Audio and Video Transcription and Translation for Asylum

Audio and video translation for the Home Office: what you receive

Recordings cannot go into an asylum file on their own. The decision-maker needs a written English version they can read, quote and check against the original.

You receive:

• A transcript in the original language, in its own script, so another translator could check our work.
• An English translation, laid out line by line against the transcript, with matching timestamps.
• Speaker labels and notes on sounds that matter, such as "[shouting]", "[gunfire]" or "[call ends]".
• A file information sheet: file name, length, format and the date you gave us for the recording.
• A signed certification statement following GOV.UK's guidance on certifying a document (opens in a new tab): a "true and accurate translation of the original document", the date, and the translator's full name and contact details.
• A PDF by email, with Word format on request for solicitors.

Sample

Certified translation

Transcript and translation of a recorded video

Source language as on recording → English

File / recording

redacted video, duration redacted

00:00:05

Speaker 1: [REDACTED greeting]

00:00:12

Speaker 2: [translated speech]

00:00:31

Speaker 1: [translated speech]

00:00:48

[Inaudible: background noise]

00:01:02

Speaker 2: [translated speech]

• [Translator's note: speakers are labelled by number; timestamps follow the recording.]
• [Inaudible] marks parts that cannot be heard clearly.

Translator's statement

I confirm that this is a true and accurate translation of the original document.

Date

DD/MM/YYYY

Translator

Full name

Signature

Recordings we translate

• Voice notes from WhatsApp, Telegram, Signal, Viber or IMO, including threats and messages from family.
• Phone call recordings, where you have them.
• Videos of protests, raids, speeches, religious gatherings or attacks.
• Video statements from witnesses abroad.
• TV and radio clips, and online news videos.
• Social media videos from Facebook, TikTok, YouTube or Instagram, including on-screen text and captions.

Written chats and screenshots are covered on our messaging app evidence translation for asylum page. Printed or online articles belong on our newspaper article translation page.

Timestamps and speaker labels

Good formatting makes recorded evidence usable. This is how we set out every voice recording transcription translation:

How we label speakers

We label speakers neutrally, such as "Speaker 1" or "Male voice", unless you tell us who they are. If you identify a speaker, we write "Speaker 1 (identified by client as ...)". The translator does not confirm who someone is. That keeps the translation honest and fair.

When words are hard to hear

Recordings from phones are often noisy. We mark unclear parts as "[inaudible 00:01:12]" or "[unclear: possibly ...]". We never fill a gap with a guess. We also note code-switching, for example when a speaker moves from Kurdish into Arabic.

Dialects and accents

Spoken language is harder than written text. We match each recording to a translator who knows the dialect, for example Iraqi or Sudanese Arabic, or Sorani or Badini Kurdish. Tell us the language and region of the speakers, and we confirm before you pay. If your family uses Sylheti at home, their documents are usually written in standard Bengali; see our Bengali document translation for Sylheti speakers page.

Where your translated audio and video is used

• First-tier Tribunal (Immigration and Asylum Chamber): as part of the appeal bundle. A video translation for court use needs a clear transcript with timestamps. See our asylum appeal bundle translation service.
• Home Office asylum claim: as supporting evidence sent by you or your solicitor.
• Fresh claims: when new recordings come to light after a refusal.

The caseworker or judge decides how much weight a recording is given. We make the translation complete and verifiable. For advice on using a recording, speak to your solicitor or an IAA-regulated adviser.

Languages for audio and video translation

• Arabic recordings in all major dialects, through our Arabic asylum document translation team.
• Sorani, Kurmanji and Badini recordings, through our Kurdish asylum document translation team.
• Farsi, Dari, Pashto, Urdu, Punjabi, Tigrinya, Amharic, Somali, Albanian, Vietnamese and more.

Audio and video translation price and delivery time

Audio and video work is priced by recording length, not pages, because transcription takes time.

• Price: from £9 per minute of audio for transcription and translation (minimum £45).
• Standard delivery: 2–3 working days for short recordings.
• Urgent delivery: same day or within 24 hours, from £10 extra per file.

Prices shown are starting prices and include VAT. We confirm your exact price in a written quote before any work starts.

For hearings coming up soon, see our urgent asylum document translation service. Compare rates on our translation prices page.