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Short answer. To prepare WhatsApp chats, text messages or screenshots for translation, preserve the complete conversation sequence, show participant names, dates and timestamps, and send clear files without cropped text. Tell the translation agency where the material will be submitted so the correct certification, layout and supporting statement can be confirmed before work begins.
Digital conversations can become important records in family, employment, insurance, immigration, administrative and legal matters. The difficulty is not simply translating each sentence. A useful translation must also preserve who said what, when it was said and how the conversation fits together.
This guide explains how to prepare chat evidence for translation. It does not determine whether a court, lawyer, insurer or government body will accept a particular file. The receiving organization decides what it requires.
Send the messages in chronological order. A set of disconnected screenshots can make it difficult to identify the beginning and end of the conversation. If the chat is long, number the files before uploading them, for example:
Do not rearrange messages to make the story easier to read. The translation should follow the source material as it appears.
Whenever possible, each screenshot should show:
If a contact appears only as a phone number, explain whose number it is in a separate note. Do not edit the screenshot itself.
Before sending the files, check that:
If the original conversation contains voice notes, attachments, deleted-message notices or forwarded content, tell us. Those elements may require transcription, a separate attachment or an explanatory label.
Chat messages often contain spelling mistakes, abbreviations, emojis, incomplete sentences and mixed languages. Leave them as they are. Correcting the original before translation can change its meaning or remove information that may matter to the recipient.
The translator can reproduce unclear wording, identify unreadable text and add neutral translator notes where appropriate.
For a quote, explain whether you need:
If a lawyer or another professional is handling the file, ask them to identify the required portion before ordering. Translation Agency of Ontario does not decide which evidence should be included in a case.
The correct format depends on the recipient. Some files need a standard certified translation, while others may require a translator affidavit, notarization or another specified format.
Ontario's Courts of Justice Act states that court documents filed in a language other than English must be accompanied by an English translation certified by the translator's affidavit. This does not mean that every screenshot or every Ontario matter follows the same process. Confirm the exact requirement for your file before ordering. See the Courts of Justice Act for the wording of the rule.
Include:
This information helps us quote the work accurately and avoid preparing the wrong certification type.
Print or fill in our one-page checklist before you upload the files. It covers the conversation sequence, file readability, connected material and the details we need for a quote.
Yes. Clear screenshots can be translated, but they should show the conversation sequence, participant names and timestamps whenever possible.
Yes, depending on audio quality and language availability. Voice notes normally require transcription first and translation second.
Yes, if the receiving organization or the professional handling your file has confirmed which messages are required. We do not decide what evidence should be submitted.
Acceptance depends on the court, proceeding and instructions for the specific file. Tell us where the translation will be used so we can confirm the available certification options. We do not provide legal advice or guarantee acceptance.
The price depends on the number of messages, languages, image quality, voice notes, formatting and certification type. Upload the files for an exact quote.
Need WhatsApp chats, text messages or screenshots translated? Upload the files through the How to Order form for review and a quote.
Related pages: transcription services, legal translation, translation for court.