You already have the document. A photocopy of a baptism entry, a letter from 1923, a Russian-language marriage record someone found on a microfilm. You just cannot read it.
We translate handwritten Polish, Russian, German and Latin records into clear English - every name, date, place, occupation and marginal note, with an explanation of what the formulas mean and what the record tells you that it does not say outright.
What we translate
- Parish and civil birth, marriage and death records, in the narrative form used in the Russian partition and the columnar form used in Galicia and Prussia
- Russian-language records from 1868-1915, in nineteenth-century Cyrillic handwriting
- German records in Kurrent script, including Prussian civil registration from 1874
- Latin parish registers, with Latin given names converted to their Polish and American forms
- Family letters, postcards, prayer-book inscriptions, photograph captions and military papers
What you receive
A side-by-side document: a transcription of the original text, the English translation, and notes on anything a reader needs to know - the double dating of Russian records, an abbreviation, a witness who turns out to be a relative, a place name in its modern spelling. Delivered as a PDF.
Research translation and certified translation are different products
For family history you want a full, annotated translation that explains the record. For an official purpose - a Polish citizenship application, a court, an agency - the receiving institution usually requires a sworn translation into Polish, made by a translator registered with the Polish Ministry of Justice. Tell us what the translation is for and we will say which one you need.
Cost. $60 per record - one register entry or one page of a letter - delivered within five business days for up to five records. Sworn translations into Polish for official use are quoted separately.
How to order
Order the translation, then upload your scans or phone photographs through the intake form. Photograph the whole page, including the margins, in daylight and without flash; the notes in the margin are often the most useful part of the record.