Translation Services

Document translation in 300+ languages

From a single contract to a full set of technical manuals, translated by native speakers and checked by a second linguist.

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Document translation is the written conversion of a document from one language into another, keeping the meaning, tone and detail of the original intact. Prism Linguistics translates business and personal documents in more than 300 languages, using native-speaker translators who know the subject and a second linguist who checks the work before it reaches you.

A good translation should not read like a translation. Whether it is a supplier contract, a medical report or a company brochure, the aim is the same: a document that does its job in the new language as well as it did in the original.

What we translate

Documents across every field

Translators are matched to the subject, not just the language. A legal translator handles your contract; a medical translator handles your report.

Legal

Contracts, agreements, court documents, terms and conditions, witness statements and policies.

Medical and life sciences

Patient records, clinical reports, study documents, instructions for use and pharmaceutical material.

Technical and engineering

Manuals, datasheets, safety documentation, specifications and product instructions.

Financial

Reports and accounts, statements, audits, tax documents and investor material.

Marketing

Brochures, presentations, case studies and web copy, written to read naturally rather than word for word.

Personal documents

Letters, references, certificates and records. If these are for official use, see our certified translation service.

The second pair of eyes

The single thing that separates a dependable translation from a risky one is review. Every document we translate is handled by one qualified translator and then checked by a second. The reviewer reads the translation against the original, looking for anything missed, any term used inconsistently and anything that does not quite land.

This is the four-eyes principle, and it is the part of the job that machine translation on its own cannot give you. A free online tool will produce something readable in seconds. What it will not do is notice that a clause changed meaning, or that a number was transposed, or that a phrase carries a different weight in the target language. For anything that matters, that gap is the whole point.

Formats and layout

We translate Word, PDF, PowerPoint, Excel and most common formats, and we return your document laid out like the original wherever the file allows it. If you are translating a website, an app or marketing material that needs design work, our website translation and localisation services are built for that.

Questions people ask

Document translation FAQs

What file formats can you translate?
We work with Word, PDF, PowerPoint, Excel, plain text and most common formats. Where a document is editable we return it laid out like the original. For scans and PDFs we recreate the layout as closely as we can. If you have an unusual format, send it and we will let you know.
Do I need a certified translation or a standard one?
If the document is going to a government body, a court or a university, you almost certainly need a certified translation. For internal business use, marketing or general information, a standard translation is usually fine. If you are not sure, tell us what the document is for and we will say which you need.
How quickly can you turn a document around?
A typical translator handles around 2,000 to 2,500 words a day, plus time for the second-linguist check. A short document can often be ready within a day or two. For longer or urgent work we can put a team on it. Give us the word count and your deadline and we will be straight with you.
Is my document kept confidential?
Yes. Every translator works under a non-disclosure agreement and we handle your files in line with UK GDPR. We are happy to sign your own NDA before you send anything sensitive.
How do you keep the translation accurate?
Every document is translated by a native speaker of the target language who knows the subject, then reviewed by a second qualified linguist before it reaches you. This four-eyes check catches anything the first translator missed and keeps terminology consistent.

Send us your document

Upload the file, tell us the languages, and we will come back with a price and a turnaround the same day during office hours.