150+ LANGUAGES · ISO 17100 CERTIFIED · SAME-DAY TURNAROUND
School Leaving Certificate Translation
Certified school leaving certificate translation in the UK from £30 per page. ISO 17100 certified, 24-hour turnaround, accepted by universities, UKVI, and official bodies.
- 150+ Languages
- ISO 17100 Certified
- Same-day Turnaround
- 11+ Years
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What we do
Our services
What is a certified translation of a school leaving certificate, and when is it required?
A certified translation of a school leaving certificate is a word-for-word rendering into English accompanied by a signed certificate of accuracy from an ATC, ITI, or CIOL-registered translator, required by UK universities, UKVI, and professional bodies whenever the original document is in a language other than English.
How much does a certified translation of a school leaving certificate cost in the UK?
A certified translation of a school leaving certificate in the UK starts at £30 per page for common European languages including Polish, Romanian, and Portuguese, rises to £35–£45 per page for Russian, Ukrainian, and Arabic, and reaches £55 per page for Tamil, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese.
Who can certify a translation of a school leaving certificate in the UK?
In the UK, a translation is certified by a translator or translation company registered with the ATC (Association of Translation Companies), ITI (Institute of Translation and Interpreting), or CIOL (Chartered Institute of Linguists), issuing a signed statement of accuracy on company letterhead — the UK does not use court-sworn translators.
How long does it take to get a school leaving certificate translated?
A single-page school leaving certificate is certified within 24 hours under the ISO 17100 productivity benchmark of 1,500–2,000 words per linguist per day; a 5,000-word transcript pack takes three working days, and same-day turnaround handles up to 10,000 words at a 25–50% rush surcharge.
Which academic and school documents can be translated alongside the leaving certificate?
Alongside the school leaving certificate, we translate high school diplomas, transcripts of records, grade overviews, vocational training certificates, secondary-education examination results, degree certificates, and internship or good-conduct certificates — everything a UK university admissions office or UKVI caseworker asks for in one certified pack.
Is an apostille, sworn translation, or notarisation needed for a school leaving certificate?
A UK-certified translation is sufficient for UK universities and UKVI; a sworn translation is only required when the destination is an EU jurisdiction that uses court-sworn translators, notarisation applies when a notary must witness the translator’s signature, and an apostille authenticates the underlying certificate — not the translation — for use abroad under the Hague Convention.
What we do
What is a certified translation of a school leaving certificate, and when is it required?
A certified translation of a school leaving certificate is a word-for-word rendering into English accompanied by a signed certificate of accuracy from an ATC, ITI, or CIOL-registered translator, required by UK universities, UKVI, and professional bodies whenever the original document is in a language other than English.
How it works
How much does a certified translation of a school leaving certificate cost in the UK?
A certified translation of a school leaving certificate in the UK starts at £30 per page for common European languages including Polish, Romanian, and Portuguese, rises to £35–£45 per page for Russian, Ukrainian, and Arabic, and reaches £55 per page for Tamil, Korean, Thai, and Vietnamese.
What’s included
How long does it take to get a school leaving certificate translated?
A single-page school leaving certificate is certified within 24 hours under the ISO 17100 productivity benchmark of 1,500–2,000 words per linguist per day; a 5,000-word transcript pack takes three working days, and same-day turnaround handles up to 10,000 words at a 25–50% rush surcharge.
Complete guide
Everything you need to know
School leaving certificate translation is a certified academic translation service that converts a foreign-language secondary-education document into English (or another target language) under ISO 17100, accompanied by a signed certificate of accuracy on company letterhead. Our London translation company translates the Russian Аттестат, Polish Świadectwo, Ukrainian Атестат, Romanian Diplomă, Portuguese Certificado, Dutch Diploma, Czech Vysvědčení, Hungarian Érettségi, Lithuanian Atestatas, and every equivalent school-leaving certificate from 22+ education systems for UK universities, UKVI, and professional bodies — from £30 per page, delivered within 24 hours.
Who can certify a translation of a school leaving certificate in the UK?
In the UK, a translation of a school leaving certificate is certified by a translator or translation company registered with the ATC (Association of Translation Companies), the ITI (Institute of Translation and Interpreting), or the CIOL (Chartered Institute of Linguists). Certification takes the form of a signed statement of accuracy issued on official company letterhead — the UK does not use court-sworn translators, so ATC, ITI, or CIOL membership is the recognised standard accepted by UK universities and UKVI alike. This is the single most important acceptance criterion: documents certified by uncredentialed freelancers or translated by the applicant themselves are not accepted.
| Credential | What it authorises | Accepted by UK universities & UKVI |
|---|---|---|
| ATC member company | Corporate certification with ISO 17100 workflow | Yes |
| ITI individual or corporate member | Individual translator or agency certification | Yes |
| CIOL Chartered Linguist | Individual translator certification | Yes |
| Uncredentialed freelancer | Personal declaration only | No |
| Self-translation by the applicant | None — conflict of interest | No |
What must a UK certificate of accuracy contain?
A UK certificate of accuracy must contain seven mandatory elements to be accepted by universities and UKVI: a statement that the translation is a true and complete rendering of the source document; the translator’s or company’s name and professional credentials; a handwritten or digital signature; the date of translation; full contact details including address, phone number, and email address; the company stamp; and an ISO 17100 reference confirming the quality framework under which the translation was produced — all presented on official letterhead. UKVI caseworkers are trained to verify each element individually before the document is accepted, and missing even one element — such as the date or contact details — is sufficient grounds for rejection of the entire visa application package.
Can I translate my own school leaving certificate?
No — self-translation of your own school leaving certificate is not accepted for any UK official purpose. UK universities and UKVI require an independent certifier who can attest to the accuracy of the translation without conflict of interest. Because you have a personal interest in the outcome, you cannot independently certify your own document — and neither can a relative, a friend, or your employer. The same restriction applies to bilingual acquaintances who are not registered with the ATC, ITI, or CIOL. Only an independent, credentialed translator or translation company can issue the certificate of accuracy that admissions offices and UKVI caseworkers will accept.
Which academic and school documents can be translated alongside the leaving certificate?
Alongside the school leaving certificate, we translate eight categories of educational and academic documents, all delivered under a single ISO 17100-compliant certified pack: high school diplomas, secondary-education certificates, transcripts of records, grade overviews, vocational training certificates, secondary-education examination results, degree certificates, and internship or placement certificates. Consolidating multiple documents into one order means they share a single certificate of accuracy — a format preferred by UK university admissions offices and UKVI caseworkers, who process the documents as a unified, coherent package rather than separate submissions.
- Diploma Translation Services — for high school diplomas and higher education degree certificates.
- University Transcript Translation — for transcripts of records, grade overviews, and examination pass lists.
- Vocational training certificates from technical colleges, apprenticeship schemes, and trade institutions.
- Secondary-education examination results such as Matura, Bacalaureat, Abitur, and Érettségi pass slips.
- School attendance and completion letters supporting age-verification, scholarship, or progression claims.
- Good-conduct and disciplinary records requested by professional bodies or regulated employers.
Every document type listed above is handled within the same ISO 17100 TEP workflow — translation, editing, proofreading — by a linguist with domain expertise in secondary and higher-education terminology, grading scales, and institutional naming conventions specific to the source country. A-level equivalent documents such as the Romanian Bacalaureat, the Polish Matura, the Czech Maturita, and the Hungarian Érettségi require precise mapping of subject names and grade descriptors into English equivalents that UCAS and admissions offices can assess directly against UK entry requirements.
Which source languages do we handle for school documents?
We translate school and academic documents from 150+ languages into English, including Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Romanian, Czech, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Dutch, Arabic, Tamil, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Hebrew, Danish, Swedish, Slovak, Turkish, Bulgarian, Finnish, Norwegian, and Albanian. Every language pair is staffed by a linguist with specific expertise in that country’s education system, grading conventions, and official document formats — ensuring that a Bulgarian Дипломa за средно образование and a Vietnamese Bằng tốt nghiệp trung học phổ thông are rendered with the same precision as a Polish Matura certificate.
- Slavic and Baltic: Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Czech, Slovak, Bulgarian, Lithuanian.
- Romance: Portuguese, Romanian, Spanish, Italian, French.
- Germanic: Dutch, Danish, Swedish, Norwegian, Finnish, German.
- Central-European: Hungarian, Albanian, Turkish.
- Middle-Eastern and Asian: Arabic, Hebrew, Tamil, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese.
Is an apostille, sworn translation, or notarisation needed for a school leaving certificate?
For use within the UK — at universities, through UCAS, or in a UKVI visa application — a certified translation from an ATC, ITI, or CIOL member is fully sufficient; no apostille, sworn translation, or notarisation is required. Each of these additional authentication steps serves a different legal purpose, applies in different jurisdictions, and attaches to a different part of the document chain. Understanding the distinction prevents unnecessary expenditure and avoids delays caused by submitting the wrong type of authentication to a UK authority.
| Type | What it is | Used when the destination is |
|---|---|---|
| Certified | Signed statement of accuracy by ATC/ITI/CIOL translator or agency on company letterhead | UK universities, UKVI, UK ENIC, UK employers |
| Sworn | Translation produced by a translator sworn before a court or appointed by a ministry | Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Poland, Romania, and other EU civil-law jurisdictions |
| Notarised | Notary public witnesses and verifies the translator’s signature on the translation | Some jurisdictions such as Turkey, Italy, or overseas courts requiring notarial authentication |
| Apostilled | Hague-Convention authentication of the original certificate itself, issued by the FCDO Legalisation Office | Hague-signatory countries outside the UK where the underlying document must be authenticated |
When is a sworn translation of a school certificate required instead?
A sworn translation is required when the receiving authority is in a civil-law EU jurisdiction such as Germany, France, Spain, Italy, Portugal, Poland, or Romania. In those systems, only translators who have been sworn before a court or formally appointed by a government ministry are authorised to produce legally binding translations. No equivalent sworn-translator status exists in UK law — the UK relies instead on the credentialed certification model through ATC, ITI, and CIOL membership. If you are presenting your school leaving certificate to an institution abroad as well as in the UK, you may need both a certified translation for UK purposes and a sworn translation for the overseas authority — two separate products that should be ordered simultaneously to avoid delays.
When does the school leaving certificate itself need an apostille?
The school leaving certificate itself needs an apostille when the destination country requires authentication of the original document under the Hague Convention. The apostille is issued by the FCDO Legalisation Office and attaches to the original certificate — it authenticates the document itself, not the translation. Critically, an apostille on the translation has no legal effect; it is the underlying source document that is apostilled. Some countries require the apostille to be in place before the certified translation is produced, while others accept translation first and authentication afterwards — confirm the order of steps with the receiving authority before dispatching either document, as reversing the sequence can invalidate the entire submission.
How do I order a certified translation of my school leaving certificate?
Ordering a certified translation of your school leaving certificate follows a five-step process from upload to certified delivery, with a fixed price quote confirmed before any work begins and no hidden fees at collection. The entire process is designed to meet UCAS submission windows and UKVI document deadlines without requiring you to visit our offices in person.
- Upload a clear scan. Submit a 300 DPI colour scan of every page of the original document — including all stamps, signatures, seals, and grading tables — through the quote form or by email.
- Receive a fixed price quote. Within one working hour, we return a fixed per-page or per-word quote with a confirmed turnaround time. The quote covers the translation, ISO 17100 TEP workflow, certificate of accuracy, company stamp, and PDF delivery.
- Confirm and pay. Accept the quote and pay by card or bank transfer to release the job to your assigned linguist.
- ISO 17100 TEP workflow runs. Your document moves through translation by a subject-specialist linguist, editing by a second linguist, and a final proofreading stage — all under the ISO 17100 quality standard enforced across our London delivery team.
- Collect the certified PDF. The finished translation with the signed certificate of accuracy, company stamp, and all required contact details is delivered by email. Request a posted hard copy on company letterhead if the receiving institution — a university admissions office or UKVI — requires a physical document.
What scan quality is accepted for a school certificate translation?
A colour scan at 300 DPI showing the full document — including every stamp, signature, seal, watermark, and grading table — is the recommended submission format. Photographs taken on a smartphone are acceptable provided every character, official mark, and border element is clearly legible with no glare, shadow, or distortion. Cropped scans that omit institutional seals, signature blocks, or page borders are returned for re-upload, because every element of the original source document must be reproduced faithfully in the certified translation — UKVI caseworkers and admissions officers will compare the translation against the original and any omission is treated as a deficiency requiring resubmission.
Why us
Why choose our London translation agency for your school leaving certificate?
Our London translation agency delivers ISO 17100 certified school leaving certificate translations from £30 per page across 150+ languages, with 24-hour standard turnaround, ATC, ITI, and CIOL-credentialed linguists on every job, and university- and UKVI-accepted certificates of accuracy issued on company letterhead. Every translator assigned to school and academic documents holds specialist knowledge of secondary-education terminology, grading scales, and institutional naming conventions from the source country’s education system — so a Ukrainian Атестат, a Romanian Bacalaureat, and a Korean 고등학교 졸업장 are each rendered with the precision that UCAS admissions officers and UKVI caseworkers require.
- Fixed pricing from £30 per page for common European languages, with per-word rates from £0.10 — no hidden fees at delivery.
- 24-hour standard turnaround on single-page documents; 3 working days for 5,000-word transcript packs; same-day rush up to 10,000 words at a 25–50% surcharge.
- ATC, ITI, and CIOL credentialing across the full delivery team — the credentials accepted as standard by UK universities and UKVI without further verification.
- ISO 17100 TEP workflow on every job: translation by a subject-specialist, editing by a second linguist, and final proofreading before the certificate of accuracy is issued.
- Seven-element certificate of accuracy on company letterhead: statement of accuracy, translator name and credentials, signature, date, contact details, company stamp, and ISO 17100 reference.
- 150+ language pairs including Russian, Polish, Ukrainian, Romanian, Czech, Hungarian, Lithuanian, Portuguese, Dutch, Arabic, Tamil, Korean, Thai, Vietnamese, Hebrew, Danish, Swedish, Slovak, Turkish, Bulgarian, Finnish, Norwegian, and Albanian.
- NDA-backed confidentiality and GDPR-compliant document storage — your personal educational records are handled securely from upload to archiving.
- PDF delivery included; posted hard copy on company letterhead dispatched the same day on request at no extra charge within the UK.
The five questions UK applicants ask most often about school leaving certificate translation cover cost, certifier eligibility, self-translation, turnaround, and university acceptance — each answered below in one paragraph.
Frequently asked questions
How much does a certified translation cost in the UK?
Certified translation in the UK typically costs between £80 and £150 per standard page (up to ~250 words). Prices vary depending on the language pair, document complexity, and turnaround time. School Leaving Certificates are usually single-page documents, so most agencies charge a fixed per-document fee. Urgent or notarised translations may carry a premium of 25–50% on top of the standard rate.
Can anyone do a certified translation?
No — a certified translation must be provided by a qualified professional who attests to its accuracy and completeness. In the UK, this is typically a professional translator who signs a declaration confirming the translation is a true and accurate representation of the original. Many institutions and the Home Office require translations to be carried out by a member of a recognised body such as the Chartered Institute of Linguists (CIOL) or the Institute of Translation and Interpreting (ITI).
Who can certify a translation in the UK?
In the UK, a certified translation can be produced by a professional translator or a translation agency that provides a signed statement of accuracy. Unlike some countries, the UK does not require a notary or government-approved translator for most purposes. However, the UKVI (UK Visas and Immigration) and many universities require translations from a ‘competent translator,’ often meaning a member of the ITI, CIOL, or a recognised professional agency.
Can I do my own certified translation?
No — you cannot certify your own translation of an official document. UK authorities, universities, and employers will not accept a self-certified translation because the translator must be independent of the document’s subject. A qualified third-party professional or accredited agency must provide the translation along with a signed declaration of accuracy and their contact details and qualifications.
What is the UK equivalent of leaving cert?
The UK equivalent of the Irish Leaving Certificate is the A-Level (Advanced Level) qualification. A-Levels are typically taken in England, Wales, and Northern Ireland by students aged 16–18 after completing GCSEs. In Scotland, the equivalent is the Scottish Higher or Advanced Higher. Like the Leaving Cert, A-Levels are used for university admissions and are recognised internationally as a secondary school completion qualification.
Is the GCSE the Leaving Cert?
No — GCSEs are not the equivalent of the Irish Leaving Certificate. GCSEs (General Certificate of Secondary Education) are taken at around age 16 and represent the end of compulsory education, similar to the Irish Junior Certificate. The Leaving Certificate, taken at age 17–18, is closer in level to UK A-Levels. When translating a School Leaving Certificate for UK use, this distinction is important for accurate academic equivalency statements.
Is Leaving Cert or A-level harder?
The Irish Leaving Certificate and UK A-Levels are broadly comparable in difficulty but differ significantly in structure. The Leaving Cert requires students to sit up to seven subjects at once, rewarding breadth, while A-Levels focus on three or four subjects in greater depth. Many educators consider A-Levels more specialised and analytically demanding, whereas the Leaving Cert is seen as more comprehensive. Both are accepted by UK and Irish universities as equivalent entry qualifications.
How much does it cost to have documents translated?
Document translation in the UK typically costs between £80 and £200 per page for certified translations, depending on the language pair and document type. Standard business or personal documents are usually priced per page or per word, with rates ranging from approximately £0.10 to £0.20 per word for common language pairs. Rare languages, technical content, or urgent turnaround can push costs higher. School Leaving Certificates, being relatively short, usually fall at the lower end of the pricing scale.
How much is translation per word in 2026?
In 2026, professional translation rates in the UK typically range from £0.10 to £0.20 per word for common language pairs such as French, Spanish, or German into English. Less common or specialist languages can command £0.20 to £0.35 per word or more. Certified translations for official documents like School Leaving Certificates are often quoted as a flat per-page fee rather than per word, usually starting from around £80–£100 per document.
Why are certified translations so expensive?
Certified translations are more expensive than standard translations because they require a qualified professional to accept legal responsibility for the accuracy of the document. The translator must provide a signed declaration, verify credentials, and sometimes liaise with notaries or solicitors. The process is time-intensive, requires specialist knowledge of legal and academic terminology, and carries professional liability. For School Leaving Certificates, the translator must also accurately convey grading systems and educational context, adding complexity.
Can ChatGPT translate a document?
ChatGPT can produce a rough translation of a document, but it cannot provide a certified translation accepted by UK authorities, universities, or employers. Certified translations require a human professional to sign a declaration of accuracy and take legal responsibility for the content. AI-generated translations may contain errors in terminology, grading systems, or formatting — particularly for official documents like School Leaving Certificates — and are not recognised for immigration, academic, or legal purposes in the UK.
How can I translate my certificate?
To have your School Leaving Certificate translated for use in the UK, you should use a professional certified translation agency or a qualified translator who is a member of a recognised body such as the ITI or CIOL. You submit a clear scan or copy of the original certificate, and the translator produces an accurate English translation accompanied by a signed certificate of accuracy. Turnaround time is typically 1–3 working days for standard requests.
How do I get a translation certificate?
A translation certificate is issued by the professional translator or agency alongside the translated document, confirming its accuracy and completeness. To obtain one, you commission a certified translation from a qualified professional or accredited agency, who then provides a signed statement declaring the translation is a true and faithful rendering of the original. This certificate typically includes the translator’s name, qualifications, signature, date, and contact details, meeting requirements set by the UKVI, universities, and employers.