Understanding Estimated Turnaround Time

Turnaround time is our estimate of how long the translation work itself takes, once your order has been reviewed, payment has been processed, and the order has been assigned to a translator, up to the moment your completed translation is emailed to you. The exact start of the estimate is explained in the section “When the Estimate Starts” below. Because every translation is prepared by a professional human translator, we provide estimates that include a buffer rather than exact deadlines.

Turnaround time does not include the time needed for the following additional steps or services, which add time on top of the translation estimate:

• Approval — If your order requires your approval after translation and before we finalize it (for example, before a translation is submitted for notarization), responding promptly to approval requests helps avoid delays.
• Notarization — Certified translations that require notarization generally need additional processing time, typically about 1–2 business days depending on the volume of documents and the availability of the translator and the notary. This is an estimate only and is not guaranteed. Before notarization, we email you the translation for approval; once approved, we submit it for notarization.
• Apostille — Apostille processing time depends on the government authorities that issue the apostille and is outside our control. It typically takes about 3–5 business days, but this is an estimate only and is not guaranteed. Before we submit for notarization and apostille, we email you the translation for approval; once approved, we submit it to a Notary Public and then to the office of the Secretary of State for the apostille.
• Shipping — Shipping of printed copies is available for notarized translations and apostille orders. If you need a certified translation shipped, please request a manual quote. Delivery time depends on the shipping method and destination and is subject to courier and carrier pickup times.
• Changes or new information from you (during the order) — If, after the estimate has started, you provide new information, corrected details, additional materials, or changed requirements that call for further editing, proofreading, or rework of the translation, the additional time needed for that work is not included in the original estimate and is added on top of it.
• Revisions after delivery — Once your completed translation has been delivered, the turnaround estimate for that order has been met. If you later send comments or request changes, that work is handled as a revision under our Terms of Service and Payment Policy. Any time spent on a post-delivery revision is separate from the original estimate and does not mean the original estimated turnaround time was missed.

If your order includes any of these add-ons, please factor them into your overall timeline. For the most accurate picture, consider the full scope of your order, not only the translation portion.

Standard orders. Your estimated turnaround time is calculated from the next business day following the date on which your payment is received. If you pay by credit or debit card, the estimate starts on the next business day after we have confirmed your order via email and the card charge has been completed, i.e. the amount pre-authorized (put on hold/reserved) on your debit or credit card when placing an order has been captured. If you pay by Zelle, the estimate starts on the next business day after we have received and verified your Zelle payment.

Expedited / Rush orders. Rush orders are prioritized for accelerated processing. If we receive and verify your payment during our business hours, your expedited estimate begins shortly after payment, rather than on the next business day. If we receive your payment outside our business hours, your expedited estimate begins at the start of our next business period. Our business hours are Monday through Friday from 9am to 5pm, Pacific Time, excluding U.S. federal holidays.

For both standard and expedited orders, the estimate does not include the time needed to review and assign your order to a translator. If, at any point, we need information, clarification, files, or approval from you, the estimate is paused while we wait for your response and is extended by the corresponding number of days. Time spent awaiting your response, materials, or approval, as well as weekends and U.S. federal holidays, is not counted toward the estimate.

Before assignment, our support team performs review that may include:

• Word and page count verification — We check the automatically generated count and confirm it matches your selected translation type (certified or standard).
• Reviewing your notes — We review any special instructions and pass relevant details to the translator. If we have questions, we may contact you before proceeding.
• File quality check — We check that your files are legible and properly formatted, and we may flag blurry, cropped, or low-resolution files.
• Confirming source and target languages — We verify that the source language of the document matches what was selected at checkout.
• Flagging anything unusual — If we identify missing pages, inconsistent formatting, or unrelated content, we may reach out before proceeding.

Several factors can affect how quickly translation can be completed:

• Word count — Documents with more text generally take more time to translate.
• Language pair — More common pairs, such as English–Spanish, are typically faster to assign and complete, while less common pairs may take additional time to find the right translator.
• Specialized content — Straightforward documents such as birth certificates are generally faster to handle than medical records, legal contracts, or technical materials that require subject-matter expertise.
• Formatting and layout — Documents that require formatting or layout work generally take additional time, and documents with complex formatting may take even longer.
• Translator availability — We match each order to a qualified available translator for that language pair and document type. During peak periods or for niche languages, assignment may take longer.

Because each translation is prepared by a professional human translator, we provide estimates that include a buffer rather than exact deadlines.

Your turnaround estimate appears at checkout and on quote requests, based on the total word count and the service or services you selected. This estimate applies to digital delivery by email.

If your order includes a hard copy, shipping time is added after you approve the final translation.

If you would like to confirm a timeline before placing your order, please request a manual quote and we will provide an estimate tailored to your needs.

Working against a deadline? We offer an expedited service for both certified and standard translations, designed to deliver your document faster without compromising quality. With expedited service:

• Your order is prioritized for faster processing;
• Our support team fast-tracks review and assignment;
• The estimated delivery time shown for expedited orders is shorter than the standard estimate, as reflected in the table below.

Expedited service can be helpful for time-sensitive government submissions, academic applications, and business needs. If you are not sure whether expedited service fits your situation, contact us or request a manual quote and we will help you choose the best option for your timeline.

The estimates below are based on data from past orders. They are estimates only and are not guaranteed delivery dates. Standard estimates are counted in business days and exclude weekends and U.S. federal holidays, as well as any time we spend waiting for information, materials, or approval from you. Turnaround estimates are shown at checkout and on quote requests, and the applicable estimate for your specific order is the one shown for that order.

Estimates shown in business days exclude weekends and U.S. federal holidays. Expedited estimates shown in hours are counted during our business hours and do not include weekends or U.S. federal holidays. All values are approximate planning estimates and may vary with translator availability, document complexity, formatting, and the other factors described above.

Example. Because weekends and U.S. federal holidays are not counted, expedited hours that fall on a weekend are carried over to the next business day. For instance, if an expedited order with a 24-hour estimate is placed and paid for on a Friday at 12pm, Pacific Time, the estimated completion is around 12pm, Pacific Time, on the following Monday (if Monday is not a holiday), because Saturday and Sunday are not counted. This is an illustration only; the estimate that applies to your order is the one shown for that specific order.

Urgent situations. If your situation is time-critical, please contact us before or after placing your order and let us know your deadline. We will review your request and let you know what options may be available, though we cannot promise any particular delivery date.

In most cases we assign a single translator to your order, and we generally prefer to do so, because one translator helps maintain consistent terminology, tone, and formatting throughout your document.

If you are working against a very tight deadline, we may be able to divide your document among multiple translators to help speed up delivery. Whether this is possible depends on the nature of the documents and how cleanly they can be divided, and it is handled on a case-by-case basis. If you would like to explore this option, please contact our support team.

All turnaround times stated on this page, at checkout, in quotes, or in any communication are estimates only, are not binding deadlines, and are not a guarantee of any delivery date. A delay in delivery is not, on its own, a breach of our Terms of Service or Payment Policy and is not, on its own, grounds for a refund. This page is provided for general information and is subject to our Terms of Service and Payment Policy.

Questions about your timeline? Email us at info@lingvashop.com.