English is the working language
Gambia works in English, which decides what this is for. A certified translation into English in Newcastle upon Tyne applies to a record issued in another language — a birth entry in French from a neighbouring country, a Portuguese school report, an Arabic marriage record. A paper already written in English is handed over as it stands, and paying to translate English into English helps nobody.
The parts people are tempted to drop
Small print is where files come apart. The serial number in the corner, the printer's code at the foot, a struck-through line with a registrar's initials next to it, the words running around the rim of a stamp: each one is carried across. They look like clutter until a clerk goes looking for the one that proves your sheet is genuine. Everything visible on the source page has a counterpart on the English page.
What Gambia accepts as certification
The certification here is a certificate of accuracy signed by a certified translator. It names the translator, names the document, states that the English matches it, and carries a date and a handwritten signature. No court is involved and no oath is taken, which keeps the route short. Fasten that sheet to the English text and the copy behind it, and hand in all three parts as a single set.
Counting pages, counting days
The rate is £25 for each page as issued, so the arithmetic is done before you send anything: count the sides of paper, including the reverse of any sheet with a stamp on it. Standard work runs 2–3 business days from a readable scan and express finishes in 24 hours. The one thing that stretches a job is an image nobody can read, since an unclear digit in a reference number has to be resolved rather than guessed.
Your own paper stays with you
Only the translation is certified; your record keeps its own form and stays where it is. If the sheet you hold is faded, torn or has been amended over the years, Newcastle Register Office issues a fresh copy of a civil record, and a clean sheet gives a cleaner scan and fewer queries. That office works by post rather than a walk-in counter, so allow a few days for a copy to arrive before the clock on the translation starts.