Frequently asked questions

I am unable to provide digital signatures or digital stamps for certified translations. This means that they need to be sent to you in the post. As I know you may need these translations urgently, I require payment in advance to be able to send your certified documents to your address without delay.

The ITI does not provide digital stamps, so I cannot guarantee that a digital copy of your certified translation will be accepted by official UK bodies, employers or academic institutions. I sign all certificates in wet ink and apply the physical MITI seal to meet industry requirements.

Yes, any legal professionals requiring certified translation services on a one-off or long-term basis are welcome to get in touch.

This may be possible on a case-by-case basis. However, I cannot guarantee that translations completed by a UK-based qualified translator are accepted internationally, or that they would not be subject to a notarisation fee or similar. It is your responsibility to ensure that my translation is acceptable for your purposes prior to commencement of work.

As a UK-based translator, I can’t offer sworn translation services because unlike other countries, the UK does not have a sworn translation system. Instead, professional translators in the UK offer certified translations. Certified translations are accepted by official UK bodies such as the Home Office, Passport Office and Border Agency, as well as UK universities and employers.

If you require a sworn translation for a country with a sworn translation system, such as France, I can point you towards trusted colleagues who can help.

I am unable to offer such services. If you require notarised translation services, I can point you towards trusted colleagues who can help you.

Yes. I accept payment in Canadian dollars (CAD), euros (EUR), British pound sterling (GBP), Japanese yen (JPY) and US dollars (USD). Just let me know your preferred payment currency in the quote form.

My foreign currency rates are based on the exchange rate at the time of quotation. A small exchange fee also applies. I recommend that you pay in GBP whenever possible for the best price.

Yes! Although I’m a British native, many of my clients ask me to translate into American English. I’m fully trained and experienced in delivering pitch-perfect translations for audiences in the USA and around the English-speaking world, and have been doing so for years.

Yes! Although I’m a British native, I have family links to Canada and translate into Canadian English for companies based in Quebec. I am fully trained and experienced in delivering pitch-perfect translations for audiences in Canada and around the English-speaking world, and have been doing so for years.

As a qualified member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (MITI), I pledge to adhere to the ITI Code of Professional Conduct, which guarantees the highest standards of honesty and integrity, professional competence, and client confidentiality and trust.

Quality is integral to my process, and I believe it should be a given. By drawing on my training at the Quality department of an ISO-certified translation agency, I run thorough checks after the translation process to ensure that my work meets the most stringent quality standards.

AI translation, otherwise known as machine translation (MT), is improving rapidly, but in my experience, it still can’t be trusted to produce high-quality creative translations without human input.

It is well known that large language models (LLMs) ‘hallucinate’. When an AI engine lacks information, it throws in its best guess. One benefit of working with a human translator is that if we don’t understand something, we’ll apply our industry knowledge and use our research skills to come up with a solution. And if anything is still unclear? We’ll just ask! That way, you can be sure that the translation says exactly what you want it to say.

What’s more, an MT engine will provide a direct, literal translation. This might be the best solution if you just want the gist. But not if you want your English copy to truly shine. I apply my specialist industry knowledge and research skills to craft a text that’s adapted to your target audience of choice.

Finally, AI and MT are not appropriate for certified translations. Official bodies in the UK require translation to have been completed by qualified professionals like me. This ensures that your certified translations are accurate representations of the original, and can be used in UK legal processes.

• MA (Distinction) Applied Translation Studies (Japanese-into-English and French-into-English), University of Leeds, 2019

• BA (First-Class Hons) English and French, University of Warwick, 2016

• Qualified member of the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (MITI) (directory profile)

• Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) N1, 2019

• 3-time winner of the ITI Japanese Network Translation Competition, 2019–2021

• ITI J-Net board member, 2023–2025

• Completed training in subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing (SDH), audio description (AD) and AD templates by AVT Masterclass

• Experience living and working in Japan, France and Luxembourg

• 2 years in-house experience at the Quality department of an ISO-certified translation agency

• Main linguist (British English) for a virtual reality (VR) service provider since 2022

• Delivered the talk Extending reality, localising space: Translation for the virtual reality market at the 2024 ITI Conference in Edinburgh

Unfortunately, I am unable to provide these services. I offer subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing and audio description content for prerecorded video content.

As well as film and TV series, I can provide subtitles or audio description scripts for e-learning or corporate video content.

Yes. Alongside subtitling for the deaf and hard of hearing, I offer monolingual subtitling services in English, including both transcription and timing. I can also translate pre-existing French or Japanese subtitle tracks into English. However, I do not currently offer transcription services in Japanese or French.

No, but I can still help you get there. I write fully timed audio description scripts, but do not record the finalised audio myself. To ensure the best experience for your blind and partially sighted audience, you should use a professional voice actor to record your audio description scripts using state-of-the-art equipment. I also highly recommend consulting with a member of the blind or partially sighted community for a pre-production script quality check. I can provide a ‘scratch voiceover’ upon request for this purpose (for an additional fee). I am also happy to recommend colleagues who can assist you with this.