Someone needs a birth certificate translated for a visa application. She has a deadline, she does not know what certified means in this context, and she does not know that the body receiving it has its own requirements that differ from the next one.
If the wrong format is produced, she pays twice and misses her deadline.
Ask who it is for, before anything else
A university, an immigration authority, a court, a registry office and an employer all have different requirements. This single question determines the certification type, the format and sometimes who is permitted to do the work.
What enquirers ask
They usually ask what certified means, whether it needs to be notarised, whether an apostille is required, how much it costs, how quickly it can be done, whether the original document is needed, whether a scan is acceptable, whether it must be posted and whether the translation will be accepted.
Example conversations
These scripts use information an agency might publish. Your answers should come from your own pages.
Client: I need my birth certificate translated. How much is it? Assistant: The certified translation page shows pricing for standard documents like certificates and the turnaround. Before quoting it helps to know who will receive it, because requirements differ between institutions. Could you tell me which body it is for, the language pair and your deadline?
Client: Do I need it notarised as well? Assistant: That depends on what the receiving body requires, and the page explains the different levels of certification and when each is usually asked for. The safest route is to check their stated requirement. If you can tell me what they have asked for, I will pass it to the team with your deadline.
Client: I need it by Friday. Assistant: The page shows the standard turnaround and the express option with its surcharge, including how any notarisation affects the timeline. Could you send a scan of the document and confirm the deadline, so the team can tell you today whether Friday is achievable?
Never guarantee acceptance
An agency can certify accuracy. Whether a particular institution accepts a document is their decision. Saying plainly that you produce what is required, and that the requirement comes from them, is the honest position.
Publish pricing for standard documents
Certificates, transcripts, licences and similar are predictable. Publishing per-document pricing converts enquiries that would otherwise wait for a quote.
Explain the certification levels
A translator's certification, a sworn translation, notarisation and legalisation are different things with different costs and timescales. Clients use the words interchangeably and need them separated.
Ask for the document early
A scan answers length, legibility, language variant and handwriting, all of which affect the quote. Handwritten and poorly scanned documents take far longer.
Be clear about originals and posting
Whether you need the original, whether a hard copy is provided, how it is posted and what that adds to the timeline. Deadlines are missed in the post, not in translation.
Deadlines are usually external and immovable
Visa appointments, application closing dates and court dates. Capturing the deadline at first contact lets you say honestly whether it is achievable.
Urgent work is the recurring theme
It is covered in certified and urgent translation questions.
Quotes stall without basic details
The pattern is in translation quote requests missing word counts and languages.
Legal work needs the same precision
It is covered in multilingual clients and legal enquiries, and capture at any hour matters as in an AI receptionist for opticians.
Getting started
Publish certification levels, per-document pricing, turnarounds and what you need, then capture the receiving body and deadline at any hour and in the client's own language. SpideyChat for agencies answers from your published pages. Try SpideyChat on your own site, or read about capture on the features page.