THE TRUE COST OF A SWORN TRANSLATION
As with many businesses nowadays, you will be offered a very different, if not confusing, price range for your visa application documents translation.
I have had conversations with whom I consider to be the most professional and seasoned sworn translators living in the UK and, when setting our prices, we all bear in mind, not just how long or complex the document is, but all these matters that I list below:
- Skills and expertise.
- Time interacting with the customer (emails, telephone calls..). This can take a surprising amount of time as some customers need reassurance and contact us frequently while we are producing the translations.
- Being available to customers at business hours and out of hours for emergencies.
- Time needed to digitally sign the translations and/or print them, plus purchasing postage and posting the documents when required.
- Utility bills and office/home expenses, need I say more...
- Professional memberships, insurance, accountants fees, banking fees, software susbscriptions (business email account, domains, hosting).
- Chasing unpaid invoices (it is a small minority but it is a reality).
- Time allocated to ensure GDPR compliance (document storage/deletion).
- NI and tax. Thankfully in my case, my wonderful accountant does it all for me.
-And last, but not least, remembering that we are qualified professionals who were appointed on a very strict basis and that the service we offer means we need to ensure an accurate translation to avoid all types of applications being rejected.
This small group and I have reached the conclusion that our prices should be in line of those offered by the ACRO police office, medical professionals and apostille services as we are all an integral part of the success of a visa applicant. Therefore, if the price seems much lower in comparison with the average (between £30-£50 per certificate), ask yourself what corners are being cut by the low cost translation provider and whether they are running a professional service, be it underpaying tax, not being insured or not complying with the legislation to legally operate in the UK.
