Family Court Translation in the UK: Translating Evidence for Family Proceedings

The rule is short, and it's in paragraph 8.2 of Practice Direction 22A to the Family Procedure Rules. It covers statements and affidavits written in another language, such as a statement from a relative abroad. Other documents, such as certificates, orders, records and statements of account, are usually covered by the directions the court gives in your case, so ask your solicitor what has been ordered. Our article on the translation Statement of Truth compares the family rules with the civil ones in more detail.

In practice, a judge can only weigh what they can read. A document in Polish or Arabic sitting untranslated in the bundle doesn't help your case, however important it is to you. A translation signed by a named translator, filed alongside the original, is the format least likely to be questioned.

Child arrangements cases are about where a child lives, who they spend time with and how decisions are made for them. When a family has lived in more than one country, the evidence often comes from more than one country too. A previous order from a court abroad, such as a Romanian sentință civilă or a Spanish sentencia on custody, is usually the most important document, because it shows what another court has already decided. The child's full birth certificate shows who the parents are, and our birth certificate translation service handles the formats we see most.

School reports and medical records can matter when the issue is the child's welfare or a planned move. If a statement comes from a relative who doesn't write in English, it should be written in their own words and their own language, and then translated, rather than written in English for them by someone else.

Form E is the financial statement used in divorce and dissolution finances, and it asks for full, frank and clear disclosure. Section 4.1 asks for all assets held both within and outside England and Wales. The schedule of documents at the end asks for statements for the last 12 months for each bank account, property valuations from the last six months, business accounts for the last two financial years and your last tax assessment if you're self-employed. A Kontoauszug, an extrato bancário or a Spanish nota simple from the property register all fall into that.

Form E itself doesn't mention translation, so speak to your solicitor about what the court expects and whether the other side has agreed to anything. Twelve months of statements for an active current account can run to many pages, so check whether a bank-issued annual summary or balance certificate would do for some accounts. Our bank statement translation service handles long runs of statements in one order.

The current version of Practice Direction 27A applies to hearings in the family court and Family Division hearings in the High Court. It says the bundle should contain only documents relevant to the hearing, and by default it leaves out correspondence, messages and financial records unless the court directs otherwise. It also says the bundle rules are subject to any case-specific direction, including on translations. Witness statements are limited to 25 pages, not counting exhibits.

That changes how you should think about translation. A translated document sits in the bundle next to its original, so a ten-page foreign order can take up twenty pages of a 350-page limit. Translating everything just in case is expensive and may not even fit. Agree with your solicitor which documents are going into the bundle first, then translate those. Our guide to court document translation explains how to pick the pages that matter in a long legal file.

An interpreter works with spoken words in the courtroom. Under GOV.UK's guidance, you'll be given one in family cases involving children, domestic violence or forced marriage, and in other family cases only if you can't afford one, don't qualify for legal aid and have no friend or relative the judge will accept. If you want a friend or relative to interpret, you must ask the judge for permission before the hearing.

A translator works with the written documents, usually weeks before the hearing, so the judge and the other side can read them in advance. Booking an interpreter doesn't get your documents translated, and translating your documents doesn't mean you won't need an interpreter. Many people need both, and it's worth sorting the written side early, because bundles have deadlines.

For a visa, the Home Office accepts a translation certified by a translation company. Courts are more interested in the individual: who translated this, and will they stand behind it if it's challenged. That's why we have a separate court option, with a named translator rather than a company certification. Our legal translation service explains the format.

You usually don't need a sworn or notarised translation for a court in England and Wales. Notarisation confirms the translator's identity and signature, not the accuracy of the translation, and the family rules don't ask for it. If a solicitor or the court has specifically asked for something different, tell us before you order and we'll confirm whether we can provide it.

Court translation costs more than a visa translation because a named individual signs it and takes responsibility for it. With bundle limits in mind, the best saving is the same as the best strategy: translate only what's going into the bundle. A foreign judgment may only need its operative part and reasons, and a bank account may only need the months your solicitor says are in issue.

Put every document for the case in one order. The same translator works on all of it, so names, dates and legal terms come out the same way in every document, and children's names match their passports if you tell us the spelling. Every document includes two free revisions. You can get an instant quote by uploading your files and choosing the court option.

Family proceedings are hard enough without guessing at translation rules, and we'd rather you asked than ordered the wrong thing. We won't give legal advice about your case, and your solicitor is the right person for questions about what to file. What we can do is look at the documents, count the pages honestly and tell you what a translation will look like.

If a divorce you obtained abroad is now relevant to a UK case or a new marriage, our guide to translating a divorce decree covers that side. And if the case is moving quickly, tell us your bundle deadline when you get in touch so we can plan around it.