Ukrainian translation quotations: scope, billing and deadline

Private orders and official commissions

Art. 16 ust. 1 of the Act on the Profession of Sworn Translator provides for fees to be agreed in a contract with the client or commissioning party. A separate regime applies to work performed at the request of a court, prosecutor, Police or public administration authority: billing then follows the Regulation issued under art. 16 ust. 2. The distinction depends on who commissions the work, not on whether the document will later be submitted to an authority. A client privately ordering a birth certificate translation for a residence matter agrees the price as part of that assignment. A privately commissioned translation of a contract intended for use in proceedings is billed in the same way.[1][2]

The Regulation, in the consolidated text published in 2025, governs the billing unit for written translation, each commenced hour of attendance for interpreting, and specified fee increases. Under this regime, a standard billing page comprises 1125 characters, and a commenced page counts as a full page. For a private assignment, billing follows the agreed quotation. Comparing two quotations therefore requires checking the unit, translation direction, number of copies and scope of documents. An amount beside the word “page” may refer to different methods of calculating volume. A complete quotation also states whether the price covers all the material ordered.[2]

Complete material for a quotation

A written quotation is based on a complete, legible set of material in an agreed version. For an official document, this means all pages covered by the assignment, the reverse side with annotations, seals, signatures and attachments. For a contract, definitions, tables, addenda and references to other documents also matter. The number of pages in a file provides an indication but does not yet describe the length of the translation: a single page may contain a few fields or densely written provisions. A precisely described set provides a reference point when an additional document appears later. For several people, documents can be labelled with set numbers while preserving their correct allocation.

The material should be accompanied by the translation direction, recipient, required form of certification and deadline for receiving the completed translation. If the institution has issued a request or specified the required scope, the relevant passage helps define the assignment. For multilingual documents, elements in other languages must also be identified to establish the full scope of service. An initial availability enquiry only requires the type of material and deadline; a detailed quotation requires identification of the documents and a check of their legibility. The data minimisation principle supports providing material relevant to the assignment and limiting additional case information to what is necessary.[3]

Legibility and terminology

The work required depends on the structure of the material. A contract requires consistent names of parties and terms, reproduction of cross-references and checking figures in every table. In a diploma, the names of qualifications, subjects and organisational units matter. Company documentation contains register abbreviations, job titles and representatives’ details. These elements need comparison across the entire set. Saying “ten pages” without identifying their contents provides less basis for pricing than a file containing the complete documents. Earlier translations used by the institution and identified by the client as terminology references may also be relevant. Fernando Prieto Ramos links the assessment of legal translation quality to the scope of the assignment and control of the translation process. This describes work on an appropriate text, including analysis and verification, which also forms part of the time needed to complete the assignment.[5]

Handwritten additions, faint seal impressions and damaged copies are a separate factor. For an illegible passage, a better scan can be obtained or the particular page photographed again. If the material remains illegible, this is reflected in the translation. Clarifying source quality before accepting an assignment reduces the need to compare a completed text again with a new image. Under the official tariff, specified characteristics of specialist, handwritten or hard-to-read material have defined effects on fees. For a private assignment, the agreed quotation determines the significance of these characteristics. A clear photograph of the source helps establish the scope of work before translation begins.[2]

Certification, copies and delivery

The quotation states whether the order covers a certified translation, additional copies, or checking and certifying a translation prepared by another person. The Act lists these as separate powers of a sworn translator. Checking an existing text involves comparison with the source and the necessary corrections, so both materials are needed to estimate the work. A completed Polish file alone, without the Ukrainian source, does not define the scope of the check. For documents intended for several recipients, the number and format of copies matter. Each document ordered should be linked to the correct source material, even when file names are similar.[1]

The deadline means the date and method of receiving the translation. For a paper version, collection or delivery must be included. For an electronic document, it is necessary to establish whether a file bearing the translator’s qualified electronic signature, as provided for in art. 18 of the Act, can be used. A scan of a signed printout is a different form of material from an electronic document certified with a qualified signature. If the assignment relates to a particular hearing or office appointment, that date and the delivery method should appear in the enquiry. Where the recipient requires paper, the time needed to receive it forms part of the arrangements, even if the material was sent electronically beforehand.[1]

Interpreting fees

For interpreting, the starting point is the type of act, location, start time and anticipated duration of participation. A notarial appointment, questioning, an administrative interview and business negotiations have different speaking structures and preparation material. A draft document, terminology list and number of participants define the actual scope of work. The TEPIS Professional Code emphasises establishing the subject matter, scope and duration of an act in advance.[4] When booking, it also matters whether the meeting covers one act or several successive documents and conversations. Information about planned signatures and the anticipated order of participants helps determine the availability required.

Organisational arrangements cover how attendance is charged, travel, waiting time and what happens if the appointment is rescheduled. For an official assignment, the applicable rules are set by a regulation: attendance is calculated from the time specified in the summons until the interpreter is released from the procedural act. For a privately commissioned appointment, these elements form part of the arrangements with the client. Stating the length of the deed does not replace information about how the appointment will proceed. Reading the document aloud, the participant's questions, the notary's explanations and amendments to the draft may require the interpreter's presence. If the document changes before the appointment, providing the current version helps organise preparation and reduces work on a text that will not be used.[2]

Changes in scope after acceptance of an assignment

A transparent quotation identifies the documents or act, the translation direction, delivery format, deadline, billing unit and price or the method for determining the final price. For extensive material, items already provided can be separated from documents still expected. This provides a clear reference point when an addendum or a new version of a contract is supplied later. It is important to specify whether the quotation concerns one version of a draft or includes later changes within an agreed scope. Breaking down the assignment in this way helps control document circulation, especially when different people in a company send material and receive translations. The person responsible for the set can then confirm its final contents.

Once an order has been accepted, a new document, an additional copy or a deadline change requires agreement on its effect on the scope and price. If a source is replaced with a new version, it must be specified which file will form the basis of the translation and whether earlier work will be used. A single summary of the current set helps organise several parallel messages. An enquiry to the office of Vadym Rekel, sworn translator of Ukrainian, TP/27/17, may state the type of material and the required deadline; document details are supplied through the agreed contact channel. The quotation then relates to the services ordered and allows the complete order to be agreed before work begins.

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