In this guide
  1. When English is already enough
  2. The certificate of accuracy
  3. Cost and clockwork
  4. Mixed-language files
  5. Civil records and fresh copies

When English is already enough

Liberia conducts its public business in English, so a UK record written in English is filed as it stands. That is the common case, and it costs nothing at all. The rule matters for the other pages in a file — the ones issued elsewhere, in another language — because those are the ones a reader cannot use.

The certificate of accuracy

The accepted form is a certified translation with a certificate of accuracy. The translator signs and dates a short page giving the source language, the target language and their own name. An official English translation in Reading is finished at that signature, not at the last line of the text itself.

Cost and clockwork

The rate is about £25 a page of the source, and the count comes from your own scan. Standard turnaround is 2-3 business days, and express work lands within 24 hours. The same certificate is issued either way, so the express lane changes your place in the queue and nothing else.

Mixed-language files

A single Liberian file often mixes English originals with pages from a neighbouring country. Translating only the pages that need it keeps the cost down and keeps the bundle honest. The English sheets stay untouched, and the translated pages sit beside their sources under one certificate.

Civil records and fresh copies

Never post an irreplaceable civil record for translation work, because a scan is all the translator needs. Where a fresh paper copy of a UK record is also wanted, Reading Register Office at Civic Offices, Bridge Street, Reading RG1 2LU issues certified copies of birth, marriage and death records, and it works by post.