Certified translation for court use
Documents relied on in proceedings have to be in English, which covers exhibits, foreign judgments, contracts and correspondence. Court work is read adversarially, so a translation has to hold up to someone actively looking for a weakness in it.
What the courts generally require
The courts run their own translation service, and it is worth knowing about before you pay anyone else. The Interpretations Section translates Chinese, Malay and Tamil into English for documents to be filed or used in proceedings, at a stated fee per page, with at least four weeks’ notice. If your document is in one of those three languages and you have that much time, start there.
They can also decline. The published reasons include documents that are for private use, source documents that are illegible, documents containing specialised technical terms, and requests made at short notice, and the courts note that the list is not exhaustive. Where a request is declined, the courts say that parties and their lawyers should approach a private translation service instead. That is the work that reaches us, and it is usually the work with a deadline on it.
A foreign judgment is a case of its own. Where the judgment is not in English, the courts require a translation certified by a notary public or authenticated by affidavit. A certificate of accuracy on its own is not what is being asked for there, so the notarisation is arranged alongside the translation.
For everything else, the craft is the point. Ambiguity in the original stays ambiguous in the translation, because resolving it silently is the most damaging thing a translator can do to a document in evidence. Across a bundle, defined terms and party names are kept identical throughout, so nobody can argue that two references are to different things.
Requirements differ by court and by the nature of the proceedings. Your solicitor will know what the tribunal expects, and we will prepare the document to match.
Where a notarised translation is needed, that is carried out by our partner law firm, JCP Law LLC and additional statutory fees would apply.
Official sources
The authority receiving your document sets the requirement, and they revise it. These are the pages it is published on, so you can read the current wording yourself.
- Singapore Courts: arrange for translation of court documents
- Singapore Courts: registration of a foreign judgment
Last checked 30 August 2026.
How it works
- 1
Send the document
A scan or a clear photograph of every page, and the language you need it in.
- 2
We send a fixed quote
We review your document and provide back a fixed quote for your approval.
- 3
We translate and certify
Your certified translation comes back digitally, ready to print or submit.
Notarisation is available through our partner law firm if required and will be quoted separately. See the full process.
Our typical lead time
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Standard
1 to 2 working days
No uplift, in the quoted price
What most documents are quoted at, and what is assumed unless you say otherwise.
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Express
Next working day
+30% on the quoted price
For a deadline that will not move. It means moving other work aside.
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Same day
Same working day
+50% on the quoted price
Realistic for shorter documents that reach us early in the day.
Express and same day are not automatic. Whether a deadline can be met depends on how long the document is, how complex it is, and what time it reaches us. We confirm what is actually possible in the quote, before you commit to anything.
Why send your document to us
Where an authority requires a certified translation, it will normally expect the translation and its certification to come from an independent professional provider rather than the applicant themselves.
That’s where we come in.
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Certified for official submission
A signed certificate of accuracy stating the languages and the date. Requirements differ by authority.
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Translated by people
A human translator does the work. That is what the certificate of accuracy stands behind, and why it carries weight.
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Fixed fee quote upfront
Quoted from the document itself rather than estimated from a description, and it does not move once you accept it.
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Almost any language
The pairs shown here are the ones asked for most, not the limit. Send the document even if yours is not listed.
Frequently asked questions
The things people write in and ask before sending a document over.
What makes a translation "certified"?+
A certificate of accuracy: a signed statement issued by Notary Translations Pte. Ltd., stating the languages, the document and the date, confirming the translation is a true and accurate rendering of what was supplied. That certificate is what an authority is asking for when it says it needs a certified translation.
Can I translate the document myself?+
Not for this purpose. However accurate your version is, the authority generally wants an independent, professional company to do the work and attach a certificate of accuracy to it. The same applies to a translation done by a bilingual friend or a relative.
Do you need the original document?+
No. A clear scan or a photograph of the full page is enough for us to translate and certify. Some authorities separately want to see your original, but that is between you and them.
How is the price worked out?+
By how much text actually has to be translated rather than by page count, and it is quoted as one fixed figure before anything starts. Express adds 30% and same day 50%, shown on the quote rather than added afterwards.
How quickly can it be done?+
Standard turnaround is 1 to 2 working days. Express is next working day and same day is possible for shorter documents that reach us early. Whether a deadline is achievable depends on length, complexity and what time we receive the document, and we say so plainly in the quote rather than after you commit.
Do I need notarisation or an apostille as well?+
It depends who is receiving it, and the difference is real. ICA publishes that it wants a translation from an embassy or a notary public, or a private translation that is then attested or notarised, so ICA work normally needs notarisation on top. MOM says the translation can be done by a translation service provider. Foreign authorities vary and often want more again. Ask whoever is receiving the document before ordering anything, and we will match what they say.
My language is not listed. Can you still help?+
Almost certainly. The pairs shown on this site are the ones we are asked for most, not the limit of what we work in. Send the document over and ask.
Do I get a hard copy?+
A digital PDF by default, ready to print or submit. If the authority receiving it wants a physical original or a notarised hardcopy, say so and we will tell you what that involves before you order.