| Service | Price |
|---|---|
| Standard document translation | From UAH 600 |
| Written text translation | From UAH 600 |
| Consecutive interpreting | From UAH 5,000 |
| Apostille or legalisation | From UAH 1,900 |
| Notarial certification | On request |
The English language
Today, English is used to conduct international negotiations, study at universities, draft contracts, present technological products, and communicate with partners across continents. It has become such an integral part of the global information landscape that its origins are easily overlooked.
And this story began in what is now England.
The foundation of the future English language was laid by the Germanic dialects of the Angles, Saxons and Jutes, who migrated to the British Isles. Even the name ‘English’ itself is linked to the Angles. However, the language did not develop in isolation: over the centuries, it evolved under the influence of contact with the Celtic peoples, the Scandinavians, the Normans and other cultures.
Today, it is no longer possible to speak of English as the language of a single people. It is the mother tongue of millions of people in the United Kingdom, the USA, Canada, Australia, New Zealand and other countries, and for a vast number of people it is a second language, a language of study or a working language.
It is precisely this global spread that has made English extremely diverse — and, at the same time, fascinating from the perspective of professional translation.
The History of the English Language
It is almost impossible to recognize a modern English text in the English that was spoken over a thousand years ago.
Old English took shape in the early stages. Many basic words relating to people, family, nature and everyday life have survived from that period to the present day.
The Scandinavians left the next significant mark. Contact with the Vikings lasted long enough for some North Germanic vocabulary to become an integral part of English.
The Norman Conquest of England in the 11th century had an even greater impact on the linguistic landscape. French was used for a long time at the royal court, in administrative circles and amongst the nobility. English, however, remained the language of the majority of the population. The gradual coexistence of these languages produced an interesting result: the English vocabulary was significantly enriched with French and Latin terms, particularly in the fields of law, public administration, culture and education.
This was followed by Middle English and, later, Early Modern English. The advent of printing, alongside developments in science, literature, international trade and seafaring, gradually established written norms whilst simultaneously introducing new vocabulary.
This history explains one of the distinctive features of English: it often contains words with similar meanings but different stylistic nuances or spheres of usage. For a translator, this means that the correct choice is determined not by the dictionary definition of a single word, but by the context of the entire text.
How English Became an International Language
English’s global status did not develop in a single historical period.
Initially, its geographical reach was significantly expanded by the British Empire. Alongside trade, administration and the education system, English spread across North America, Asia, Africa, Australia and other regions of the world.
In the 20th century, the United States began to exert a major influence. The economy, science, cinema, music, international business, and, later, computer technology and the internet further strengthened English's position.
It now often serves as a common language between people, none of whom are native speakers. A Ukrainian company may work with partners in Germany, Turkey, Japan and the US — and use English in all these relationships.
Its role is particularly prominent in international business, IT, education, science, tourism, aviation and digital services. Contracts, technical documentation, scientific publications, corporate presentations, websites and educational materials are all produced in English.
However, the universality of the language does not imply the universality of translation. The text of an international presentation, a contract for an American company and a website for British clients serve different purposes. And the professional approach to each will also differ.
British, American and other variants of English
The request ‘I need this translated into English’ seems clear. But for a translator, this is sometimes not enough.
The most noticeable difference lies between British and American English.
In the UK, it is common to see ‘color ’, ‘center’ and ‘organization ’, whilst in the US it is ‘color ’, ‘center’ and ‘organization ’. The British ‘flat’ corresponds to the American ‘apartment’, ‘lift’ to ‘elevator’, and ‘lorry’ to ‘truck’.
There are also less obvious differences.
These relate to date formats, units of measurement, punctuation, professional terminology and the customary style of business communication. For example, the date 05/08/2026 is read as 5 August in the British tradition, whereas in the US it might be understood as 8 May. For everyday correspondence, this can cause confusion, but for a contract, financial or medical document, such ambiguity can be critical.
There are also Canadian, Australian, New Zealand and other national variants of English.
We therefore always recommend identifying the target market in advance for commercial, marketing and localization projects. A good translation must not merely be grammatically correct — the reader must perceive it as natural text, crafted with the linguistic context in mind.
Features of professional translation into and from English
Due to the prevalence of English, one sometimes gets the impression that translating it is simpler than working with less well-known languages.
In reality, familiarity with the language often masks its complexity.
Take the common word ‘party’. In everyday text, it might mean a social gathering, whereas in a contract it refers to a party to a legal transaction. Depending on the context, ‘claim’ can mean a demand, a complaint, an assertion, a statement or an insurance claim. A literal translation may sometimes appear correct, but the professional meaning of the phrase is lost.
The same applies to style.
In legal translation, the accuracy of phrasing and consistency of terminology are of particular importance. In medical translation, the correct rendering of diagnoses, procedures, medications and abbreviations is key. Technical documentation requires an understanding of the subject area, whilst marketing text often needs to be adapted, as a literal version may not work for a different audience.
This is precisely why a translator must work not only with the language, but also with the content.
For specialized materials at STATUS KO, we select specialists based on the project's subject matter. A translator of legal documents and a specialist working with medical or technical texts may share the same language pair, but their professional expertise will differ.
English translation at STATUS KO
We are approached with a wide variety of tasks: from translating a single certificate to the multilingual localization of a website or a set of corporate documents.
So we begin by analyzing the material.
We need to understand its purpose, subject matter, scope and requirements for the final output. An official document may require notarisation, an apostille or other formalities. For a business presentation, style and corporate terminology are key. For a website, the text must read naturally and be adapted to the specific market.
We then select a translator with the relevant specialism. Where necessary, the material undergoes an editorial review, during which terminology, proper names, dates, figures, structure and the sequence of phrases are double-checked. For large projects, we pay particular attention to ensuring consistency of terminology throughout the text.
The STATUS KO Translation Center works with over 60 languages worldwide, and English is one of our most in-demand language pairs. We translate personal and official documents, contracts, corporate materials, medical and technical documentation, websites, presentations, and marketing and multimedia content.
If you require a translation into or from English, please send us your material for a preliminary assessment. We will determine the scope and format of the work, the deadlines, and whether any additional formatting is required, and we will propose a solution tailored to your specific requirements.
After all, professional translation does not begin with a mechanical substitution of words, but with a precise understanding of where, by whom, and for what purpose the final text will be used.
