that the translation is complete, exact, and certified in the form the court asks for, and that we tell you before you order if sworn translation or an apostille is what your filing actually needs.
We do not advise on strategy and we do not summarize. If a document is long, it is translated in full; a translator deciding what matters has begun making your case for you, and doing it without a licence. Case strategy stays with you and your counsel.
And we do not run litigation material through a machine. Machine output on legal prose is fluent and plausible, which is precisely why the errors survive review and reach the file.
Confidentiality
Litigation papers are handled under our ISO/IEC 27001:2022 information security certification (TÜV NORD, No. 44121231258): encrypted in transit and at rest, seen only by the specialist and reviser assigned, both under non-disclosure, and deleted 45 days after delivery or earlier at your request. Where your firm requires a data processing agreement or its own confidentiality undertaking, send it and we will sign it.
How pricing works
Certified translation is priced per page at the rate for that document type, confirmed at checkout before any charge. Volume discounts apply automatically from three pages onward, rising to 25% at seven or more — which is where most bundles land. Certification, the stamp and the verifiable order code are included as standard.
Where a court requires a sworn translator registered with it, or an apostille on the original, we will tell you before you order rather than after.
How to prepare your file
- Send the complete document — every page, every exhibit referred to, stamps, service endorsements and signature blocks. A pleading missing its annexes is a pleading whose cross-references do not resolve.
- Give the case number, the issuing court, and the date. They anchor the translation and they let us flag a mismatch if the papers disagree with each other.
- Name the receiving forum and its jurisdiction, so we can confirm whether certification is sufficient or a registered sworn translator is required.
- State the hearing or filing date. It is the only piece of information here that cannot be recovered later.
Frequently asked questions
Do courts require sworn or certified translation?
It depends on the forum. United States and United Kingdom courts generally accept a certified translation with a signed statement of accuracy. German, Italian, Spanish, French, Greek and Turkish courts commonly require a sworn translation by a translator registered with the court or a ministry — a matter of the translator’s standing, not the quality of the work. Tell us the forum and we will say plainly which yours needs.
Can you translate evidence and exhibits?
Yes — exhibits, witness statements, affidavits, expert reports, correspondence produced in disclosure, and the documentary record generally. Exhibit numbering and internal references are preserved so the bundle can still be navigated against its original.
How quickly can it be done?
Most filings are delivered within a day, with same-day and 24-hour options at checkout. Long bundles are quoted individually — send them with the hearing date and you will get an honest answer about whether it can be met, before you commit.
Our firm needs an NDA or a data processing agreement in place.
Send it. We work under ISO/IEC 27001 certified information security and we are accustomed to signing firm-specific confidentiality undertakings and GDPR data processing agreements before any file is transferred.
The document contains a passage that is unfavourable to our client.
It is translated exactly as it stands. A translation is evidence about a document; one adjusted toward a party’s interest is worthless to that party the moment the other side compares it with the original — and it puts the person who certified it in a position no professional should occupy.
Related document guides
Ready when your filing is.
Working to a hearing date? Send us the papers and the date, and you will get a straight answer before you order. salve@enlatin.net