Welsh Translation Service: Bilingual Documents, UK-Wide

Welsh's Official Status and the Welsh Language Standards

Welsh has official status in Wales under the Welsh Language (Wales) Measure 2011, which also established the Office of the Welsh Language Commissioner. Public bodies operating in Wales, including local authorities, the Welsh Government, Senedd Cymru and GIG Cymru (NHS Wales), work to Welsh Language Standards that set out when documents, forms, signage and correspondence must be provided bilingually. Businesses working with these public bodies, whether as suppliers, contractors or tenderers, are often expected to meet the same bilingual standard across the documents they submit.

Welsh Speakers and Welsh-Medium Education

Wales is home to a significant Welsh-speaking population, with Welsh-medium education continuing to grow under the Welsh Government's Cymraeg 2050 strategy. Families moving into or out of Wales, or between Welsh-medium and English-medium schools, frequently need certified translation of school reports, admissions letters and academic transcripts between Welsh and English.

Welsh in Courts and Legal Proceedings

Welsh speakers have a long-standing right to use Welsh in legal proceedings in Wales. Where a case, evidence bundle or witness statement is in Welsh and needs to be understood outside Wales, or where an English document needs a Welsh-medium record, certified translation with a signed Statement of Truth is provided to the same standard used for UK court submissions generally.

Turnaround by Document Length

Standard delivery covers documents of one to three pages within 24 working hours. Longer bundles run to 36 hours for four to six pages and 48 hours for seven to ten pages. Bilingual publications, consultation documents and larger tender submissions are quoted individually so formatting parity between the Welsh and English versions is preserved.