What language pairs do you work with?

The most common language combination will have English language either as a source or target language. However, we do work with other combinations, i.e. Polish to French or Spanish to German. If you do not see the required language on the Languages page above or cannot get a price through our Instant Quote Calculator, please contact our office and we will more than likely be able to help.

How long does it take to translate a document?

The usual turnaround time is 3 working days. This period may vary depending on the word count, complexity of the translation and availability of translators. We have special rates for urgent requests. Please use our Instant Quote Calculator to see prices for Instant (same day), Urgent (next day) and non urgent requests – Express (delivery within 3 working days) and Best Value (delivery within a week). Instant and Urgent translations are subject to translators’ availability.

Do you provide translations as electronic files?

Yes, all translations other than certified translations can be provided in pdf format.

What qualifications do your translators have?

All our linguists are native speakers of the target language and recognized experts in their subject areas. We have a separate team of certified translators appointed by the ministries of foreign affairs of respective countries or accredited professional bodies (for example, Irish Translators’ and Interpreters’ Association). They have vast experience of providing professional translation and interpreting services in their respective fields. Please take a look at some examples of the profiles of the members of our team on the Our Translators and Interpreters page.

What steps are taken to ensure my translation is correct?

Your order will pass through the hands of several individuals to ensure accuracy of translation. It will be translated by an expert in the field and proofread by a native speaker of the target language. If you ordered a certified translation, you will be given an opportunity to check your translation in our office upon its collection.

Do you also provide website translation and localisation services?

Yes, we do as language service providers. Please contact us with more details on your project.

Can you assist with drafting a legal document for use abroad?

Yes. The most popular requests are for Power of Attorney and Consent of a Parent for an Underage Child Travelling Abroad. The document will be prepared in English and the language of the country where it is intended for use. You can submit personal details and all required information related to your legal document by email. We will arrange an appointment for you with a solicitor to sign the document in his presence.  We collaborate with McMahon Solicitors in Dublin city centre. There are also a few solicitor’s offices beside our Dun Laoghaire office, where you can make an appointment yourself. You will need to bring original passport or another official ID. Please check in advance, if an Apostille is required on the document, with the foreign authorities where it will be presented.

I have read information on your website about interpreting services and need additional information. How can you help?

You might find section INTERPRETING SERVICES in our T&Cs below helpful. You can always contact our office to receive more detailed information on the services and rates.


What does a certified translation mean?

A translation performed by a certified translator who was either appointed by the ministry of foreign affairs of a respective country or accredited professional body. Certified translators (sworn translators) are usually bound by a code of practice and professional ethics. They comply with the requirements of confidentiality, impartiality and professional standards.

What type of documents requires an official certified translation?

As a rule certified translations of the following documents are required by public bodies:

  • Birth Certificates
  • Divorce Certificates or Separation Papers
  • Marriage Certificates
  • Degrees and Diplomas
  • Death Certificates
  • Medical Statements
  • Adoption Papers
  • Agreements
  • Custody Papers
  • Contracts
  • Notarial Deeds
  • Memoranda and Articles of Association
  • Court Rulings
  • Official correspondence
  • Affidavits
Do I need to certify my translations by a solicitor?

Some institutions in Ireland, such as GNIB, Irish Nursing Board, registry offices, Department of Justice, etc. require additional certification by a solicitor. It will depend on the purpose of the translated document. We collaborate with McMahon’s Solicitors located in Dublin city centre. There are also a few solicitor’s offices beside our Dun Laoghaire office. They can certify translations on the day of collection of your translation without prior arrangements upon presentation of the original document. If your translation is intended for use abroad, please check with the national standards of the respective country and read about Apostille below.

Will your translation be accepted by Irish authorities?

The team of translators of Instant Translation includes certified translators approved by various professional associations. Our translations are accepted by all public institutions in Ireland. We recommend checking in advance with the respective authority, if your translations should be additionally certified by a solicitor and whether an Apostille is required on your original document.

What is Apostille and do I need it on my translation?

Apostille is a special stamp affixed by competent authorities to verify the authenticity of the document. If you intend to present your Irish birth certificate together with the translation abroad, please check in the respective country, if an Apostille is required on the document.

It seems to be a standard practice in Ireland to affix Apostille to original documents and not the translations. We usually translate documents after the stamp was affixed by the Department of Foreign Affairs of Ireland. To be eligible for an Apostille, a document must be issued or certified by an Irish authority. For example, documents that have been notarised in Ireland (i.e. company formation documents) are eligible for Apostille, as well as all civil status documents (birth and marriage certificates) issued in Ireland. If your document was issued abroad, you will need to contact a consular office of the issuing country. For example, Irish registry office might ask for an Apostille on a divorce certificate issued in Russia. In this case Russian Embassy should be able to assist with the Apostille.

You might also find information regarding Apostille on our Certified Translation page in Services section helpful.

Do I need to bring an original document for a certified translation or can I send it electronically?

Original documents are required for certification of the translations. However, if you cannot bring the original document to our office, you can post a copy of your original document, certified by a solicitor or a Garda officer. To speed up the translation process, you can attach a scan of your original document, when placing an order through our Instant Quote Calculator. We will be able to verify the scanned copy in our office, when you come for collection of the translation and bring the original document, or when we receive a certified copy of it from you by post. Other documents, translations of which do not need to be certified, can be submitted electronically on info@instantranslation.ie.

Can I receive a copy of my certified translation?

Yes. However, we do destroy all translations within a certain period of time for confidentiality and personal data protection purposes. We charge a small fee for duplicates of certified translations. Contact us to find out if we still have your translation in our system.

Do I need to collect the translations in person?

No, your friend or relative can collect your translation once we receive a confirmation from you hereof. She/he might need to present evidence of payment of a deposit (our receipt, confirmation of payment by PayPal or bank transfer).

Can you send my certified translation by post?

Yes, provided an original document or its certified copy was presented to us in person or by post at the time of placing an order. See our answer above regarding originals and copies. We can post certified translations and their copies by DHL, Express/Registered or Regular Post. You can indicate which postal services you prefer when placing your order through the Instant Quote Calculator.

Why do you need to see my ID?

We ask for official identification documents to verify the spelling of proper names in English for translations of documents from non Latin based languages such as Russian, Bulgarian, Arabic, Chinese, etc. The translation of proper names may vary in English and we want to ensure that we follow the official spelling of your name in English adopted in your country.


How much will it cost me to translate a document?
The price is based on a word count. We do have a fixed minimum fee for documents with less than 300 words. The easiest way to request a quote is to use the Instant Quote Calculator on our website. If you have your document in an electronic format, please attach it to the form and we will contact you with an exact price. For large volumes we use professional software that allows us to avoid charging you for repetitions in the text and ensure consistency in translating terminology. We guarantee a 24 hour confirmation to your query provided we have all the necessary information about your order. Please note that quotes given through Instant Quote Calculator are preliminary and subject to our Terms and Conditions.
What is included in your price quote?

The quote includes the price for the provision of professional translation and interpreting services.

Your order for translation will pass through the hands of several individuals to ensure the accuracy of the translation. It will be translated by an expert in the relative field and proofread by a native speaker of the target language.

The Instant Quote for interpreting services does not include additional costs described in the next question.

Please note that prices that are given through the Instant Quote Calculator are exclusive of VAT.

Are there any additional costs?

Extra charges apply for provision of services on weekends and holidays, audio or video recording of interpreting process, specialised terminology and complicated formatting, translation of large volumes required within a short period and also for translation of poor quality originals (small, poor or blurred print, hand-written texts, etc.). Such surcharges will be discussed separately.

In case of interpreting services, additional costs may include traveling costs, meals and accommodation, if services are requested outside of the place of business of the interpreter. More details can be found in our Terms and Conditions.

You can always contact our office to receive more detailed information on the services and rates.

Do you charge VAT?

Yes, we are a VAT-registered business and charge VAT at 23%. The final price inclusive of VAT will be given in our confirmation email by the member of our team.

How can I pay for translation or interpreting services?

Once your order is confirmed by us, you can proceed with the payment by one of the following methods. Payment can be made via PayPal to instantranslation@gmail.com, or by postal order, cheque, bank draft or bank transfer.

When do I have to pay for your services?

We require an advance payment for translation services at the time of order confirmation unless agreed otherwise in accordance with our Terms and Conditions.

An invoice will be sent to you or your company for the provision of the interpreting services after the interpreting event.


Are you open on Saturdays and Sundays?
Our office is open from Monday to Friday from 10:00 am to 5:00 pm with a lunch break from 1:00 pm to 2:00pm.

Feel free to send us an email outside our business hours on instantranslation@gmail.com. We will get back to you as soon as we can.

How can I find out how many words are in my document?
The easiest way to prepare a word count is to convert you document to Word format. Microsoft Word displays this information in the Status Bar.

Word count on handwritten documents will have to be done manually.

If you have a big file, you can send it directly to us on info@instantranslation.ie. For large volumes we use professional software that allows us to avoid charging you for repetitions in the text.