Threat Letter, Political and Religious Evidence Translation for Asylum

Threat letter translation for asylum: what you receive

A threat letter is often short, but every word matters. The caseworker will want to know who sent it, what it demands and what it threatens. A careful translation lets the letter speak for itself.

You receive:

1. A word-for-word English translation, keeping the tone of the original, whether formal, religious or crude.
2. A description of every visual feature: logos, letterheads, stamps, signatures, fingerprints and handwriting style.
3. Dates in their original form, with a Gregorian date added where the letter uses the Solar Hijri or Islamic calendar.
4. Names of groups and parties in their official English form, with the original name kept alongside.
5. Translator notes for religious phrases, slogans, slang and unclear words.
6. A signed certification statement that it is a true and accurate translation, with the date and the translator's full name, signature and contact details. We are members of the ITI, CIOL and ATC.

You receive a PDF to send to your solicitor or upload with your evidence.

Sample

Certified translation

Threat letter (night letter), handwritten

Pashto → English

Date on letter

redacted [Gregorian date added in brackets]

Sender

[Group name as written, official English form in brackets]

Addressed to

redacted

Opening

[Religious greeting, translated word for word]

Demand

[Translated word for word]

Threat

[Translated word for word]

Closing

[Translated word for word]

• [Handwritten letter; group stamp at the bottom, partly illegible]
• [Signature]
• [Translator's note: a religious phrase is translated and explained in this note.]

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

Evidence we translate for persecution claims

Threat and night letters

A night letter (in Dari and Pashto, shabnameh) is a threatening letter left at a home, mosque or shop, usually at night. Night letter translation needs care. They are often handwritten, carry a group's stamp and use religious language. For a Taliban threat letter translation, we translate the religious opening, the accusation, the demand and the warning line by line. We describe any stamp or logo without claiming who made it. Our Pashto and Dari asylum document translation team works on these letters. We also translate threats from militias, gangs, families and armed groups in other countries.

Political party cards and letters

A political party membership card translation shows the party name, card number, branch, position held and dates. We also translate party letters, meeting notices and letters of support. Bangladeshi, Pakistani, Iranian Kurdish, Sudanese and Eritrean opposition groups all issue different formats. For more on these documents, see our political party card translation page.

Church, baptism and conversion letters

A church letter translation for asylum may confirm attendance, baptism, membership or a role in the church. Some come from churches abroad, such as Eritrean Orthodox or Pentecostal churches or house churches in Iran. Letters from UK churches are usually in English already. Our baptism certificate translation page covers baptism records and church certificates in more detail.

Military and national service papers

A military call up letter translation covers the unit or office that sent it, the date to report and any penalty mentioned. We also translate Eritrean national service papers (including Sawa documents), discharge papers, desertion notices and military ID cards. See our military service document translation page.

Newspaper articles

Some claims include local news reports about an attack, arrest or protest. We translate the headline, date, publication name and full article. See newspaper article translation for asylum.

How we describe logos, stamps and signatures

The look of a document can matter as much as the words. A caseworker cannot see a logo's meaning or read a stamp in another script. So we describe these features in square brackets, in neutral language.

Why we do not add or soften meaning

A threat letter is often judged on its exact words. If a translator makes a threat sound stronger, or tones down a crude phrase, the meaning changes. We translate what is written, including spelling mistakes that affect the meaning, and add a note where needed. We never say whether a letter is genuine, and we never guess who wrote it.

Envelopes, backs of pages and attachments

Send us everything that came with the letter. The back of a page may carry a second message, a date or a stamp. An envelope may show a name, an address or a postmark. We translate these too and label where each part appears, for example [reverse of page] or [envelope, front]. If a letter was folded around a photo or another paper, photograph that as well.

How to photograph your letter

Lay the letter flat in daylight, without flash. Include all four edges and any stamp or logo in the frame. Take one photo of the whole page and, if the writing is small, a close-up of each part. Keep the original letter safe, as your solicitor or the Home Office may ask to see it.

Where your translated threat letter is used

1. Your Home Office claim. Threat letters, party cards and church letters are common asylum claim evidence translation items, sent with your statement.
2. Your appeal. The Tribunal needs an English translation of any document not in English. These letters are often included in an asylum appeal bundle translation.
3. A fresh claim. New letters received after a refusal may form part of further submissions. See fresh asylum claim translation.

Threats sent by message or voice note are covered on our page about translating WhatsApp evidence for asylum.

Our translations are certified to meet the Home Office's published requirements. The caseworker or judge decides how much weight to give the evidence. We do not give legal advice; please speak to a solicitor or an adviser regulated by the Immigration Advice Authority (IAA, formerly OISC).

Languages for threat letter translation

We translate threat letters and political or religious evidence from:

• Pashto and Dari: night letters and threats from Afghanistan and Pakistan.
• Farsi: letters from Iran, including church and political evidence. See Farsi asylum document translation.
• Bengali: party cards, letters and threats from Bangladesh. See Bengali asylum document translation.
• Tigrinya: national service and church documents from Eritrea. See Tigrinya asylum document translation.
• Urdu, Kurdish and Arabic: threats and party documents from Pakistan, Iraq, Iran, Sudan and Syria.

Threat letter translation price and delivery time

Most threat letters and party cards are one page.

Prices shown are starting prices and include VAT. We confirm your exact price in a written quote before any work starts. See our translation prices for full details.