Who are we?

Sparrow is a trading name of Lexxika Ltd, company number 11374774 [hyperlink to lexxika.co]. Lexxika has been providing translations to the insurance, assistance, and legal sectors for since 2007. We’re trusted by some of the biggest names in the world, and now we want to share our expertise with individuals too.

Trusted by:

What sort of personal documents do you translate and why?

We translate and certify your most important documents from English into any other language and vice versa. We guarantee they’ll be 100% accurate and legally certified.

Most commonly this is a legally issued document, or formal certificates. Any document that can be used for official purposes, needs to be translated by official channels. For example, you might need an official translation of your passport for a visa or citizenship application, or your qualifications translating for an employer, or a will or testament to help you manage someone’s estate.

Could I do this myself?

No. The authorities handling your translated documents have very specific requirements and criteria to meet to ensure your documents are accurate and genuine.

Imagine a university allowing its students to translate their own grade certificates, or a visa application letting you translate the documents that confirm your identity.

They can’t understand the original version, and they don’t know how accurate your translation might be. But they need to know for sure that the version they’re reading is completely accurate, and is as reliable as the original.

So, they need certification that proves your documents were translated by a professional, qualified translator, and by a translation company who will provide a legally binding guarantee of quality.

What are the basic steps of the process?

  • Upload your documents.
  • Tell us who they’re for (e.g. government, an embassy, a university, an employer etc.)
  • Choose a from and to language e.g. from English to Spanish, or, from Japanese to English etc.
  • Approve the quote.
  • We will translate your documents within 48 hours or less.
  • Receive your final translated documents in digital form. We will also send you physical copies through the post – if requested.
  • Share your documents with whoever you want.

Do I have to pay anything upfront?

No, not immediately. You only pay after you’ve reviewed and approved the quote.

We only accept card payments using our secure online payment form.

  • Remember: you’ve still got our money-back guarantee if the documents aren’t accurate, or they’re not accepted by the authority you share them with.

How will you protect my personal data and documents? Are they stored securely in the UK?

Any documents you share with us are always kept confidential and stored safely in our secure, UK data centre that meets the official information security standard ISO27001.

The only people who will see your documents are the people who will work on them at the various steps of the process – they are all trusted and have been through employment background checks.

Can I post documents to you instead of uploading digital copies?

No, we can’t work with physical documents. We can only work with digital documents. That’s how we’re able to deliver translations so quickly.

Do I need to create an account or can I checkout as a guest?

You don’t need to create an account. Just upload your documents, answer a few short questions on the form and hit send – that’s it. We’ll send a quote for you to approve within 24 hours.

What do I do if my documents are bigger than 20mb?

Email us and we’ll let you know how you can share them with us.

What happens after I fill out the form?

You’ll receive an email confirming we’ve received your documents. Then, a member of our team will review everything and be in touch with a quote and delivery date.

What if I don’t receive the quote within 24 hours as promised?

You will – we’re a 24/7 team handling these throughout the day.

You’re always welcome to drop us a follow-up email if you want to reassure yourself though.

How quickly can you translate my documents?

We usually turn the vast majority of translations around within 48 hours or less, after you’ve approved the quote.

It would only take longer if you had lots of documents in lots of different languages, each thousands of words long.

How much does it cost to translate my personal documents?

It depends on how many pages you want to be translated.

You can always get a quote by submitting your documents – there’s no obligation to go ahead.

What if you can’t translate into the language?

We’ll always do our very best to translate your documents – we’ve got a great team around the world, but, if it turns out we can’t, we’ll let you know as soon as we can and try and guide you towards someone that can help.

How will I know when my translation is ready?

We’ll email the digital copies of the documents for your reference/review. We’ll also post the documents to you if that’s what you requested: first-class, signed for delivery.

What will the translated documents look like?

The format can vary depending on the document we’ve translated for you.

Our official letter of certification will also accompany every translation.

For formal translations, the authorities receiving it want to be certain that the translation relates to the original document, because it would be easy to simply swap one person’s translation out for another. To do that, we print a copy of the original, and attach it to the translation. We then stamp and sign both, so that they can’t be separated. This is an important part of the certification process and something that most authorities will expect to see.

How do you certify my translated documents?

The certification can vary sometimes depending on what the official body you’re sending them to requires. Our letter of certification will accompany every translation, and we’re able to provide a sworn Statement of Truth from each translator if needed.

As a bare minimum, our certification will always:

  • Be on our formal letterhead paper.
  • Show the name of the translator and justify their qualification to translate the document.
  • Clearly state which language the document was originally issued in and when it was translated.
  • Be signed by a director of the translation company.

For some official purposes, the translator must also sign the letter, and provide their own letter of certification as well. If your document is going to be used in court, or be submitted in official evidence, it may need an affidavit (or a Statement of Truth), to be submissible as legal evidence. The translation company and translator can face legal repercussions if they are considered to have knowingly provided a Statement of Truth for an incorrect translation.

When translating from English, there are often such things as Sworn Translators. They have attended court and sworn a formal oath as a translator. They are registered and have a protected status, which allows them to translate legal certificates. In some countries, translations will only be accepted by formal parties if they have been handled by a Sworn Translator. However, this status does not exist in the UK.

What file format do I need to provide you and what is the final format you provide?

You can upload your documents in a variety of different formats including JPEG/PDF/TIFF – but generally any format is fine. We will return a PDF document. We can also return physical copies by post if you require – just remember to request this when you fill out the form.

Do you offer a fast-track option if I need the translation really quickly e.g. in a day?

We might be able to fast-track your documents. When you fill out the form, tell us how quickly you need them and we’ll let you know if we can do it.

How long do you keep my personal documents on file? When do you delete them?

If you accept our quote, we’ll only keep the files for 90 days after we’ve delivered your translation, and then we delete them, permanently. No exceptions.

If you reject our quote, we delete all your files immediately. That way there’s no risk of your data being breached from our side.

Can I get a refund if my translated documents are rejected by the official body I’m presenting them to?

Yes. You are entitled to a full refund if the translations were rejected by the official body.

Please contact us, providing evidence from the official body explaining why the translations were rejected. We will always try to rectify the issue first. If we’re unable to do that, we’ll refund you.

Do you use Google Translate?

No. Never. If we did that, we wouldn’t be able to provide the certification. If our directors falsely provided certification for a document that had been machine translated, they would be breaking the law.

We only use human translators who are native speakers of the language you need a document translating into. That makes everything legal, and guarantees the best quality, which massively reduces the chance your documents will be rejected.

Can you help me with applying for an apostille or legalisation for my documents?

Yes. We can arrange for some documents to receive an apostille on your behalf. For others, we can provide the guidance you need to receive the apostille yourself. Fill in the form or contact us for more information and we’ll be happy to help.

Can I send my documents via WhatsApp?

Yes, you can send images of your documents to +44 7999 161 858 and we’ll respond with a cost as soon as we can.