Frequently asked questions about Ecrivus

The price depends on the language combination, the document type, the volume and whether a certified translation is required. You receive a no-obligation quote with a fixed price up front, so there are no unexpected costs. A translation into a frequently requested language such as Dutch or German is usually lower than a rare language combination. All prices are quoted excl. VAT.

The price of a certified translation depends on the language, the number of pages and the type of document. Common languages are usually lower than rare ones, and a single-page deed costs less than a multi-page file. We set the rate up front in the quote, including any legalisation. We do not quote a fixed price per page without seeing your document, because formatting and layout affect the work. Prices are excl. VAT.

Yes, a quote is free of obligation and commits you to nothing. You send your document, we send a price estimate back, and you then decide whether to go ahead. On working days we respond to your request within 30 minutes.

A quote is usually valid for 30 days, unless we state otherwise. The validity period and the agreed turnaround are set out in the quote itself. If your document or your schedule changes afterwards, we adjust the estimate and send you a new one.

Once you approve the quote you receive an invoice. Businesses usually pay on account, private clients pay in advance or on delivery. We set out the payment terms in the quote, so you know them before you place the order. If you have a specific requirement, such as a purchase-order number or a payment term, let us know with your request.

You can cancel an order as long as we have not yet started; in that case we charge nothing. If the work has already begun, we invoice the part completed up to that point. We always discuss where things stand with you before we carry on, so you know where you are.

Yes, private individuals as well as businesses and public bodies are welcome. Private clients often ask us for certified translations of diplomas, deeds and documents for immigration authorities such as the UK Home Office. Businesses and law firms come to us with contracts, annual reports and technical documentation.

A standard translation is meant for information and communication; a certified translation has legal validity with official authorities. You use a standard translation for a website, a brochure, an internal presentation or a CV. You request a certified translation for documents that a government, court or embassy must recognise, such as a diploma, birth certificate or passport.

A certified translation is a translation produced by a sworn translator who is officially recognised by a court of law or an accredited professional register. The translator attaches the translation to the source document and adds a signed statement of accuracy and stamp. This gives the translation legal validity with governments, courts and official institutions such as the Home Office.

You need a certified translation for official documents that must be valid with an authority, such as a birth certificate, marriage certificate, diploma, passport or immigration document. For a CV, website, product description or internal note, a standard translation is enough. If you are unsure which form the receiving party requires, check with them first; we are happy to advise on what is needed.

In the UK, a certified translation is typically a translation accompanied by a signed statement of accuracy from the translator or agency; a sworn translation is the equivalent used in many continental-European countries. Some authorities or countries ask for an additional certification or statement of authenticity. Let us know which country and which authority the translation is for, and we arrange the form that will be accepted there.

A qualified translator is registered with a professional body such as the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI) or the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL), and interpreters with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI). You can check membership via <a href="https://www.iti.org.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">iti.org.uk</a> or <a href="https://www.ciol.org.uk" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">ciol.org.uk</a>. For certified assignments we work with translators recognised by a court of law or an accredited register.

Yes, the translator attaches the certified translation to a copy of the source document. This is a fixed part of the certification and is needed when an embassy or foreign authority later wants to legalise the whole. Let us know with your request whether you need a paper version, or whether a digitally certified translation will suffice.

Legalisation is the official confirmation that a signature, stamp or seal on a document is genuine, so that it is recognised in another country. For countries that are not party to the Hague Apostille Convention, this runs through a chain of authorities, with the embassy or consulate of the destination country as the final step. This route has a longer turnaround than an apostille.

An apostille is a legalisation certificate under the Hague Apostille Convention 1961 that makes a document fit for use in another contracting country. You need an apostille when your certified translation or official document must be recognised in a convention country. The UK issues apostilles through the Legalisation Office of the Foreign, Commonwealth & Development Office (FCDO).

For countries party to the Hague Apostille Convention an apostille is enough; for other countries full legalisation via the embassy is needed. Whether a country is party to the convention is shown on the website of the Hague Conference on Private International Law (<a href="https://www.hcch.net" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer">hcch.net</a>). Let us know which country the document is for, and we work out the right route for you.

In the UK an apostille is issued by the FCDO Legalisation Office; the fee and turnaround vary per situation. We state the current costs and the schedule on request and confirm them in the quote. We can also handle the apostille application for you, so you do not have to deal with the office yourself.

Legalisation runs through external authorities such as the FCDO, the issuing body and possibly an embassy, and each step takes processing time outside our control. The turnaround depends on the destination country and how busy those authorities are. We map out the route for you up front and confirm a realistic schedule in the quote.

The turnaround depends on the volume, the language combination and whether certification or legalisation is needed. We confirm a realistic deadline in the quote, based on your document and start time. That way you know where you stand up front.

Yes, a rush assessment is possible. Send your document for a rush estimate; we review what is feasible and confirm the schedule in the quote. For rush requests we are also reachable outside office hours.

You can submit almost any format: PDF, Word, Excel, PowerPoint, images, and exports from InDesign, HTML or XML. We handle more than a hundred file types and deliver in the format you need. For certified translations we work from a scan or photo, but for the attachment we sometimes need a paper original or a certified copy.

You can add your document to the quote request or send it to us by email; for large or sensitive files we use a secure connection. Feel free to tell us if you want to use your own upload environment. What you submit is shared only with the translators working on your assignment.

Standard translations are delivered digitally in the agreed format. A certified translation is delivered on paper, with the translation attached to the source document; we send it by recorded delivery or courier, or you collect it in Maastricht. Many authorities now also accept a digitally certified version; we agree the form you need up front.

Yes, you can have content from your CMS or webshop translated. Provide an export, for example via XML, a CSV file or a plug-in, and we keep the structure and codes intact. We work with CAT tools such as Trados, Phrase and memoQ that retain your terminology, so product names and standard text stay consistent across the whole site.

We translate into more than 225 languages, supported by a network of more than 10,000 linguists. Alongside frequently requested languages such as English, German, French and Spanish, we also work with rare languages such as Tigrinya, Dari and Papiamento. For each specialist field, such as legal, medical, technical and financial, we match a specialist with domain knowledge.

A machine gives you a rough version quickly, but it does not read context, register or legal nuance, and it has no legal validity. For a first impression such a tool sometimes suffices; for publication, contracts or official documents you risk errors that change the meaning. We therefore use AI as a tool under human control, with a translator who ultimately produces and checks the work.

We combine CAT tools such as Trados, Phrase and memoQ with human translators and revision. We use AI support, with tools such as DeepL Pro, OpenAI, Anthropic and Google, where it benefits quality, with a human specialist who checks the work. We do not produce official and certified documents without a human translator and revision. We carry out a second revision where the specialist field, the risk or the volume requires it.

We capture your fixed terms in a glossary and build a translation memory for each client. Previously translated sentences and approved terminology come back in later assignments, even years apart. If you have your own style guide or preferred terminology, provide it; your glossary stays yours.

Let us know, and we review your comments together with the translator and adjust where justified. We process your feedback and update your glossary, so a future assignment fits better. A dedicated project manager keeps an overview of your file, including during corrections.

You request an interpreter via a quote; give us the languages, the date, the duration and the type of meeting. Based on this we match an interpreter with the right specialisation, for example a court interpreter, conference interpreter or public-service interpreter. For court and public-service settings we work with interpreters registered with the National Register of Public Service Interpreters (NRPSI).

Yes, we provide on-site interpreters and remote interpreters via video or telephone. A meeting at a solicitor or a court hearing often calls for an interpreter in person, while a short consultation or a healthcare intake lends itself well to video interpreting. We advise which form suits your situation and arrange the interpreting equipment if needed.

We process your documents through a GDPR-aligned workflow and share them only with the translators working on your assignment. On request we sign a non-disclosure agreement (NDA) before you submit your files. This keeps sensitive legal, medical and financial documents within a restricted circle.

We keep your documents and data no longer than necessary for the assignment and our legal obligations. Files are not reused after delivery without your consent. If you want us to delete your data once finished, or instead keep it for follow-up assignments, let us know and we comply.